Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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05-03-21 | Blazers v. Hawks -2 | Top | 114-123 | Win | 100 | 10 h 17 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Atlanta Hawks -2 over Portland Trailblazers, 8:10 PM ET - There is no denying the Blazers are clicking right now but this is a great spot to fade them due to scheduling. Not only is Portland coming off a BIG win yesterday over Boston, they are playing their 5th game in seven days. Atlanta though had a day off and were at home the previous game so they are rested and didn’t have to travel. The Hawks are 9-3 ATS when playing with 1 day rest. If you look at the Hawks recent games they played several without Clint Capela, Trae Young or both but they are in the lineup tonight. Atlanta has won and covered 5 straight at home with quality wins against the Bucks, Pacers and Heat. Atlanta is 13-3 ATS their last 16 as a home favorite and they get a solid home win here. |
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05-02-21 | Heat v. Hornets OVER 211 | Top | 121-111 | Win | 100 | 9 h 13 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* OVER 211 Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets, 8:10 pm ET - This number is surprisingly low and our computer math model is calling for 218 or more total points. These same two teams have already met twice this season and they had totals higher than this number of 213.5 and 216.5 and they went Over in both those games. Miami and their opponents have totaled 212 or more points in 4 of their last five games and are on a 5-0 Over streak. Charlotte got LaMello Ball back last night who pushes the pace for the Hornets and gives them an added scoring option they’ve missed recently. When playing without rest the Hornets are 6-7 Over this season but those games have averaged 220PPG. These two teams are in the bottom half of the league in both pace of play and scoring but let’s not forget league average of NBA games is around 222PPG and this number is well below that. The Over has cashed 4 straight times in this series, make it 5 after today. |
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05-01-21 | Nuggets v. Clippers UNDER 222 | Top | 110-104 | Win | 100 | 10 h 48 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* UNDER 222 LA Clippers vs Denver Nuggets, 10:10 PM ET - This game features two of the elite teams in the West and both are without significant contributors offensively as the Clippers are without Leonard (25.7PPG), while the Nuggets are missing Murray (21.2PPG). In fact, these two teams met in early April with those two players and the teams combined for just 195 total points. That was with Leonard/Murray combining for 47 points that won’t be on the floor in this game. Strangely enough the Over/Under set on that previous game was 220 and lower than this number. These two teams are both top 12 in defensive efficiency and most importantly the 3rd and 4th SLOWEST paced teams in the NBA. With neither team interested in playing fast we can’t see this game getting to a league average of 222 total points. In the last nine meetings between these two teams these two teams have totaled less than today’s number eight times. Going back further, these two have stayed Under the total in 24 of the last 33 meetings in L.A. BET UNDER! |
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04-30-21 | Spurs +4.5 v. Celtics | Top | 140-143 | Win | 100 | 9 h 32 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* San Antonio Spurs +4.5 over Boston Celtics, 7:40 PM ET - Both teams have plenty to play for as the Spurs are fighting for an “at large bid” and a chance to play in, while the Celtics are trying to lock in a top 6 seed which would keep them out of the play in games. San Antonio is playing well right now with 5 wins in their last seven games and a couple of those victories were impressive as they beat a red-hot Wizards team and the Phoenix Suns. Conversely, the Celtics are 2-4 SU their last six games and two of those loses came against two of the league’s weakest teams in Charlotte, and Oklahoma City. The Spurs are coming off a tough loss in Miami, but they’ve cashed 80% in this situation as they are 8-2 ATS on the road off a loss. Boston is coming off a 9-point win over Charlotte as a -6.5-point favorite which also contributes to our prediction here as the C’s are 7-15-1 ATS their last 23 when coming off a win. This game shapes up to be a tight affair which has us on the Underdog plus the points. |
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04-29-21 | Warriors v. Wolves UNDER 234.5 | Top | 114-126 | Loss | -113 | 9 h 2 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* UNDER 234.5 Golden State Warriors @ Minnesota Timberwolves - These are two of the four fastest paced teams in the NBA for the season but in their last five games both teams have slowed significantly. In the two meetings in January between these two teams they combined for 234 and 238 total points but the field goal attempts were very low compared to both team’s season averages. Golden State is 8th in defensive efficiency while the Wolves are 28th, but with the return of Karl Anthony Towns and DeAngelo Russell the Wolves DEFF has improved to 11th best in the NBA in their last five games. Golden State just played horrendous defense last game against the Mavericks so expect a much better effort tonight. There are plenty of trend support for the Under here as the Warriors are 6-1 Under their last seven road games as a favorite. Wolves are on a 4-1 Under run their last five games following a straight up win. Historically, the Under has cashed 27 of the last 39 meetings. The bet here is UNDER |
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04-28-21 | Clippers v. Suns -4 | Top | 101-109 | Win | 100 | 12 h 43 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Phoenix Suns -4 over LA Clippers, 10:10 PM ET - This game has been marked on our calendar since these teams last met and we were hoping this line would come out as low as it has so we could play on the Suns. There is some “bad blood” between these two teams with hard fouls, technical and ejections occurring in the previous two meetings. The last time these rivals met the Clippers held on to win at home 113-103. Kawhi Leonard, who is out here, poured in 27-points, grabbed 5 rebounds and had 5 assists for the Clippers. L.A. is also without Beverly who would typically “dog” either Chris Paul or Devin Booker in this matchup. These two teams are right behind the Jazz in the standings and both would love the #1 seed in the West. Phoenix has one of the best home court advantages in the NBA with a 23-9 SU record and the third best average margin of victory of +8.4PPG. The Suns have the 5th best offensive efficiency at home, 4th best DEFF at home. The Clippers have solid road differentials but they haven’t been as good defensively on the road ranking 12th in defensive efficiency away from home. Phoenix is 8-1 ATS their last nine home games against a team with a winning record while the Clippers are 2-5 ATS their last seven road games against a team with a plus .500 home record. The Suns get revenge here in a big win! |
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04-27-21 | Mavs v. Warriors -5 | Top | 133-103 | Loss | -101 | 9 h 56 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Golden State Warriors -5 over Dallas Mavericks, 9:40 PM ET - Dallas is dealing with several key injuries including Porzingis, Richardson, Redick and potentially Doncic tonight and won’t have a full compliment of players to deal with a hot Warriors team. Golden State has won 7 of their last ten games including two straight against the Kings and Nuggets. The Warriors three loses in that ten game stretch came to the blistering Wizards and Celtics. The Mavs have cooled a bit with a 5-5 SU record their last ten games and are coming off a game last night at Sacramento. This will be the Mavericks 5th game in seven days and the second of a back-to-back which will be tough to overcome. We basically need the Warriors to win outright and Golden State is 22-13 SU this season when playing with a day rest. The Mavericks are just 5-7 SU and ATS when playing without rest. Dallas is on an 0-4 ATS streak when coming off a loss. We like Steph and company to get a big win here. |
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04-26-21 | Suns v. Knicks UNDER 215.5 | Top | 118-110 | Loss | -110 | 10 h 36 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* UNDER 215.5 Phoenix Suns @ NY Knicks, 7:40 PM ET - We have a pair of top six defensive teams going head-to-head tonight when the Knicks and Suns square off. New York has the 3rd best defensive efficiency numbers in the league at 1.083-points per possession while the Suns allow just 1.101PPP. The other key aspect of this wager is the pace of play numbers. New York is the slowest paced team in the NBA at 96 possessions per game, Phoenix is 7th at 97.2. We get two teams that want to play slow and play outstanding defense, yet the number set on this game is just 6-points lower than league average. The Knicks have the #1 ranked overall field goal percentage defense and the 3-point percentage D while the Suns check in at #10 in overall FG% D and are 5th in 3PT% defense. Phoenix is coming off a game yesterday against the Nets and have slightly favored the Under when playing without rest with a 6-8 Under record on the year in this scheduling situation. New York has played some higher scoring games recently, but they haven’t faced a top 10 defense in ten straight games. In fact, the last good defensive team the Knicks played was the Lakers and that game ended with just 207 total points. We like a low scoring game here and a solid Under bet. |
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04-25-21 | Kings v. Warriors OVER 229.5 | Top | 113-117 | Win | 100 | 16 h 7 m | Show |
ASA top play on: OVER 229.5 Sacramento Kings @ Golden State Warriors, 10:10 PM ET - The Kings are without DeAaron Fox here but the line has been adjusted for his absence but not enough according to our models. The Kings are atrocious defensively allowing 119PPG (last in the NBA), have the 30th ranked field goal percentage defense and are 29th defending the 3-point line. How do you think that is going to stop Steph Curry and the Warriors who are 12th in 3-point shooting and average 115PPG. Sacramento is the 9th fastest paced team in the NBA and won’t slow down here just because Fox is out. The Kings will also put up points with the 7th highest scoring offense in the NBA at 114.6PPG, 6th best FG% shooting offense and 16th best 3-point percentage. Golden State is also the 2nd fastest paced team in the NBA so they’ll gladly play uptempo with the Kings. In the two meetings this season these two teams have combined for 260 and 243 total points. The Kings are on a 7-3 Over run when playing on the road against a team with a winning home record. The Warriors are 4-1 Over their last five home games against a team with a losing road record. The bet here is OVER! |
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04-24-21 | 76ers +7.5 v. Bucks | Top | 94-132 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 21 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Philadelphia 76ers +7.5 over Milwaukee Bucks - These two teams just met on Thurs with the Bucks winning 124-117. The 76ers shot 51% overall, 44% from 3 and had 33 rebounds. The Bucks outdid them though and shot 56% overall, made 20 of 40 3-pointers and outrebound the Sixers by 12. The Bucks are now 2-0 vs. Philly this year which makes this game that much more important for Philadelphia. The 76ers are 17-13 SU on the road with a +3.5PPG MOV which is 7th best in the NBA. Philly is in a much more desperate situation having lost 3 straight games while Milwaukee has won 4 of their last six. The 76ers are 12-7 SU when off a loss this year, 11-7-1 ATS. The 76ers are 3-7 ATS as a road dog this season – BUT those losses have come by an average of just -2.5PPG. This game is going to have a playoff like intensity which has us on the Underdog. Make sure you check the starting lineups before tipoff and Joel Embiid is scheduled to play. |
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04-23-21 | Nuggets v. Warriors UNDER 228 | Top | 97-118 | Win | 100 | 16 h 38 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* UNDER 228 Denver Nuggets @ Golden State Warriors, 10:10 PM ET - This is a quick turnaround game for these two teams as they just met on April 12th with the Warriors winning 116-107. The O/U on that game was 227.5 and that was with Jamal Murray in the lineup for the Nuggets. In that game the Nuggets attempted just 83 field goals while the Warriors shot just 81 times. Those are both well below their season averages for each team. Golden State is coming off a tough five game East coast road trip and it was obvious Steph Curry ran out of our gas against Washington last time out. The Nuggets are the 2nd slowest paced team in the NBA and will certainly walk it up here against a Warriors team that typically plays fast, but off that road trip will play slower here. Golden State has been improving their defensive efficiency numbers and have climbed to 7th in the NBA while the Nuggets are 15th in DEFF but 10th in points allowed defense. The Nugs are on a 5-0 Under streak on the road, Golden State Under 4-1 their last five versus teams with a winning record. The Under is 5-1 the last six meetings between these two, including both meetings this season with end results of 218 and 223. The bet here is UNDER the total. |
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04-22-21 | 76ers v. Bucks UNDER 225.5 | Top | 117-124 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 35 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* UNDER 225.5 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 7:10 PM ET - These two teams are clearly a pair of the best teams in the East and could certainly represent in the NBA Finals and both have MVP caliber players in Giannis and Embiid. The Bucks were held by Memphis and Phoenix to 115 and 116 points in regulation their last two games and those teams are similar defensively to the 76ers but not quite as good. Philly is 2nd in the NBA in defensive efficiency rating allowing just 1.076PPP. While we are on the subject of defense, the Bucks have seen their defensive numbers improve recently and now rank 8th in DEFF allowing just 1.107PPP. The 76ers have the 4th best FG% defense allowing 45.3% on the season, Milwaukee is 5th best at 45.4%. These two played on March 17th and totaled 214 total points in OVERTIME. This game has a playoff feel and several key scorers could be out for both teams making scoring more difficult. The bet here is UNDER! |
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04-21-21 | Warriors v. Wizards +2 | Top | 114-118 | Win | 100 | 7 h 19 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Washington Wizards +2 over Golden State Warriors, 7:10 PM ET - There is no denying the play of Steph Curry right now is off the charts but even he won’t have enough in the tank to carry the Warriors to a win here. The Wizards have gone on a nice run with five straight wins and 7 of their last ten. Washington recently beat the Warriors 110-107 in Golden State as a 4-point road dog. There is a vast majority of money and tickets coming in on Golden State in this game yet the line has moved in the opposite direction which is a clear indicator the smart players are backing Washington. Golden State has the second worst road spread record in the NBA at 12-19 ATS with the 8th worst road point differential at minus -4.3PPG. Golden State is coming off a very big win in Philly which ties into their 13-15 ATS record this season (with a negative differential) when coming off a win. Russ and Beal can trade buckets with Curry tonight. |
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04-20-21 | Clippers -8.5 v. Blazers | Top | 113-112 | Loss | -110 | 15 h 57 m | Show |
ASA top play on LA Clippers -8.5 over Portland Trailblazers, 10:10 PM ET - These same two teams met earlier this month with the Clippers winning 133-116 and the Blazers had Damian Lillard for that game, but he is out here. Another starter missing from the line up is starting center Nurkic and his 9.3PPG and 7.5RPG. Los Angeles is playing well with a 9-1 SU record their last ten games and a 4-0-1 ATS streak their last five games overall. Portland is in a funk right now with a 2-5 SU record their last five games and they have three home losses this month to teams similar to the Clippers (Celtics, Heat, Bucks). L.A. is 17-11 SU on the road this year with the 3rd best scoring differential of +5.1PPG on the season. Portland has a winning home record on the season but their average margin of victory is just 0.1PPG and 16th in the NBA. The Clippers have a top five offense in terms of scoring, field goal percentage and 3-points shooting while the Blazers rank in the bottom eleven defensively in those same categories. The Clippers have covered 5 straight versus the Blazers, make it six in a row after tonight. |
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04-19-21 | Grizzlies v. Nuggets -7.5 | Top | 137-139 | Loss | -102 | 9 h 52 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Denver Nuggets -7.5 over Memphis Grizzlies, 9:10 PM ET - We like the Nuggets here as they catch the Grizzlies are coming off a huge upset of the Bucks in Milwaukee a few nights ago. The Grizzlies shot ridiculously well at 55% which is well above their season average and had Valanciunas in the lineup who is out tonight. Memphis could also be without another starter here in Dillon Brooks who is questionable with a thigh injury. Memphis is playing their 4th game in six days which will be a factor playing in the higher altitude of Denver. The Nuggets have been off for a few days and have adjusted to being without Murray with two straight wins. The Nugs have won 10 of their last twelve games. Denver is 19-10 SU at home on the year with the 6th best average home differential of +6PPG. Ten of the Nuggets last fourteen home wins have come by 9 or more points. Memphis has some impressive road numbers this season, but with the current situation and injuries this will be a difficult spot for them to cover. Denver has a top 5 offense when it comes to 3pt%, FG% and points and should have an easy time scoring against a Grizzlies defense that is in the bottom half of the NBA in FG% D, scoring D and 11th in 3pt% defense. Memphis hasn’t covered in Denver in four straight trips here. Lay the points. |
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04-18-21 | Rockets v. Magic UNDER 219.5 | Top | 114-110 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 55 m | Show |
#577/578 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Under 219.5 Points – Houston vs Orlando, Sunday at 7:10 PM ET - Two of the worst offensive teams in the NBA facing off here and we look for a low scoring affair. The Rockets are 24th in the league averaging just 108 PPG while Orlando is 29th in the NBA putting up just 104 PPG. The only team in the NBA that averages fewer points than the Magic is Cleveland. When it comes to offensive efficiency these teams are 27th and 29th in the NBA averaging just 105 & 106 points per 100 possessions. They also rank 28th and 30th in field goal percentage. The Rockets have been held to under 110 points in 4 of their last 6 games while the Magic have been limited to 106 points or less in 4 of their last 5 games. Going back even further, Orlando’s offense has not topped 116 points in 15 straight games. Over their last 19 games Orlando is averaging just 101 PPG and they’ve been held under 100 points 9 times. Now when we add the injury situation, these two offenses, who are already among the worst in the NBA, will absolutely have problems scoring in this game. The Rockets have 64 PPG sitting on the bench and out for this game with Gordon, Wall, Brown, Augustin, and Nwaba all out for this one. Orlando will be missing Carter-Williams, Fultz, Porter Jr, and Bamba who combine account for 37 PPG on the season. Just too much offensive firepower missing from two teams that already struggle offensively. Take the UNDER here. |
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04-17-21 | Cavs +1.5 v. Bulls | Top | 96-106 | Loss | -105 | 12 h 28 m | Show |
#559 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Cleveland Cavaliers +1.5 over Chicago Bulls, Bulls playing the 2nd of a back-to-back and 4th game in seven days while the Cavs are rested. Chicago will be shorthanded here with All-Star Zach LaVine sidelined due to illness. Prior to Friday nights game the Bulls had lost 4 straight games all by an average of 9PPG. Despite a 3-3 SU record their last six games the Cavs have played better overall. The Cavs have some of the worst offensive numbers in the NBA on the season including offensive efficiency (28th) and scoring 30th. But with the return of Kevin Love the offense has been much better ranking 14th in OEFF their last five games. The Cavs are 5-0 ATS their last five road games versus a team with a losing record. We mentioned the rest factor in favor of the Cavs as the Bulls are 0-5 ATS their last five games when playing without rest. |
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04-16-21 | Clippers v. 76ers -2.5 | Top | 103-106 | Win | 100 | 5 h 23 m | Show |
#536 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Philadelphia -2.5 over LA Clippers, Friday at 7:10 PM ET - The Sixers should definitely be the fresher team in this one as they had a day off on April 13th after completing a successful road trip, then played on April 14th at home before another day off yesterday. The Clips, on the other hand, will be playing their 3rd road game in 4 nights here. Philly is also the healthier team in this match up. LA is banged up with Kawhi Leonard possibly missing his 4th straight game here and Beverly & Ibaka still out. The Clippers are 3-0 with Kawhi out however those wins have coming vs Detroit (twice) and Indiana, both below .500 with the Pistons sitting with the worst record in the East. LA barely got by Detroit on Wednesday 100-98 with ex-Piston Reggie Jackson hitting a shot at the buzzer for the win. Philly has been fantastic at home with a 21-5 record, the 2nd best in the NBA behind Utah. They have a +7 PPG point differential at home and they are getting healthy. Both Embiid and Simmons are good to go tonight and Harris looks like he’ll be a go as well (sore knee). We feel this team is undervalued despite their impressive 38-17 record. That’s because the 3 players listed above have combined to miss 30 games this season and the Sixers have been forced to use 20 different starting line ups in the process. They are still 21 games above .500 despite that. When healthy, like tonight, they are outstanding. They have the #2 defense in the NBA allowing 107 points per 100 possessions and they are off a big home win over the Nets on Wednesday when Embiid, Simmons, and Harris combined for 82 points and 18 rebounds. Now they’ve had a day off to get ready for tonight’s big match up with the Clippers. Los Angeles topped Philly in late March but the 76ers weren’t at full strength with Embiid out. Now catching LA in a tough spot, we like Philadelphia tonight. |
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04-15-21 | Celtics v. Lakers +6.5 | Top | 121-113 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 4 m | Show |
ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* LA Lakers +6.5 over Boston, Thursday at 10 PM ET - The Celtics are coming off back to back road wins over Denver & Portland so they are a bit overvalued coming into LA. Boston was an underdog in both of those games now laying 6.5 on the road in their 3rd road game in 6 nights. Since LeBron has been out with injury, LA has been a home dog of +6 vs the Sixers and +8.5 vs Milwaukee, 2 of the top teams in the NBA. Now they are getting around the same number vs Boston? This is a bad line in our opinion. The Lakers are off a 4-3 road trip including a blowout win @ Brooklyn the team with the 2nd best record in the East. With LeBron and AD still on the shelf, the Lakers have gotten a big boost with the acquisition of Andre Drummond who has averaged 10 PPG and 11 RPG in his 4 games with LA. Even without their 2 stars the Lakers have been competitive with a 6-7 overall record since LeBron went out and they’ve covered 4 of their last 5. They are undervalued with those 2 on the sideline. Boston steps in off a big 1-point win @ Portland in a back and forth game that could leave them a bit heavy legged for this one just 2 days later. The Celts have a losing road record this season and they are just 4-9 ATS in their 13 games this year as a road favorite. They’ve lost 8 of those 13 games outright. Lakers keep this close and pick up the cover at home. |
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04-14-21 | Heat v. Nuggets -4 | Top | 106-123 | Win | 100 | 12 h 5 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10*: Denver Nuggets -4 over Miami Heat 10:10PM ET We have obviously been doing this for a very looooong time and one situation that has been profitable for us repeatedly is betting a team in their first game since losing a star player. The Nuggets suffered a huge blow when Jamaal Murray injured his knee late in their game Monday. Typically, what happens is that role player replacement rises to the occasion when they get extended minutes. The separator of great NBA players and say bench players is consistency. Monte Morris, Will Barton or Campazzo will step up and fill the Murray void for this game. There are other parts of this wager we like including an elite team like Denver coming off a bad loss on Monday to Golden State. The Nuggets also catch a scheduling break with the Heat coming off a game last night and playing their 5th game in just nine days. Unfortunately, the Heat also lost last night (1-5 ATS L6 following a double-digit loss) but the lack of rest in the higher altitude of Denver will be an issue. Miami is just 8-12 ATS against winning teams, 3-6 ATS when a dog of 4.5-points or less versus anyone. Denver is 18-10 SU at home with the 7th best average point differential in the league at +5.5PPG. The Nuggets are 6-1 SU their last seven at home and get an 8-point home win here, even without Murray. |
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04-13-21 | Hawks v. Raptors OVER 223 | Top | 108-103 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 20 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* OVER 223 Atlanta Hawks vs Toronto Raptors, 7:40 PM ET - We feel the line on this game has been heavily influenced by each teams last games and is much lower than it should be. The Hawks are coming off a game against the struggling Hornets (7-3 Under their last 10 games) where they totaled just 206 points. The Raptors are coming off the defensive minded, slow paced Knicks and totaled just 198 total points. As far as the Hawks are concerned, they had gone Over in 7 of their last nine games prior to playing Charlotte. Atlanta games have totaled more than this number in 9 of their last ten. Atlanta is 8th in the NBA in offensive efficiency at 1.155-points per possession. As we mentioned, the Raptors are coming off a very low scoring game but prior to that had put up 135-points against the Cavs and totaled 235 the game before against the Bulls. Toronto also has another 130-point game in their last six games, so they are more than capable of putting up a big number here. Toronto is top 13 of the league in offensive efficiency and pace. The first two meetings of this season between these two teams has resulted in 241 and 253 total points. Bet OVER here. |
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04-12-21 | Nuggets v. Warriors UNDER 226 | Top | 107-116 | Win | 100 | 11 h 58 m | Show |
ASA play on: UNDER 226 Denver Nuggets @ Golden State Warriors, 10:10 PM ET - We really liked this Under bet when the opening number came out at 229.5 but has since been bet down to the current number. We still feel there is enough value and won’t be scared off by the move. The last time these two Western foes met was back in January, but they combined for just 218 total points. In that game the Warriors had Wiseman, Oubre Jr. and Paschall who combined for 40-points in that game and all three of those GST players are out tonight. Denver had Murray for that previous game, who is out tonight also, and he scored 17-points for the Nuggets. Denver struggled offensively yesterday scoring just 87-points in a loss to the Celtics. They’ll focus on their half-court offense here with a key advantage in the middle with Jokic against anyone the Warriors can throw at him. The Nuggets are playing their 4th game in just 7 days so fatigue will be a factor here. The Nuggets are one of the slowest paced teams in the NBA and will walk it up every chance they get. The Warriors are obviously explosive offensively with Steph Curry but the offense has had it’s ups-and-downs this season. In their last ten games alone, the Warriors have scored 111 or less in six games. Golden State has the 21st offensive efficiency rating in the NBA this season but are 9th defensively. Warriors 7-2 Under their last nine at home against a team with a winning record, Nuggets 5-0 Under run on the road versus teams with a winning home record. The bet here is UNDER! |
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04-11-21 | Pacers v. Grizzlies -3 | Top | 132-125 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 59 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Memphis Grizzlies -3 over Indiana Pacers, 8:10 PM ET - The Pacers may have won two straight games but those wins came against two of the worst teams in the NBA in Orlando and Minnesota. The Pacers are 3-4 SU their last seven games and 7-7 their last fourteen on the road. Memphis is off a loss in New York but have won 4 of their last five games and are playing well. Memphis has the best offensive efficiency rating in the NBA over their last five games at 1.235PPP and a defensive efficiency rating of 1.124PPP which is 15th. In comparison the Pacers are in in the bottom ten in both OEFF and DEFF their last five games. Memphis is 14-10 ATS off a loss this season, 9-5 ATS at home in that situation. The Pacers are 8-15 ATS off a win this season, 2-8 ATS their last ten. Indiana embarrassed Memphis earlier this season at home 134-116 so expect payback here for the Grizzlies. |
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04-10-21 | Wizards v. Suns -11.5 | Top | 106-134 | Win | 100 | 16 h 36 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Phoenix Suns -11.5 vs Washington Wizards, 10:10 PM ET - As you know we love to play on elite teams when they are off a loss which is the case for Phoenix here. The Suns lost a tough one to the Clippers last time out and will be focused here for the Wizards who are coming off a game Friday night versus the Warriors. Washington is just 8-16 SU on the road this year with the 5th worst average differential of minus -6.9PPG. Phoenix is 19-8 SU at home with the 2nd best average point differential of +8.6PPG. The Suns hold a decisive advantage on both ends of the court with the 4th best offensive AND defensive efficiency in the league. In comparison the Wiz are 25th in NBA in road offensive efficiency and 19th in road defensive efficiency. Washington is 1-7 SU on the road their last eight and the lone win came against the worst team in the league the Orlando Magic. Phoenix is 28-7 SU their last 35 games and are 12-3 ATS when coming off a loss. Earlier this season the Suns lost in Washington by 21-points so expect payback here. |
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04-09-21 | Wizards +4.5 v. Warriors | Top | 110-107 | Win | 100 | 11 h 45 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Washington Wizards +4.5 over Golden State Warriors, 10:10 PM ET - We like the early money/bets movement on this game and how the line fluctuated based on early action. It’s a solid indicator the play here is on the visiting Washington Wizards. Golden State is coming off a very big home win over the Milwaukee Bucks who were without Giannis for the game. Prior to that win though the Warriors had lost three in a row and 7 of their last eight so it’s not like they are currently playing well. Washington is coming off a much-needed win over the Magic and a big part of that success was the return of Beal and Hachimura which now give the Wiz their complete starting lineup. Beal is leading the league in scoring at over 31PPG and had a nice return game with 26-points on 11 of 19 shooting. Washington has been getting great play out of Russell Westbrook who is averaging a triple-double AGAIN this season but nobody is talking about it. We will play against a favorite (Warriors) who have an average negative differential of -10.2PPG their last five games. Beal and Russell keep this game close. Grab the points. |
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04-08-21 | Suns v. Clippers -6 | Top | 103-113 | Win | 100 | 11 h 4 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* LA Clippers -6 over Phoenix Suns, 10:10 PM ET - The Suns are in a tough scheduling situation here playing the second night of a back-to-back and third game in four nights. Not only that but they are off a draining affair last night, an OT win over Utah. The “Big 3” of the Suns, Ayton, Paul and Booker all played 40+ minutes last night so fatigue will be an issue. The Clippers on the other hand are rested and will be focused to beat a team that is above them in the standings. The Suns are playing great, but the Clippers are finding their groove with wins in 8 of their last ten games. L.A. is 8-2 SU their last ten home games and all eight of those wins have come by more than tonight’s spread. In fact, the Clippers last eight home wins have come by an average of 19PPG. The Suns have an outstanding straight-up and spread record when playing without rest, but this situation is different as last night’s game was a huge home win over the West leading Jazz. The Clippers are getting healthy with the return of Beverly and starting to look like the contender in the West they were projected to be before the start of the season. Bet the Clippers here. |
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04-07-21 | Jazz v. Suns +2 | Top | 113-117 | Win | 100 | 15 h 4 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Phoenix Suns +2 over Utah Jazz, 10:10 PM ET - This is obviously the biggest game on the schedule with the top two teams in the West squaring off. Both teams are red hot with the Suns coming into this game with wins in 18 of their last twenty-two games, while the Jazz have won 9 of their last ten. Phoenix has been a home dog just three times this year, once was very early in the season before we know just how good they were going to be. Phoenix is 18-8 SU at home this season with the second-best average margin of victory of +8.8PPG. They are 2nd in offensive efficiency at home and 6th defensively. Utah has been even more dominating at home but not as much on the road where they are 16-10 SU on the season with the 6th best average point differential of +4.1PPG. In fact, the Jazz are slightly better than league average in road defensive efficiency ratings at 14th. Utah is just 1-6 ATS their last seven road games against a team with a winning home record. The Suns have won 6 straight home games and are 9-2 ATS their last eleven as a dog. Phoenix in a close win. |
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04-06-21 | Blazers v. Clippers -5.5 | Top | 116-133 | Win | 100 | 12 h 49 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* LA Clippers -5.5 over Portland Trailblazers, 10:10 PM ET - This is a great spot to fade Portland for a couple different reasons. The Blazers are off a 133-85 blowout of the Thunder and will come into this game with a false sense of security. OKC is 20-30 SU on the season and easily one of the worst teams in the NBA. In fact, the Blazers are 4-1 SU their last five games, but all four wins have come against teams with a combined 86-122 record. Their loss in that five-game stretch came by 18 to Milwaukee who is on the same level as this Clippers team. The other part of this equation is Jusif Nurkic, the Blazers center, who played in the last five games but is out with another injury here. When betting the Clippers, you need to know who’s playing and who isn’t but tonight they will have both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the lineup which is key. Los Angeles is 18-8 SU at home on the season with the 4th best home point differential in the league at +7.4PPG. Portland has a winning record of 16-10 SU on the year against the West, but their margin of victory is a negative -0.2PPG. In comparison the Clippers are 19-10 against the West with a plus +4.5PPG average MOV. The Clippers are 20-13 as a favorite of 5 or more points this season. Bet the Clippers. |
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04-05-21 | Baylor +4.5 v. Gonzaga | Top | 86-70 | Win | 100 | 24 h 33 m | Show |
ASA TOP PLAY ON Baylor +4.5 over Gonzaga, Monday at 9:20 PM ET - Our power ratings have Gonzaga as a slight 2 point favorite on a neutral court so we feel there is value with Baylor here. We’ve spoken of the Bears Covid break a number of times this tourney and we feel that situation has this team undervalued. Prior to their 3-week hiatus we had Baylor and the Zags rated almost dead even with our power ratings. Baylor was 17-0 before their break with 15 of those wins coming by double digits and the other 2 coming by 8 points each. They were dominant in the Big 12, one of the top few leagues on the country. They lost much of their momentum not playing or practicing for the 3 week span in February and lost 2 games leading into the Big Dance. They have since regained their form and rolled through the NCAA tourney winning 5 games by an average of 15 PPG including topping 4 top 20 teams (Ken Pom ratings). They led by at least 18 points in 4 of their 5 tourney games and their largest deficit has been just 7 points. The Bears defense has been fantastic holding 4 of their 5 opponents under 1.00 points per possession and they’ve been lock down from beyond the arc allowing only 27% in the tourney. Offensively they rank 2nd nationally in efficiency and #1 in 3-point percentage. The Bears have already faced 3 of the top 15 defenses in the nation in the NCAA tourney and scored 76, 78, and 81 points in those 3 games and averaged at least 1.19 PPP in each of those 3 games. They are tough to stop with 5 regulars hitting at least 39% from behind the arc. Gonzaga showed some vulnerability to a solid 3-point shooting team on Saturday barely getting by UCLA in OT and allowing the Bruins to hit 47% of their 3’s. UCLA was ranked 35th nationally in 3-point percentage and the Zags had trouble containing their guards and now they face the best 3-point shooting team in the nation with multiple top notch guards including All Americans Butler and Mitchell. Gonzaga hasn’t seen a team that shoots this well all season long. They have faced just ONE team this year that ranks inside the top 20 in three point shooting and that was Iowa early in the season and the Hawkeyes scored 88 points on them. Gonzaga is great offensively as well but the way the Baylor defense has been playing, we like them to be able to do enough on that end of the court to stay in this game the entire way. The way to potentially beat Gonzaga is to keep up with them offensively which UCLA nearly did on Saturday. Baylor is a better offensive team than UCLA and they’ll give the Bulldogs all they can handle here. The Bears haven’t been an underdog the entire season and their lowest number as a favorite was -4 and that was vs a difficult Big 12 slate. Now they are getting +4.5 which is a full 8.5 points off their lowest spread of the season. We fully believe Baylor has a great shot to win this game so we’ll grab the generous points. |
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04-04-21 | Magic v. Nuggets UNDER 214 | Top | 109-119 | Loss | -105 | 11 h 3 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* UNDER 214 Orlando Magic @ Denver Nuggets, 10:10 PM ET - The last place the Magic need to play right now is in the higher altitude against the red-hot Denver Nuggets. The Magic currently have 8 healthy players and it showed how tough it is to play an NBA game with a limited roster in a blowout loss to the Jazz. The Magic scored just 91-points in that game and have scored 103 or less in regulation in four straight games. Orlando has failed to reach 100 points in 5 of their last ten games and in their last five games they have the 4th worst offensive efficiency numbers in the NBA. Orlando gutted their roster before the trade deadline which included trading Aaron Gordon to this Nuggets team. Denver is coming off a big win over the Clippers and will look past this Orlando team that is really struggling. The Nuggets are the second slowest paced team in the NBA and prefer a half-court type game where Jokic is more effective. Denver doesn’t have great defensive efficiency numbers, but they are 9th in points allowed per game at 110PPG. Orlando’s offense is 29th in the NBA at just 104.2PPG and that’s when they had a much better roster. According to our math model this game should end with 209 total points. Bet Under |
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04-03-21 | Houston v. Baylor -5 | Top | 59-78 | Win | 100 | 47 h 40 m | Show |
#802 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Baylor -5 over Houston, Saturday at 5:14 PM ET - Houston has had an easy road to this point and we think it ends on Saturday. The Cougars NCAA tourney opponents have been Cleveland State (170th on Ken Pom), Rutgers (38th), Syracuse (41st), and Oregon State (48th). As you can see they have yet to play anyone ranked inside the top 38 nationally and 2 of those wins were tight beating Rutgers by 3 (Houston trailed by 10 with less than 8:00 remaining in the game) and Oregon State by 6. Baylor, on the other hand, has played 3 teams ranked inside the top 20 in the Dance (Wisconsin, Arkansas, and Villanova) and all of their wins have come by 9 points or more with 3 coming by double digits. Baylor has absolutely earned their way to this point while Houston has had a number of breaks. We’ve mentioned it a few times during the tourney but Baylor was a perfect 17-0 and considered the top team in the country with Gonzaga for much of the season. They went into a 3 week Covid break with no games and almost no practices during the month of February and they came out of that rusty losing 2 of their final 7 games through the Big 12 tourney. Well they are back to their early season form as we mentioned handling 3 very good teams with ease. While Houston has better overall defensive numbers on the season, we rate these 2 defenses about dead even. Baylor played the much tougher offensive schedule and struggled defensively when coming back from Covid which hurt their overall numbers. During the Dance they’ve allowed just 43% from the field and 3 of their 4 opponents have failed to get to 1.00 points per possession. The Cougars have also played very well defensively in the tournament but they have yet to face an offense ranked higher than 23rd in efficiency the Dance. Now they face a Baylor offense that is 3rd nationally in efficiency, 7th in eFG%, and 1st in 3-point percentage hitting a ridiculous 41% of their shots from deep as a team. The Bears have a big edge offensively in this game. Houston is not a very good shooting team ranking below 110th in eFG%, 2-point %, and 3-point % nationally. They rely on offensive rebounding to get extra possessions and they are very good at it. The problem here is Baylor is the 7th best offensive rebounding team in the country so while Houston will do damage on the offensive glass, so will the Bears. No advantage there. Since their opening win of the tournament vs Cleveland State, the Cougars are averaging just 64 PPG in their last 3 which they were able to win by shutting down the opposing offense. That won’t happen here. Baylor is averaging 83 PPG on the season and they’ve scored at least 76 points in 3 of their 4 tourney games. We have a hard time believing Houston can keep up offensively in this game. While Houston has had a fairly easy run to the Final 4, they’ve also failed to play a team currently ranked inside the top 20 (Ken Pom) all season long! As we mentioned above, the Bears have played 3 of those teams (ranked inside top 20) in the Big Dance alone. Now the Cougs face #2 Baylor who is back at the top of their game. We’ll lay the points here as Baylor moves on to the National Championship game. |
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04-02-21 | Hornets v. Pacers -4 | Top | 114-97 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 14 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Indiana Pacers -4 over Charlotte Hornets, 8:10 PM ET - We love the spot here to play the Pacers and fade the Hornets. Charlotte is coming off a big game last night against the Nets which makes this a second consecutive game in two days. Not only that but its also their 3rd game in four days. Charlotte is just 4-5 SU when playing without rest and 3-5 SU when playing in this situation of 3rd game in four nights. Charlotte is a respectable 11-13 SU on the road with a negative differential of minus -2.3PPG but this is a bad spot for them. Indiana is coming off a home loss to Miami on March 31st so they’ve had a full day to stew about it and will be ready to go here. The Pacers suffered through several key injuries early on but are now getting healthy with Caris Levert back in the mix. Levert is averaging 17PPG and gives the Pacers much needed scoring they’ve lacked. Indiana has covered 4 straight at home over the Hornets and we like them to get another cover here. |
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04-01-21 | Warriors v. Heat UNDER 220 | Top | 109-116 | Loss | -115 | 13 h 55 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Under 220 Golden State Warriors @ Miami Heat, 8:10 PM ET - Yes, the Warriors have Steph back in the lineup but we still like Under in this one. Sure, the Warriors are one of the fastest paced teams in the league but their offensive efficiency ratings is 22nd at 1.096 points per possession. They still play defense though with the 8th best defensive efficiency rating allowing only 1.105PPP. Miami is always good defensively with the 6th best overall defensive efficiency and in their last five games they are the second slowest paced team in the league at just 94.1 possessions per game. The Heat have really struggled offensively this season with the 24th worst offensive efficiency rating and in their last three games they haven’t topped 105 points. Golden State has been a solid proposition as an Under on the road with a 9-2 record their last 11 away from home. Miami has also stayed Under in 5 of their last seven at home against a team with a sub .500 road record. The call here is Under! |
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03-31-21 | Mavs v. Celtics +1 | Top | 113-108 | Loss | -115 | 8 h 33 m | Show |
ASA top play on Boston Celtics +1 over Dallas Mavericks 7:40PM ET The Celtics are off a disappointing home loss to the Pelicans and an uncharacteristic bad shooting night of 43% overall and 33% from beyond the arc. Boston is the 13th best overall shooting team in the league and 8th best 3-point shooting team so expect a return to normal tonight. Boston is 7-2 SU at home off a loss this year and considering the line on this game, all they have to do is essentially win and we get a cover. Dallas is coming off a win over the Thunder, but everyone is beating OKC these days so we’re not overly impressed. The Mavericks have played well on the road this year with a 13-11 SU record but only 6 of those wins have come against a team with a current winning record. Earlier this season the C’s were -2.5-points in Dallas and lost outright so the correction in the line for this game is not what it should be. Take Boston at home in a bounce back situation playing with revenge. |
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03-30-21 | USC +8.5 v. Gonzaga | Top | 66-85 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 49 m | Show |
#657 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* USC +8.5 over Gonzaga, Tuesday at 7:15 PM ET - We feel that besides Baylor, this USC team matches up as well as anyone with Gonzaga. We like the Trojans to give the undefeated Zags a run for their money tonight. We realize Gonzaga has beaten every team they’ve played, with the exception of West Virginia, by double digits. Let’s also keep in mind this USC team will be the best and most talented team the Zags have faced this season. Trojan center Mobley is projected as a top 3 pick in the NBA draft and will give Drew Timme and company all they can handle inside. The Zags score the vast majority of their points inside with 57% coming inside the arc (29th nationally) and just 25% from 3-point land (309th nationally). This USC defense is very good (4th nationally in defensive efficiency) and matches up perfectly ranking #1 in the country at defending inside the arc allowing opponents just 41% shooting. Mobley is a supreme defender and shot blocker and Gonzaga has not seen a team that defends inside like the Trojans. The Bulldogs offense has been great this year but they’ve only seen 2 defenses all SEASON ranked in the top 25 in efficiency (St Mary’s and Kansas). This USC defense is a level up from anything they’ve faced. Gonzaga has topped Oklahoma (7th best team in the Big 12) & Creighton (3rd best team in the Big East) their last 2 games. Impressive but how about USC’s current run? They have topped Drake (2nd best team in the MVC), Kansas, and Oregon all by double digits as well and by an average of 21 PPG! They are a very good offensive team (14th nationally in efficiency) that is peaking right now scoring 85 vs Kansas & 82 vs Oregon in their last 2 games. The Trojans are the 2nd tallest team in the nation giving them the height advantage which is a rarity vs Gonzaga. Not only will they give the Bulldogs a test defensively, USC is a team that can keep up on the scoreboard with their offense humming right now averaging 80 PPG, 52% shooting overall, and 47% from 3 over their last 5 games. The Pac 12 has shown to be a top notch conference with 3 teams landing in the Elite 8 and the Trojans are the best of the bunch in that league. This one goes to the wire and we’ll gladly take the points with USC. |
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03-30-21 | Hornets -3.5 v. Wizards | Top | 114-104 | Win | 100 | 9 h 53 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Charlotte Hornets -3.5 over Washington Wizards, 7:10 PM ET - This is a great spot to play on the Hornets and fade the Wizards. Charlotte is rested and off a loss, while the Wiz are coming off a big emotional win last night against the Indiana Pacers. Westbrook expended a ton of energy with a monster 35-point, 21 assists and 14 rebound night. The Wiz shot ridiculously well at 56% (season average is 46.8% or around league average) and will have a tough time duplicating that here. Charlotte is 3-1 SU their last four games and they even played well in a 4-point overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns. The Hornets are just 2-3 SU their last five road games but the three losses came to the Nuggets, Lakers (w/James) and Clippers. Washington is just 10-14 SU at home with a negative differential of -2.4PPG which is 22nd in the league. The line on this game is an indicator that Beal will not be in the lineup again for the Hornets so the play here is on Charlotte. |
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03-29-21 | Arkansas v. Baylor UNDER 148.5 | Top | 72-81 | Loss | -113 | 14 h 24 m | Show |
#653/654 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Under 148.5 Points – Arkansas vs Baylor, Monday at 10 PM ET - Baylor’s defense was outstanding prior to their extended Covid interruption which lasted from February 2nd – February 23rd. Coming back from that, they didn’t play very well on the defensive end of the court. The Bears held only 2 of their next 7 opponents under 70 points. Prior to their Covid break they had held 14 of their 17 opponents to less than 70 points. Head coach Scott Drew mentioned that because they had to play so many games in a short period of time after coming back, they didn’t get to practice much which really affected their defensive efficiency. After the Big 12 tourney, the Bears had a full week to practice and their defense is back to elite form. They have allowed 55, 63, and 51 points in their 3 NCAA tourney games including games vs solid offensive teams Villanova & Wisconsin. None of those 3 opponents topped 0.98 points per possession and those 3 teams combined to shoot just 41%. Arkansas is known as a fast paced, high scoring team, however their defense is far superior to their offense. The Razors defense ranks 9th nationally in efficiency while their offense is 46th. They have allowed 66, 68, and 70 points in their 3 tournament games, all which went UNDER the total by a combined 30 points. Their most recent game vs a very fast paced and poor defensive team (Oral Roberts was the worst defensive team in the entire tourney) the final score was just 72-70. Both offenses have scored well under their season averages in the tourney with Arkansas putting up 75 PPG in 3 games (season average is 82 PPG) and Baylor scoring 72 PPG (season average is 83 PPG). Both offenses will be facing one of the better defenses they’ve seen this season and we expect this one to be played in the low 70’s at best. Take the UNDER. |
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03-29-21 | Wolves v. Nets OVER 239 | Top | 107-112 | Loss | -110 | 7 h 46 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* OVER 239 Minnesota Timberwolves @ Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 PM ET - These are two of the faster paced teams in the NBA which translates to a lot of possessions and more scoring opportunities. Minnesota is 4th in pace, Brooklyn is 13th. The Nets are the #1 offensive efficiency team in the NBA at 1.184-points per possession and they should put up 130 or more here against the Wolves defense that is 27th in the league in defensive efficiency allowing 1.147-PPP. Speaking of defense, or lack of, the Nets aren’t much better than the Wolves in DEFF ranking 25th. The number on this game is an indicator Kyrie Irving will be back in the lineup with Harden which means Brooklyn is going to score at will here. If the Wolves get to 113 here, like we feel they will, this game goes Over. |
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03-29-21 | Oregon State v. Houston -7.5 | Top | 61-67 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 57 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Houston -7.5 over Oregon State, 7:15 PM ET - Oregon State has been a fantastic story this tournament but the Cinderella story is about to end tonight. Clearly the Pac12 has represented extremely well in the post season but the Beavers were the worst of the bunch to get in. Consider this, the Beavers were just plus +6 points against Oklahoma State (ranked 63rd) and +7 versus Loyola Chicago (ranked 10th per KenPom) and now a slightly bigger dog against the 3rd ranked team in Houston. Even though Loyola had some better season statistics, they played a much weaker schedule than say Oklahoma State so let’s look specifically at that game for a comparison with this contest. Oregon State really struggled with Oklahoma State’s pressure defense for a large part of the game but the Cowboys literally couldn’t make a shot, shooting just 28% in the game. That was an aberration considering the Beavers rank 203rd in FG% defense. Houston is 90th in the nation in forcing turnovers, has the 6th best defensive efficiency rating in college hoops and is #1 defensively in EFG%. The Oregon State will have a hard time getting going offensively against this defense, especially considering they are 213th in points scored per game, 226th in field goal percentage at just 43.2%. Houston has the 8th best offensive efficiency numbers in the nation in large part to their offensive rebounding which is 2nd in the country. Houston just beat a red hot Syracuse team handily and will get a double-digit win in this one. |
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03-28-21 | Oregon v. USC -2 | Top | 68-82 | Win | 100 | 15 h 47 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* USC -2 over Oregon, 9:45 PM ET - When these two teams last met USC beat Oregon 72-58. That was Oregon’s last regular season loss in their last eleven regular season games (they did lose to Oregon State in the conference tourney). The Trojans have a big edge in this game on the interior with the Mobley brothers who stand 6’10 and 7-feet tall. USC is 24th in rebounding compared to a Ducks team that ranks 253rd. USC is great defensively with the #1 ranked 2-point percentage defense in the country allowing just 41.4%. The Trojans have the 5th best defensive efficiency in the nation allowing just .88-points per possession. In comparison the Ducks rank 52nd in DEFF. Offensively these two teams are relatively even when if comes to efficiency ratings as the Ducks check in 10th, but USC is 15th. So, while the offenses are similar, the defenses are not with USC holding a sizable advantage. USC has covered 5 of the last six meetings and the favorite has covered 9 of the last eleven. We like USC and the short number here. |
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03-28-21 | Hawks +4.5 v. Nuggets | Top | 102-126 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 32 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Atlanta Hawks +4.5 over Denver Nuggets, 9:10 PM ET - The trade deadline came and went and both teams were involved in some deals as the Hawks were rumored to be set to trade John Collins but instead made a minor move with Rondo. Denver made a big splash by landing McGee from Cleveland and Aaron Gordon from Orlando. We actually feel the Nuggets might have just made the moves needed to win the West. The Nuggets will go through a minor adjustment period injecting Aaron Gordon into the lineup and playing him starter minutes. Atlanta has quietly played well by winning 9 of the last eleven games and the two losses were close at the Clippers and at the Kings (who are playing well right now). Denver has also played well of late but are coming off a three-game road trip and have a much bigger game on deck with Philadelphia. The Nuggets are just 1-5 SU coming off a win and the Hawks have covered 9 of the last eleven meetings with Denver. Denver also just 2-6 ATS their last eight home games as a favorite. |
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03-27-21 | Grizzlies v. Jazz UNDER 228.5 | Top | 110-126 | Loss | -113 | 10 h 18 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* UNDER 228.5 Memphis Grizzlies @ Utah Jazz, 9:10 PM ET - This is a quick turnaround game as these teams just played last night and totaled 231 Total points. The Jazz built a big lead, but the Grizzlies hung in there and almost pulled off the road win. The two teams combined for 195 total field goal attempts which is 15 more combined attempts than these two averages for the season. One anomaly from last night’s game is the Grizzlies 3-point shooting of 40% which is higher than normal considering they are the 23rd worst team in the NBA in 3PT%. Both teams have been lights out defensively of late with the 8th and 9th best defensive efficiency numbers in the NBA over their last five games. When these teams have played without rest this season the Grizzlies have averaged 226.9PPG, Utah has averaged 223.3PPG. The Jazz are 5-2 to the Under this season when playing without rest, Memphis has stayed Under in 3 straight in this scheduling situation. The Bet here is UNDER |
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03-27-21 | Mississippi State v. Louisiana Tech UNDER 136.5 | Top | 84-62 | Loss | -110 | 7 h 27 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* UNDER 136.5 LA Tech vs Mississippi State, 3 PM ET - This is an interesting situation as LA Tech played another SEC opponent in the opening round of this Tournament against Mississippi. We can make a great comparison from that game as Ole’Miss and Mississippi State have some very similar characteristics in terms of offensive and defensive efficiency along with pace of play. La Tech and Mississippi combined for 131 total points. The (MSU) Bulldogs are 301st in pace or tempo and want nothing to do with a faster paced game. Miss State is coming off a game against Richmond who is like LA Tech and those two combined for 135 total points. These two teams are both top 53 in terms of defensive efficiency ratings allowing less than .950-points per possession. Mississippi State has the 11th best EFG% defense in college basketball while Louisiana Tech ranks 43rd in that same category. It’s getting later in the tournament and pressure is starting to mount. We’ll bet UNDER here. |
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03-26-21 | Nuggets -1.5 v. Pelicans | Top | 113-108 | Win | 100 | 12 h 7 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Denver Nuggets -1.5 over New Orleans Pelicans, 8:10 PM ET These two teams met a few games ago with the Pelicans winning 113-108 in Denver and payback is on hand tonight. As of this posting we don’t know if the Nuggets will have their new additions of Aaron Gordon or Javale McGee, but we are factoring in they don’t play, if they do, that’s a bonus. Denver is coming off a horrible loss to Toronto, giving up 135 points to the Raptors in a blowout. The Nuggets are 7-3 SU their last ten games overall, 6-1 SU their last seven on the road with an impressive win over the Bucks. Denver is 12-5 SU off a loss this season and the number is obviously low enough here to get a road win and cover. New Orleans has won two straight and are coming off a big win over the Lakers, but they are just 5-5 SU their last ten. The Pelicans are the 28th ranked defensive efficiency team in the NBA and will have a hard time containing the Nuggets 4th ranked offensive efficiency team here. Denver has the 6th best road differential in the NBA at +4.4PPG which is good enough for a cover here. Bet the visitor. |
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03-25-21 | Louisiana Tech v. Western Kentucky UNDER 136.5 | Top | 72-65 | Loss | -110 | 14 h 17 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* UNDER 136.5 Louisiana Tech vs Western Kentucky, 10 PM ET - This will be the third meeting of the season for these two Conference USA rivals with the two teams splitting the regular season clashes. We are not concerned with who will win this showdown but will invest in how many points they score. In the first two games at Western Kentucky these two combined for 130 and 121 Total points. Now we get a game on a neutral floor where neither team has any shooting advantages. When it comes to tempo the Hilltoppers are 210th in the nation in pace of play while LA Tech ranks 129th. Both teams are OK when it comes to offensive efficiency but what both do well is play defense. LA Tech was 28th in the nation in defensive efficiency allowing just .922 points per possession while WKU was 89th at .973PPP. Tech had the best effective field goal percentage D in the conference, Western was 3rd. The entire conference was 25th nationally (out of 32) conferences in efficiency ratings and 14th in pace. If we eliminate one OT game in this rivalry, we see they’ve combined to score 137 or less points in 5 of the last six meetings. Bet UNDER! |
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03-25-21 | Wizards v. Knicks OVER 225.5 | Top | 102-106 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 7 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* OVER 225.5 Washington Wizards vs NY Knicks, 7:40 PM ET - These two teams just met the other night and they combined for 244 total points in the Knicks 131-113 win. New York shot exceptionally well in that game hitting over 50% from the field and beyond the arc but is that a huge surprise given the Wizards defense? Washington is 30th in points allowed per game, 25th in field goal percentage defense and 27th in defending the 3-point line. The Knicks have struggled at times this season offensively, but they are the 10th best 3-point shooting team in the NBA at 37.7%. We know New York plays slow and don’t have great offensive numbers but the Wizards are the fastest paced team in the league at 104.2 possessions per game and rank 7th in scoring at 114.9PPG. The Knicks are on a 4-1 Over streak as a favorite, 7-1 Over their last eight following a win of 10+ points. The Wiz are on a 4-1 Over run as an Underdog and 4-1 Over off a loss. This total is only a few points higher than league average so its not like we are asking them to score a ridiculous number of points. Just be slightly better than average and we get a win. |
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03-24-21 | Hawks -2.5 v. Kings | Top | 108-110 | Loss | -112 | 15 h 44 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Atlanta Hawks -2.5 over Sacramento Kings, 10 PM ET - The “tell” on this game is the number as Vegas is trying to bait you into betting the Kings as a home dog. We won’t fall into that trap and will take the red hot Hawks here. Atlanta is coming off a disappointing loss to the Clippers where they led by 22-points in the 3rd quarter but ended up losing by 9-points. Prior to that game the Hawks had won 8 straight games, four of which were on the road. Sacramento is playing better of late with wins in 3 of their last four games but they haven’t been consistent, especially at home where they are 9-12 SU with the 27th worst average loss margin in the NBA of minus -4.9PPG. Sacramento has the worst defensive efficiency rating in the NBA overall and at home where they allow 121PPG. Atlanta is 11-12 SU on the road this season but do have a positive road differential which ranks 13th best in the league. Yes, this is a quick turnaround game and the Hawks just beat the Kings but Atlanta has been in California for a few days and the Kings are coming off a 6-game East coast road trip. Atlanta is a perfect 4-0 ATS when favored on the road this year. Lay it. |
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03-24-21 | Coastal Carolina v. Pepperdine OVER 151.5 | Top | 61-84 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 45 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* OVER 151.5 Coastal Carolina vs Pepperdine, 8 PM ET - We feel Vegas had the right number when they opened this and will take the added value with the Over here. Consider this, Pepperdine and Bellarmine just played and combined for 153 total points and Bellarmine is the 315th slowest paced team in the nation. Coastal is coming off an OT game against Stetson who ‘average’ in pace of play at 194th and those two schools scored 149 total points. What we have tonight are two teams that want to play fast. Coastal is 49th in pace of play while Pepperdine is 46th. Pepperdine has scored 80+ points in 6 of their last eight games including both games on this tournament. Coastal just played Bryant two games ago and those two teams combined for 175 total points and Bryant was a faster paced team much like Pepperdine. With both teams playing their 3rd game in 3 days we don’t see much defense being played here. |
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03-23-21 | Pepperdine -6 v. Bellarmine | Top | 82-71 | Win | 100 | 13 h 11 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Pepperdine -6 over Bellarmine, Tuesday 8:30 PM ET - Strength of schedule and the level of competition clearly favors the Waves of Pepperdine here as they’ve played the 83rd toughest schedule this season compared to Bellarmines’ 285th. Not only have the Knight’s played a weak schedule but against that weaker competition they still rank 295th in defensive efficiency allowing 1.081-points per possession. Bellarmine has the 333rd ranked defensive EFG% against at 55.1%. They are also the 336th worst team in the nation in defending 3-pt shooting. That doesn’t bode well against a Pepperdine team was 89th in offensive efficiency this season and 135th in EFG% offensive at 50.6%. The Wave can also defend with the 132nd rated defensive efficiency unit allowing 1.003PPP. That’s even more impressive considering the Wave play in the West Coast Conference which ranks 7th in EFG% offense and features 5 teams that rank in the top 101 in offensive efficiency. Pepperdine has some quality wins and close losses on their resume and are the superior team. Bellarmine has one win over a team ranked higher than 200th and that was Army (196th) last time out. Lay the points with Pepperdine. |
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03-23-21 | Nuggets v. Magic UNDER 217 | Top | 110-99 | Win | 100 | 12 h 9 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Under 217 Denver Nuggets @ Orlando Magic, 7 PM ET - The Nuggets are the 2nd slowest paced team in the NBA while the Magic are the 19th slowest. That means this is going to be a slower tempo game with less possessions than an average NBA contest. The Nuggets are one of the higher scoring teams in the NBA because of fantastic offensive efficiency numbers, but Orlando is not with the 27th worst OEFF ratings in the league. The Magic are 29th in scoring, 30th in field goal percentage shooting and 20th in 3-point shooting. Orlando has scored less than 98 points in 4 of their last five games but have also allowed less than 113 in six straight. The betting indicators also support our Under wager here. Bet UNDER |
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03-22-21 | Hawks v. Clippers -6 | Top | 110-119 | Win | 100 | 28 h 14 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* LA Clippers -6 over Atlanta Hawks, Monday 10 PM ET - The Atlanta Hawks are rolling right now and are coming off a HUGE win over the Lakers. Because of their current 8-game winning streak this line is a few points lower than it should be. But lets also consider who the Hawks have beaten in this streak. They beat the Lakers after LeBron was injured just 10-minutes in. They have wins over OKC, Houston, Cleveland, Sacramento, Toronto, Orlando and Miami. Other than Miami, none of those teams have a winning record and four of those teams are in the bottom 6 of the entire NBA. The Clippers are 14-6 SU at home with the 5th best point differential of +7.3PPG which gets a cover here. L.A. has the 2nd best offensive efficiency numbers at home and average 117PPG on their home court. Atlanta is 19th in road defensive efficiency rankings and will have a hard time stopping the Clippers in this one. LA is rested and ready…LAY IT! |
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03-22-21 | Abilene Christian v. UCLA -4.5 | Top | 47-67 | Win | 100 | 23 h 34 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* UCLA -4.5 over Abilene Christian, Monday 5:15 PM ET - This line is slightly higher than we anticipated but it’s warranted based on how well the Bruins are currently playing. UCLA is one of those uber talented team that didn’t play up to their potential at times this season with nine losses. But when the Bruins have been right, they’ve been very good and the first two games in the tourney showed just how well this team can play. UCLA is 12th in offensive efficiency at 1.155-points per possession and 82nd in defensive efficiency allowing just .972PPP. What makes those numbers even more impressive is that it comes against the 34th toughest schedule in the nation. AS we’ve seen in the first two games of the Tourney the Bruins can go inside, make shots on the perimeter and are physical on the defensive end of the floor. Abilene Christian has some impressive statistics overall and play high pressure defense and lead the nation in forced turnovers. The Wildcats were 24th in DEFF allowing .913PPP but were 165th in OEFF. The problem with their overall numbers though is they’ve played the 315th WORST schedule in college basketball. In fact, the Wildcats DEFF numbers are VERY misleading as they’ve faced 12 teams that rank 270th or worse in offensive efficiency. Again, the Bruins rank 12th in that category. Abilene Christian is coming off maybe their biggest win in school history over Big Brother Texas and will let down here against a Bruins team capable of beating most teams in the tourney the way they are playing right now. |
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03-21-21 | Lakers v. Suns -3 | Top | 94-111 | Win | 100 | 23 h 12 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Phoenix Suns -4 over LA Lakers, 10:15 PM ET - Several Sports Books have come out with a line on this game of Phoenix minus 4-points but we don’t expect that to be the number at tipoff. The Lakers are without LeBron James and Anthony Davis which makes them a below average team in the West. The Suns on the other hand are one of the best in the West and would have been favored by 4-points here had LeBron been playing. With that said we will lay up to 9-points with the Suns if this line moves. Phoenix is 14-8 SU at home with the 3rd best average point differential of plus +7.5PPG on the season. The Lakers are just 4-5 SU their last nine road games and only two of those wins came against a team with an above .500 record. The Lakers are just 3-3 SU when playing without rest this season and this factor becomes magnified now without LeBron in the lineup. The Suns take care of business against the leagues best teams as they hold a 11-1 ATS record their last twelve games against teams with an above .600 winning percentage. |
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03-21-21 | Oregon State +6.5 v. Oklahoma State | Top | 80-70 | Win | 100 | 23 h 29 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Oregon State +6.5 over Oklahoma State, 9:40 PM ET - We’ve been high on the Big 12 Conference all season long, but the Pac 12 Conference has played well in the Tourney with UCLA beatings Michigan State in the play in game, Oregon State, Colorado, USC, Colorado and Oregon all advancing. Oregon State was a surprise upset of Tennessee in the opening round, but they made us a believer and we also feel the Cowboys are a bit over-rated. Oregon State has won 4 straight against solid competition with wins over UCLA, Oregon, Colorado and Tennessee. The Beavers are 7-1 SU their last eight games. We have contrasting styles of play here as the Beavers (314th in pace) want to play slow while the Cowboys (33rd) want to play fast. Oklahoma State wasn’t as impressive in their opening round 69-60 win over Liberty and Cade Cunningham struggled shooting by going 3 of 14 from the field. Oklahoma State holds an advantage in defensive efficiency rating at 17th compared to Oregon State at 93rd but the Beavers have a slight advantage in offensive efficiency. It is going to be extremely hard for Oklahoma State to cover this number when they rank 325th in turnovers per game compared to Oregon State who ranks 54th. The Beavers are a perfect 4-0 ATS as an underdog on a neutral court while Oklahoma State is just 1-5 ATS their last six tourney games as a chalk. Grab the points in what should be a close game. |
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03-20-21 | Kings v. 76ers -6.5 | Top | 105-129 | Win | 100 | 14 h 41 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Philadelphia 76ers -6.5 over Sacramento Kings, 8 PM ET - We rarely pass up an opportunity to play on an elite NBA team off an embarrassing loss which is the case for the 76ers in this situation. Philly was just beaten by the Bucks at home and will be eager to atone here. The Sixers are 18-4 SU at home with the 4th best margin of victory of +7.2PPG. They hold the 3rd best defensive efficiency rating at home and the 12th best offensive efficiency. While the 76ers are in a great situation (at home, rested and off a home loss) the Kings are in a bad situation. Sacramento is off a HUGE upset win over the Celtics as a 7-point dog, playing the second night of a back-to-back, playing their 3rd in four nights and 5th game in eight days. The Kings have the 24th worst road differential in the NBA at minus -5.4PPG, rank 27th in road defensive efficiency and 16th in offensive efficiency. The Kings are 2-6 SU, 4-4 ATS when playing without rest with a negative differential of minus -8.2PPG. Philly 7-1 SU, 6-2 ATS at home when coming off a loss. Easy call for a BIG win by Philadelphia. |
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03-20-21 | Maryland v. Connecticut UNDER 130 | Top | 63-54 | Win | 100 | 24 h 27 m | Show |
#791/792 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Under 130 Points – Connecticut vs Maryland, Saturday at 7:10 PM ET - For those of you that followed us closely this year, you’ll know we’ve been on a numbers of UNDERS with this Maryland team and done very well with those. The Terps are a slow paced, defensive minded team and there is no questioning that. Head coach Mark Turgeon has stressed to this team they will win with defense and they have responded. They rank 27th nationally in defensive efficiency and they are 317th in tempo. They have held 13 of their last 17 opponents below 70 points. Offensively the Terps only average 53 field goal attempts per game which is 329th in the country. UConn’s strength is also their defense. They rank 25th nationally in defensive efficiency and 28th in eFG% allowed. They held 7 of their last 8 opponents to 68 points or less. UConn is also a very slow paced team ranking 301st. The Huskies defense the 3-point line very well which should negate the strength of Maryland’s offense which is shooting from deep. On the other side, UConn shoots very few 3’s and gets most of their points from inside the arc but that is Maryland’s defensive strength allowing just 46% shooting from 2-point range. This game should be a low possession, defensive battle. We look for this game to be played in the high 50’s / low 60’s which equals an UNDER. |
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03-19-21 | Pacers +4 v. Heat | Top | 137-110 | Win | 100 | 9 h 3 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Indiana Pacers +4 over Miami Heat, 8 PM ET - This line opened higher than it currently sits, then received a volume of money on the Heat and yet the line moved down. That’s a great first indicator the Pacers are the play here. Looking at each teams last ten games we find completely opposite results. Miami is 8-2 SU their last ten games while the Pacers are 2-8 SU. But on closer inspection we see the Heat have just two wins in that stretch over teams with winning records and one of them came against 21-20 Atlanta. Indiana has played a brutally tough schedule recently with games against the Nets, Nuggets twice, Suns, Lakers, 76ers, Knicks and Celtics. In comparison the Pacers were getting similar points at Denver, at the Lakers and at Philly. Despite a 12-8 SU home record the Heat have an average margin of victory of just 0.6PPG which is 16th worst in the NBA. Pacers have a negative road differential of -0.2PPG which is well within this point spread. Grab the points. |
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03-19-21 | Oral Roberts +16.5 v. Ohio State | Top | 75-72 | Win | 100 | 31 h 14 m | Show |
#739 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Oral Roberts +16.5 over Ohio State, Friday at 3 PM ET - We love to look long and hard at big underdogs that can score points. That’s what we have here. ORU averages 82 PPG and ranks 13th nationally in scoring. They shoot it very well especially from deep where the average nearly 40% from beyond the arc (11th nationally). They can also steal some points on the FT line when they do get there as they hit nearly 83% from the stripe as a team (1st nationally). We think OSU will have a tough time pulling away in this game. The Buckeyes are coming off a rough and emotional Big Ten tourney run playing 4 games in 4 days and losing to Illinois in OT in the finals. Now they get an early game on Friday while Oral Roberts has had 10 days off to rest, practice, and get ready for their opener. The Golden Eagles have lost by more than this spread just once all season long and that was in the season opener @ Missouri way back in November. They were competitive in their games vs high D1 teams this year losing by 5 @ Oklahoma State, by 5 @ Wichita State, by 11 @ Arkansas, and by 14 @ Oklahoma, all NCAA tourney teams. If OSU has a weakness, it’s definitely their defense as they ranked dead last this year in the Big 10 in defensive efficiency (all games). They are also average at best at defending the arc so we don’t see them slowing down Oral Roberts in this game. The Buckeyes will put up points for sure, but the Eagles, even if they get down by more than the spread, will have the ability to score late if needed to get back in the game. The Buckeyes simply want to win and advance and get some rest for their starters if they are up double digits late in the game. Oral Roberts scores 70+ in this one and covers the big number. |
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03-19-21 | Oral Roberts v. Ohio State OVER 156 | Top | 75-72 | Loss | -111 | 31 h 57 m | Show |
#739/740 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Over 156 Points – Oral Roberts vs Ohio State, Friday at 3 PM ET - This one should definitely be a high scoring game. Oral Roberts ranks 13th nationally in scoring averaging 82 PPG on the season. They love to play fast ranking 47th nationally in tempo. The Golden Eagles are a great 3-point shooting team (11th nationally) hitting almost 40% and the are the best FT shooting team in the country at 83%. Ohio State ranks 4th nationally in offensive efficiency and will be by far the best offense ORU has seen this season. There are some very solid offensive teams in the Summit League, but none ranked inside the top 40 in the country. Even with that, the Eagles allowed 75 PPG in conference play. The 3 top offensive teams in the Summit are South Dakota State, South Dakota, and this ORU team. In their 4 games vs SDSU & South Dakota the totaled 189, 178, 175, and 170 points. ORU’s defense ranks 285th nationally in defensive efficiency and the Buckeyes have not seen a defense this leaky in a LONG time. For comparison’s sake, the worst defensive teams in the Big 10 this season were the Buckeyes (79th nationally), followed by Minnesota (51st), Iowa (50th), and Penn State (49th). OSU averaged 77 PPG in their games vs those 3 opponents and they are all FAR superior defensively to this Oral Roberts team. The Eagles played 5 games this season vs tournament teams (Missouri, Oklahoma St, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Wichita St) and allowed an average of 85 PPG in those games and all 5 opponents were ranked outside the top 30 nationally in offensive efficiency (OSU is 4th as we mentioned above). The Buckeyes weakness is definitely their defense which was last in the conference this year in efficiency. They also are not great at defending the arc (191st nationally) which will be a problem here vs a great 3 point shooting team. OSU’s tempo numbers aren’t overly fast, however, they have no problem playing fast and did so when facing the up tempo teams in the Big 10. Versus the 4 Big 10 teams ranked inside the top 100 in tempo, OSU averaged 152 PPG in those contests and remember all of those teams have much better defenses than Oral Roberts. OSU get’s to at LEAST the mid 80’s here and we have no doubt Oral Roberts will top 70. Take the OVER. |
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03-18-21 | Hornets +8 v. Lakers | Top | 105-116 | Loss | -110 | 10 h 16 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Charlotte Hornets +8 over LA Lakers, 10:40 PM ET - Typically, a solid situation is betting against teams off games in the higher altitude of Denver if they are playing without rest such as the Hornets tonight. But we are going contrarian for a couple key reasons. First off, the Hornets were down big early and barely played the starters in the second half so fatigue won’t be an issue. Secondly, the line value is obvious as the Hornets were just plus +6.5-points at Denver who is rated higher than the Lakers, who are laying 8-points here. The Lakers are average or below in most offensive categories including efficiency which they rank 15th in. Los Angeles is 18th in scoring and 22nd in 3-point percentage shooting. L.A. has the 4th most wins in the NBA (easy first half schedule) but their average point differential is just +6PPG. Charlotte is above .500 this season and getting great play from their young talent including LaMelo Ball. The Hornets have won 4 of their last five games and 6 of their last nine. Charlotte is 8-11 SU on the road with an average point differential of minus -2.9PPG. The Hornets have been great off a loss recently with a 6-0 ATS run. Any time you play the Lakers it’s a big game so expect Charlotte to be dialed in tonight. Lakers 1-4 ATS their last five off a win of 10+ points. |
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03-18-21 | UCLA v. Michigan State UNDER 135 | Top | 86-80 | Loss | -109 | 15 h 5 m | Show |
#717/718 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Under 135 Points – UCLA vs Michigan State, Thursday at 10 PM ET - The Bruins step into this game as one of the slowest teams in the country ranking 332nd in tempo. MSU was one of the slower paced teams in the Big 10 (9th) and they sit in the middle of the pack nationally. However, they have no problem playing a slow down game and that’s what we expect tonight as UCLA gets the tempo they prefer. Neither team takes or makes many 3-pointers with both ranking outside the top 250 in percentage of points from beyond the arc. That’s always something we look at when taking an UNDER. Limit points from beyond the arc = lower scoring game. MSU is not a good shooting team period. They ranked 13th in the Big 10 in offensive efficiency, 3-point percentage, and eFG percentage. Down the stretch Sparty was held under 60 points in 3 of their final 5 games and only reached 1.00 points per possession once in their final 5. They averaged just 64 PPG in Big 10 play and only topped 70 points 6 times in 21 conference games including the tournament. The Bruins had better offensive numbers averaging 71 PPG in Pac 12 play but keep in mind that conference has nowhere near the defensive prowess the Big 10 has. In fact, MSU ranked 8th overall in Big 10 defensive efficiency (all games) but 32nd nationally. The Spartans defensive numbers were good enough to rank 3rd in the Pac 12 right on par with Colorado (29th nationally) and USC (19th nationally), the top 2 defensive teams in that league. In UCLA’s 4 games vs those 2 opponents, the combined scores were 114, 127, 127, and 131 points. This one will be played in the 60’s and we like the UNDER. |
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03-18-21 | Norfolk State +3 v. Appalachian State | Top | 54-53 | Win | 100 | 39 h 47 m | Show |
#711 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Norfolk State +3 over Appalachian State, Thursday at 8:40 PM ET - App State made a great run through their conference tourney catching lightning in a bottle as some teams do this time of year. They played 4 games in 4 days in the Sun Belt tourney to win the title but let’s not forget this team was ranked as the 5th best team in the Sun Belt entering that tournament and actually had a losing record during the regular season. They also lost 3 times this season to Troy who is ranked 305th nationally and is the worst team in the Sun Belt so App State has been far from reliable. They’ve had some rest now but this is a very thin team which can cause problems in a tournament setting. Their starters played 733 out of the 850 possible minutes in those 4 tourney games that were all very tight. Norfolk steps in from the MEAC, which isn’t a strong league, but they were the best team in their conference all season. The Spartans have had off since Saturday so they’ll be rested as well. They are also deep (15th nationally in bench minutes) and experienced with 4 seniors and 1 junior in the starting line up and multiple upperclassmen coming off the bench. Their head coach Jones has been at Norfolk for 8 years and had only one losing season (solid program). No post-season last year for anyone but in 2019 the Spartans made the NIT and beat Alabama before losing to Colorado. They are a good sized team, solid rebounding, one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the nation (39th) and they don’t turn the ball over very much. This one has upset written all over, although we wouldn’t call it that as we have this game rated as dead-even. We’ll take the points with Norfolk State. |
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03-17-21 | Western Kentucky v. St. Mary's UNDER 125 | Top | 69-67 | Loss | -105 | 39 h 37 m | Show |
#707/708 ASA CBB TOP PLAY ON 10* Under 125 Points – St Marys vs Western Kentucky, Wednesday at 9:00 PM ET - NOTE – All NIT games are being played in Frisco, TX so no home court advantage. The strength of both of these teams are their defenses. St Marys ranks 9th nationally in defensive efficiency and WKU ranks 81st. Both offenses rank outside the top 100 in offensive efficiency with Ste Marys sitting down near 200th in that category. Neither team likes to play at a fast pace, especially the Gaels who rank 347th in tempo. If you take out their 3 games vs Gonzaga (#1 in the country in offensive efficiency) the St Marys defense allowed just 59 PPG in conference play. Offensively they only averaged 59 PPG in WCC play shooting just 39% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. They rank 328th nationally in 3-point shooting at under 30% for the season. Needless to say this offense isn’t any where close to the sharp shooting teams St Marys has had in the past. The only 2 defenses in the WCC that rank in the top 100 are BYU & Gonzaga. In those games St Marys averaged just 56 PPG in their 5 meetings with those 2 teams. The Hilltopper defense also ranks in the top 100 and was outstanding all year allowing 70 points or more just 4 times in 17 Conference USA games. St Marys offense efficiency (198th) would rank 10th in CUSA this season so we don’t look for much from them on offense. CUSA doesn’t have a single defense ranked in the top 30 in efficiency so this will be a better defense by a wide margin than anyone WKY has faced in conference play (St Marys is 9th nationally as mentioned above). Neither team relies heavily on shooting 3’s (both accumulate less than 29% of their points from beyond the arc) and neither team fouls very often. So it looks like the majority of points will be scored from inside the arc which favors the Under. This sets up to be a low possession game with defenses running the show. We think there is a very solid chance that neither team reaches 60 points here so while it’s set very low at 125, there is a reason for that and we like the UNDER. |
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03-17-21 | Spurs v. Bulls OVER 222.5 | Top | 106-99 | Loss | -115 | 9 h 34 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* OVER 222.5 San Antonio Spurs @ Chicago Bulls, 8PM ET - We are betting value here and will side with Vegas on this Over. This line opened 227.5 which is a ton of value compared to the current number. We are betting the oddsmakers had the correct number to begin with. The correction in the number is based on the Spurs current stretch of games that has resulted in 4 of five Unders but let’s consider who they’ve played in that stretch. The Spurs recently played Detroit, Orlando and OKC who are bottom seven of the NBA in scoring and offensive efficiency. They had a game against Dallas who is middle of the pack in scoring and Philadelphia who is 7th in points allowed per game defensively. Now the Spurs face a Bulls team that is the 6th fastest paced team in the NBA and 11th in scoring at 114.4PPG. Chicago is coming off a game last night and they have averaged 225.5PPG this year when playing without rest. The Bulls just scored 118 and 123 in their last two games after a pair of lower scoring games so the offense is back on track. San Antonio is average or slightly below in most offensive categories, but the Bulls defense isn’t great, allowing 114.3PPG (24th) and 47.4% shooting (23rd). Let’s not forget, an average NBA game this season finishes with 224-points and this number is below that. Bet OVER |
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03-16-21 | Pelicans v. Blazers -121 | Top | 124-125 | Win | 100 | 11 h 24 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Portland Trailblazers -120 over New Orleans Pelicans, 10 PM ET - The Blazers get some much-needed help back in their lineup with the return of CJ McCollum. McCollum was having a career year before his injury averaging 26.7PPG on 44.1% shooting from beyond the arc and over 47% from the field. He provides an additional scoring option the Blazers so desperately need to go along with Damian Lillard who scored 43 against the Pelicans the last time these teams met. Both teams have been bad defensively ranking 28th and 29th in defensive efficiency but both rank in the top 6 when it comes to offensive efficiency. The scheduling dynamics favor the Blazers who are off a disappointing loss at Minnesota while the Pelicans are off a 135-scoring output and win against the Clippers. Portland is a solid 10-6 off a loss this year, 6-2 at home in that situation. New Orleans is just 5-12 SU on the road this year with the 22nd worst road differential in the league at minus -3.3PPG. The NBA is driven by 3-point shooting and this is where the Blazers have a key advantage as they shoot 38% from beyond the arc which is 8th best in the NBA and the Pelicans allow 39% 3-point shooting which is 28th worse in the league. Pelicans just 1-6 ATS when coming off a game in which they score 125 or more points, while Portland is 8-3 ATS their last eleven at home against a sub .400 road team. |
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03-15-21 | Kings v. Hornets -3 | Top | 116-122 | Win | 100 | 7 h 59 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Charlotte Hornets -3 over Sacramento Kings, 7 PM ET - The Hornets are quietly playing well right now with three straight wins to climb over the .500 record for the season. Charlotte recently beat Minnesota, Detroit and Toronto who are all very comparable to this Kings team. The Hornets have been very solid at home with a 6-1 SU record their last seven home games AND they won those games by an average of 11PPG. Sacramento has not been a good road team this year with a 6-11 SU record and one of the worst road differentials in the NBA at minus -5.7PPG. The Kings are 1-6 SU their last seven road games, and that one win came against the Pistons who are one of the worst teams in the NBA. Not only that, those six losses all came by more than the tonight’s spread. Sacramento is 1-7 ATS their last eight as a dog. Charlotte takes care of business when it comes to weaker teams with a 6-1 ATS run versus teams with a losing record. Easy call here with Charlotte by double-digits. |
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03-14-21 | Clippers v. Pelicans +6 | Top | 115-135 | Win | 100 | 10 h 7 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* New Orleans Pelicans +6 over LA Clippers, 8 PM ET - Obviously, the Clippers are one of the better road teams in the NBA at 12-8 SU with a point differential of +5.6PPG, but they’ve struggled of late with a 1-4 SU record their last five away from home. New Orleans is 2-3 SU their last five home games and one of those wins came against the Utah Jazz as a +7-point underdog. The Pelicans are 11-10 SU on their home floor this season and also have a positive plus/minus of +2.2PPG (12th best in the NBA). The Pelicans have cashed 7 of the last ten meetings in this series overall and 20 of the last twenty-seven in New Orleans. Based on our line analysis and the money moves on this game we are siding with the home team here plus the points. |
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03-14-21 | Ohio State v. Illinois UNDER 150.5 | Top | 88-91 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 30 m | Show |
#657/658 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Under 151.5 Points – Ohio State vs Illinois, Sunday at 2:30 PM ET - This total is set too high for a Big Ten Championship game. We expect both defenses to be on top of their game with a title on the line. Illinois ranks 2nd in the conference in defensive efficiency and eFG% allowed. In Big 10 play they allowed just 68 PPG on 41% shooting. OSU’s overall defensive numbers on the season are not as strong, however after losing 4 in a row to end the regular season, head coach Holtmann went back to the basics and focused on defense. It worked as they have been lights out on that end of the court in the Big 10 tourney allowing their 3 opponents to shoot just 38% combined. On Saturday they held a very potent Michigan offense (5th nationally in offensive efficiency) to just 67 points. The Wolverines held OSU to just 68 points and the Illini defense is definitely on par with Michigan’s (1st and 2nd in the Big 10 in defensive efficiency). On offense, Illinois takes fewer 3 pointers than any team in the league (25% of their points from deep) and OSU is in the middle of the pack (33% of points from 3). So we don’t expect a barrage of threes going up in this game an when they do, remember this is OSU’s 4th game in 4 days and Illinois 3rd game in 3 days so legs will be a factor when launching from deep. This is the Buckeyes THIRD highest total of the entire season and the other 2 were vs Iowa who is fast paced, the #1 offensive efficiency team in the Big 10 and not great defensively. The Illini had 6 totals this season set at 150 or higher and 5 of those games went UNDER the total. We expect the Big 10 Championship game to be a lower scoring game as it always has been. Teams know each other very well and are closing out a long, physically and emotionally draining weekend. Since the Big 10 tourney began in 1998 the average total combined points per game has been just 126.5. NOT ONE of those 22 games has topped 151 points and today’s total is 151.5. UNDER for us on this one. |
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03-13-21 | North Texas v. Western Kentucky +1.5 | Top | 61-57 | Loss | -107 | 21 h 39 m | Show |
#628 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Western Kentucky +1.5 over North Texas, Saturday at 9 PM ET - These 2 were supposed to face off twice this year but both games were canceled. Their most recent meeting was last March and while that was a year ago, the result should bring some extra motivation to a very talented WKY team. It was a game at North Texas as the 2 were battling for the CUSA title. Western KY led by 6 late and UNT rallied to send the game to OT where they won and clinched the conference regular season title. Now the Hilltoppers have a chance to exact revenge and win the CUSA tourney title on Saturday night. WKY is playing their best basketball of the season right now. They’ve won 11 of their last 13 games with their only losses coming @ Houston (6th ranked in the nation on KenPom) and a 2-point loss vs Old Dominion, a game WKY led by 13 in the 2nd half. They are 5-4 this season vs Q1 & Q2 teams, the top competition they’ve faced this year. That includes a win @ Alabama and a near upset of West Virginia. This team is ultra talented led by future NBA big man Charles Bassey (21 PPG & 8 RPG). UNT is at a bit of a disadvantage here. They will be playing their 4th game in 4 days. WKY is playing their 3rd game. The Mean Green were not playing their best basketball heading into this tournament losing their final 3 regular season games. While the Hilltoppers had a winning record vs the best teams they played (Q1 & Q2) North Texas was 3-6 vs those opponents. Many of their offensive and defensive numbers are very similar in conference play but WKY should have a solid advantage in 2 areas. They are the better rebounding team (and fresher having played one less game) and they should get to the line more often here as they are #1 in CUSA in that category and UNT fouls a lot. If the Hilltoppers do get to the line a lot as we suspect, they should salt this one away as they rank 12th nationally making nearly 80% of their FT’s. Prior to their OT loss last March vs North Texas, the Hilltoppers controlled this series winning 11 straight. Western gets the win and cover and moves on to the Big Dance. |
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03-13-21 | Kings v. Hawks OVER 240 | Top | 106-121 | Loss | -105 | 23 h 46 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* OVER 240 Sacramento Kings @ Atlanta Hawks, 7:30PM ET - The Kings are average in road offensive efficiency, ranking 15th BUT they are HORRIBLE defensively on the road, ranking 27th in defensive efficiency allowing 1.171PPP. The Hawks at home have the 12th best offensive efficiency numbers in the league but are 22nd in defensive efficiency. In other words, both are solid offensively and bad defensively. The Kings are 9th in pace while the Hawks are 22nd. Both teams are top 10 in offensive efficiency and both average over 112PPG. Defense is another matter as they both rank in the bottom 8 teams in the NBA in defensive efficiency, the Kings are last. The Kings have gone Over in 48 of their last 71 games overall, 38-18 Over their last 56 when a dog. The Hawks are on a 12-3 Over streak and have played Over in 35 of their last 50 at home against a team with a losing record. Vegas has set this number this high to scare you off. Don’t let it…BET OVER! |
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03-12-21 | Connecticut +1 v. Creighton | Top | 56-59 | Loss | -109 | 9 h 50 m | Show |
#849 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Connecticut +1 over Creighton, Friday at 9 PM ET - We’ve said this before leading up to the conference tournaments, we have UConn ranked as the top team in the Big East. They should be favored in this game according to our power ratings. Their top player, and best player in the Big East, James Bouknight missed 8 games in the middle of the season and the Huskies were 4-4 during his absence. With him in the line up they are 11-2 with their only losses coming by 8 @ Villanova and by 2 points in OT vs this Creighton team. They shot just 36% and made only 26% of their 3’s and still took the Blue Jays to OT. We like them to get their revenge today. The Huskies are playing lights out right now winning 6 of 7 since Bouknight rejoined the lineup. All 6 of those wins were by double digits including a 34 point win yesterday vs DePaul. Creighton is also coming off a big win over Butler yesterday and also beat the Bulldogs to close out the regular season. Prior to that game they had lost back to back games vs Villanova & Xavier. The Jays are a very good shooting team but UConn is the #1 defense in the Big East (efficiency & eFG%) and held Creighton to 42% shooting in their 2 games this season. While Creighton won both, one was without Bouknight, and they way UConn’s offense is playing right now is far better than they were playing at the time these teams met. The Huskies covered both of those games and they are a remarkable 16-4-1 ATS on the season. Definitely an undervalued commodity and we like Connecticut to win this game outright. |
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03-12-21 | Nuggets v. Grizzlies +3.5 | Top | 103-102 | Win | 100 | 20 h 16 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Memphis Grizzlies +3.5 over Denver Nuggets, 8 PM ET - Both teams are trending up right now as the Nuggets have won four straight, while the Grizzlies have won 3 of their last four. We like the fact the Grizz have played a game after the All-Star break (beat Washington) while Denver has yet to play. Memphis has a pair of great games against two of the best teams in the NBA at home recently as they beat the Clippers bad (122-94) and lost by 1-point to Milwaukee. The Grizzlies have covered four in a row overall and have cashed 5 of the last six against the Nuggets in Memphis. The break couldn’t have come at a worse time for Denver who had won four in a row. The line on this game is the “tell” though as the Nuggets were just a -3.5-point favorites at Indiana who we rate higher than Memphis. Why the low number? In contrarian fashion we will be the opposite of the way Vegas wants you to bet. Back the home dog here. |
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03-12-21 | Ohio State v. Purdue UNDER 143 | Top | 87-78 | Loss | -121 | 14 h 6 m | Show |
#813/814 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Under 143 Points – Ohio State vs Purdue, Friday at 2 PM ET - OSU played Minnesota yesterday in what appeared to be a high scoring game with the Buckeyes winning 79-75. It went over the total of 145. However, a closer look reveals that if not for a flurry of points late, this would have been a lower scoring affair. With just over 1:00 minute remaining in the game, the 2 teams had 135 total points which means they scored 19 points in the final minute. The 2 teams had just 66 points at half. The Buckeyes, minus the last few minutes of the game, played outstanding defense. That had been their Achilles heal during their 4 game losing streak to end the season but remember 3 of those 4 teams they faced (Michigan, Illinois, & Iowa) all rank in the top 8 nationally in offensive efficiency. Head coach Chris Holtmann really stressed defensive intensity to his team entering the Big 10 tourney and they responded. The Gophs shot just 36% and had only 58 points with under 2:00 minutes remaining. The Buckeyes offense played very well but they were facing a Minnesota defense that ranks dead last in the Big 10 in defensive efficiency. It should be much different on Friday with the Buckeyes facing a Purdue defense that ranks 3rd in the Big 10 in defensive efficiency and eFG% allowed. The Boilers also prefer a much slower pace (273rd nationally) compared to Minnesota so there will be fewer possessions in this game. The 2 met twice this season with Purdue winning both 67-60 and 67-65. Defense ruled the day in those 2 meetings with the teams combining to shoot 43% in each game. These 2 rivals know each other very well and when they get together it’s usually a low scoring, grinder type game. In fact, over the last 12 meetings, these 2 have topped 140 total points only twice. This one goes UNDER the total. |
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03-11-21 | Texas Tech v. Texas OVER 134.5 | Top | 66-67 | Loss | -110 | 14 h 34 m | Show |
#715/716 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Over 134.5 Points – Texas vs Texas Tech, Thursday at 9:30 PM ET - These 2 played less than 2 weeks ago and the total for that game was set at 134.5. The final score was Tech 68 / Texas 59 for a total of 127 points. Despite that game going under, this total is set higher than the first meeting and we agree. If you take a close look at that game, the teams combined to shoot only 39% from the field and made only 11 of their 37 three point attempts for just 29%. Even with those poor shooting numbers, these teams nearly got to 130 which is only a few possessions short of tonight’s total. Both of these offenses are solid ranking 3rd and 4th in Big 12 offensive efficiency and for the season Texas averages 75 PPG & Tech puts up 73 PPG. They are also both very good three point shooting teams ranking 3rd and 4th in the league in that area as well. As you can see these offenses are much better than their showing a few weeks ago and we expect the numbers to be much better in this game. The one thing they did do in that game which helps a potential OVER is they got to the FT line with 38 made freebies in 53 attempts. Both teams foul often and their opponents put up over 21% of their points from the FT line which ranks each in the top 50 in highest percentage of points allowed from the stripe. So we look for a bunch of FT attempts again on Thursday evening and it they can improve their field goal shooting, which we expect they will, this one should get into the 140’s. Take the OVER here. |
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03-11-21 | Celtics v. Nets -2.5 | Top | 109-121 | Win | 100 | 11 h 30 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Brooklyn Nets -2.5 over Boston Celtics, 7:35 PM ET - Brooklyn is the team to beat in the East and Boston has certainly slipped in our power rankings since the start of the season. The Celtics went into the All-Star break on a 4-game winning streak but prior to that had been just average. In comparison the Nets have played extremely well in their last ten games going 9-1 SU with an average differential of +10PPG. Brooklyn has shot 51% over that ten-game span and face a Celtics defense that 17th in defensive field goal percentage at 46.7%. The Nets are the 2nd best 3-point percentage shooting team in the league too at 40.7% which has helped them average 121PPG. The line on this game is clearly off as the Celtics were recently a +4.5-points underdog at home to the Clippers and the Nets rate near even to the LA in our metrics, meaning the Nets should be at least -4.5 here. When laying -4.5-points or less this season the Nets are 100% or 6-0 ATS. Bet the Nets at home in this one. |
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03-10-21 | Spurs +4.5 v. Mavs | Top | 104-115 | Loss | -107 | 21 h 4 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* San Antonio Spurs +4.5 over Dallas Mavericks, 8:30PM ET - We like the Spurs here and the points in this Texas showdown. When you think of the Mavs you think of offense and points, but the reality is, they rank just 4-spots higher in total offense than the Spurs do and both are in the bottom half of the NBA in scoring. The big advantage the Spurs have here is defense. San Antonio ranks 10th in points allowed per game compared to the Mavericks ranking 18th. The Spurs can also exploit the Mavericks on the glass with the 10th best offensive rebounding margin in the NBA, going up against the Mavs 22nd ranked defensive unit. The Spurs limped into the All-Star break but were hampered by injuries. Dallas won 8 of their last twelve games which is why this line is what it is and offering value. San Antonio has been incredible on the road this season with a 9-4 SU record and a +3.9PPG average margin of victory which is 9th best in the NBA. Dallas on the other hand has a negative differential at home of minus -2.2PPG which ranks 20th. Easy call with the Spurs here and the points. |
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03-09-21 | Southern Miss v. Rice -4.5 | Top | 52-61 | Win | 100 | 12 h 1 m | Show |
#826 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Rice -4.5 over Southern Miss, Tuesday at 8 PM ET - Rice had the #1 strength of schedule rating in Conference USA play, played one less game, and still finished with 2 more wins than Southern Miss. The Owls were 6-10 overall in league play (13-12 overall on the season) and in their final 10 conference games, they played 8 of those games vs CUSA’s top tier teams (Western KY, UAB, Louisiana Tech, and North Texas). So they had a very difficult schedule from mid January on to get them ready for this tourney. The 2 games during that stretch that were not vs the top teams in the league were vs this Southern Miss team. Rice beat USM in both games by 26 & 8 points and the Owls dominated trailing for a grand total of 50 seconds in the 2 games combined! Rice controlled the boards with a +19 rebounding edge in the 2 games combined and they made 14 more 3-pointers. We don’t see that changing this time around as the Owls are 2nd best 3-point shooting team in CUSA and USM scores fewer points from beyond the arc than any team in the league. On top of all that, Rice played that series without one of their top players, Chris Mullins, who averages 11 PPG, 4 RPG, and 3 APG. He’s since come back and is at full strength. Southern Miss has only 8 wins on the season and they are just 4-13 in CUSA play. Seven of their eight wins have come vs teams ranked 295th or lower. The Golden Eagles struggle to score as they have reached 70 points just twice in their last 12 games while ranking 303rd nationally in offensive efficiency. Since Southern Miss head coach Ladner took over at the beginning of last season, they have a 9-26 record in CUSA play. Rice gets the win & cover on Tuesday night. |
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03-08-21 | North Dakota State -3 v. South Dakota | Top | 79-75 | Win | 100 | 11 h 39 m | Show |
#789 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* North Dakota State -3 over South Dakota, Monday at 9:45 PM ET - This line opened at NDSU -1.5 and was way off according to our power ratings. Not surprisingly, minutes after it opened it moved up to -3 and we still like the value on the Bison. We have this set at -5 in favor of North Dakota State. These 2 must met to close out the regular season and split their games, both @ South Dakota. We were on South Dakota in the first game it what we thought was a great spot to grab them at home. They rewarded us with an 80-71 win, however they lost their 1st team All Conference performer, AJ Plitzuweit, toward the end of that game to a season ending knee injury. Plitzuweit averaged 19 PPG, 5 RPG, and shot 43% from beyond the arc. Huge loss to say the least. The following day South Dakota again played host to NDSU and lost by 12. The Bison were favored by 2.5 in that game on the road and now only 3 on a neutral. You can see why we like the value here. North Dakota State played what looked like a close game yesterday beating UMKC by 4. However, they led by 16 at half and by 22 in the 2nd half so the game was never really in doubt. South Dakota beat a bad Western Illinois team in their Summit League tourney opener but an already thin team before losing Plitzuweit, their starters all logged 30+ minutes and not one reserve played more than 9 minutes. One thing we took away from the 2 games these 2 played at the end of the season was the Jackrabbits can’t hang on the boards. The Bison were +21 rebounds in their 2 meetings combined which isn’t surprising as they are the #1 offensive & defensive rebounding team in the Summit. They are also the best defensive team ranking #1 in eFG% allowed and 3-point percentage allowed. That will be a problem for South Dakota who relies heavily on the 3 and just lost their best shooter. The way the first game played out, the Bison were down late and committed a bunch of fouls to send SD to the line in an attempt to come back. South Dakota, a very good FT shooting team, was +18 made FT’s in that game. In the rematch when the points from the stripe evened out, NDSU won by double digits. The Bison foul fewer than any team in the league so that is not what normally happens in their games. We expect the Bison to be ahead for most of this game an if they need to salt this game away with FT’s late, they make 76% from the line. We’ll lay the small number here and take North Dakota State. |
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03-07-21 | Appalachian State v. Coastal Carolina -4 | Top | 64-61 | Loss | -112 | 11 h 40 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Coastal Carolina -4 over Appalachian State, 9PM ET - App State will have to deal with fatigue here as they are playing their 3rd game in three days AND are coming off an OT game yesterday. In yesterday’s win over Texas State, App State had four starters log over 38-minutes and have five players that saw 32 or more minutes of action. Coastal on the other hand is off a blowout win over Troy yesterday and were able to spread the minutes out through eleven players. Coastal Carolina has the best player on the floor in this game with DeVante Jones who is averaging 20.2PPG, 7.2 RPG and 3.2APG. These two teams are near even in offensive efficiency ratings with Coastal averaging 1.024-points per possession, while Appalachian State averages 1.037PPP. The big separator here is defense. Coastal is the 2nd best defense in the Sun Belt allowing just .946PPP compared to App State who ranks 10th allowing 1.026PPP. The Chanticleers have the 29th best EFG% defense in the nation, limiting opponents to just 46.2%. They also rank top 55 overall in both 2pt percentage and 3pt percentage defense. The Mountaineers on the other hand are 217th in EFG% defense and rank 179th or worse in both 2pt and 3pt percentage defense. Off their big upset win yesterday we expect App State to regress here and predict a double-digit win by Coastal Carolina |
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03-07-21 | Memphis v. Houston -9.5 | Top | 64-67 | Loss | -115 | 18 h 46 m | Show |
#732 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Houston -9.5 over Memphis, Sunday at 12:00 PM ET - This is a battle for 2nd place in the AAC as Wichita State already clinched the regular season title with a win over South Florida on Saturday. Houston has the most wins in the league at 13 but Wichita only played 13 games and went 11-2 so they are locked into the top seed. This is a battle for 2nd place. Despite battling for 2nd place, Houston is by far the best team in this conference. Most metrics have them ranked in the top 10 in the nation while Wichita is a bubble team at best. Memphis isn’t even really a serious bubble team right now. Most have them sitting as 10-15 spots outside the final bid. The Tigers have played just 3 games since an 18 day Covid break which started early in February. While they are 3-0 in those games, 2 of the wins came vs South Florida & Tulane, two of the three lowest rated teams in the AAC. Their lone decent win since they came back was a 6-point win over Cincinnati but the Bearcats played that game without one of the top players (DeJulius) and one of the top reserves (Harvey). The Tigers are great defensively. The problem here is, Houston is every bit as good defensively and MUCH better on offense. The Cougars are 1 of only 4 teams in the nation that rank in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency per Ken Pom. The others are Gonzaga, Michigan, and Illinois. Houston is absolutely dominant at home. This will be their 4th straight home game and their home finale and they’ve won their previous 3 by a combined 108 points! That includes a 38 point win over Cincinnati (and the Bearcats were healthy) and a 24 point win over Western Kentucky who is one of the top teams on Conference USA. The Cougs are 14-0 at home (6-1 ATS in AAC play at home) with an average final score of 82-54. They’ve only had one win all season long by less than 10 points and that was a 7-point win over Wichita in a game Houston led by 14 with 5 minutes remaining. The Cougars will be very motivated in their final home game and out to prove they are the best team in the league and deserved the #1 seed. Houston wins and covers again at home. |
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03-06-21 | Xavier v. Marquette -1.5 | Top | 59-66 | Win | 100 | 15 h 42 m | Show |
#670 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Marquette -1.5 over Xavier, Saturday at 9 PM ET - Marquette had a poor stretch from late January into February but they pulled out of their funk and their playing perhaps their best basketball of the season to close it out. The Golden Eagles were dealt an extremely tough scheduling situation to close out the year as they are coming off SIX straight road games. This is their home finale and their first game at home in a full month. They went 3-3 over that 6 game road stretch including wins over North Carolina (by double digits) and over Butler who has been playing great at home including wins over Villanova & Creighton, the 2 top teams in the league. They’ve now won 3 of their last 4 (all on the road as we mentioned) and now have big time momentum coming home. Xavier is heading in the opposite direction losing 4 of their 6 games since coming back from a 2 week Covid break which started in early February. They are just 1-4 SU this season on the road in conference play. XU has shot just 42% since their return from their hiatus and they’ve failed to top 68 points in 3 of their last 4 games. They are the worst 3-point shooting team in the Big East hitting only 29% on the season which makes it tough to win on the road. The Musketeers beat Marquette at home by 3 on a 3-pointer at the buzzer earlier this season. Just a little more fuel for the Golden Eagles. The favorite has covered 6 of the last 7 in this series and we love the momentum Marquette brings into this one as they finally get to play a home game. |
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03-05-21 | Valparaiso +7.5 v. Missouri State | Top | 55-66 | Loss | -110 | 14 h 5 m | Show |
#873 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Valparaiso +7.5 over Missouri State, Friday at 9 PM ET - Valpo is playing their best basketball over the last month or so. They are 7-11 on the season in MVC play but 7-8 SU their last 15. Four of those eight wins have been tight games with Valpo losing by 7 or less. We’re getting some value her because the Crusaders lost both games vs Mizzou State by 13 & 10 points way back in early January with Valparaiso wasn’t playing well. They were 3.5 point underdogs in those game and now getting 8 = value in our opinion. Down the stretch this team beat Drake (2nd rated team in the MVC), lost by 2 vs Loyola Chicago (top game in the conference) and beat Indiana State (4th ranked team in the league). The Crusaders are now 5-1 ATS their last 6 games vs teams with above .500 SU records. Missouri State has won 7 of their last 8 games but they played the worst teams in the Missouri Valley down the stretch. Valpo has had a number if players in the rotation miss games this season but they are at full strength now and they are better than their 7-11 conference record. Defensively they’ve been solid over the last month allowing only 2 of their last 9 opponents to get to 70 points. The Crusaders were 4-1 ATS this year as dogs of 7 or more in conference play and we like this one to go to the wire. Take Valparaiso and the points. |
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03-05-21 | Evansville v. Indiana State UNDER 135 | Top | 43-53 | Win | 100 | 19 h 54 m | Show |
#869/870 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Under 135 Points – Evansville vs Indiana State, Friday at 3 PM ET - We love the value here on the UNDER. These 2 met twice in mid February and the totals set on those 2 games was 123.5 and 127. Both went OVER the total so now we are getting Friday’s opener at 135 which is a full 11.5 points higher than their first meeting. Were the oddsmakers that far off with their initial totals for those meetings? No. The teams went crazy offensively in those games which pushed both over the total. The first meeting ended with ISU winning 76-70. The 2 teams combined to take only 93 shots in that game but made 53 of those shots which was 57%. They also combined to make 41% of their 3-pointers. In the rematch the 2 teams attempted 104 total shots and made 60 of those for 58%. The also made 44% of their 3-pointers in that game. For comparison’s sake, for the season these teams make 43.7% and 44.3% of their shots (38% and 33% from beyond the arc) so both hit WAY above their averages in those 2 games. They were both very slow paced games as we can see by the total shots and that’s not surprising as Evansville ranks 355th (out of 357 teams) in tempo while Indiana State ranks 219th. The Sycamores are very solid defensively ranking in the top 100 in defensive efficiency (4th in the MVC) and while Evansville is not a great defensive team, ISU still performed well above their offensive expectations (based on facing Evansville’s defense) in the first meetings. 135 may not seem like a high total, but keep in mind ISU has had 9 of their last 10 totals set at 137.5 or less and Evansville has had only one total ALL SEASON set higher than 135. Now we are at a neutral site in St Louis and it’s tourney time. One and done. We expect both defenses to perform much better this time around and another very slow paced game with limited shot attempts is on tap. Unless they both go off the charts again offensively, this one should stay UNDER the total. |
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03-04-21 | Warriors v. Suns -6.5 | Top | 98-120 | Win | 100 | 10 h 42 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Phoenix Sun -6.5 over Golden State Warriors, 10PM ET - The Warriors could feel the effects of a close game last night in Portland where the key starters saw 30+ minutes of action, while the Suns were at home resting. Phoenix is coming off an impressive win over the Lakers in which Devin Booker was ejected in the 3rd quarter and the second unit played the majority of the 4th quarter in a convincing road win. Golden State relies heavily on Steph Curry to carry the offensive load while Draymond Green does all the dirty work on the defensive end of the court. The Warriors are 3-6 SU their last nine road games and have a loss here earlier this season by 21-points. The Warriors rank 23rd in the NBA with a negative road point differential of minus -4.3PPG. Phoenix is 11-6 SU at home and have the 3rd best average margin of victory at home of +7.2PPG. Both teams are near even when it comes to offensive statistics, but the Suns hold a decisive advantage defensively allowing 5 less points per game than Golden State and rank 2nd in the NBA in 3-point percentage defense. Golden State is 6-17-1 ATS their last 24 games playing without rest and that trend continues here. |
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03-04-21 | Oklahoma State +11.5 v. Baylor | Top | 70-81 | Win | 100 | 12 h 18 m | Show |
#727 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Oklahoma State +11.5 over Baylor, Thursday at 7 PM ET - This is a really tough spot for a Baylor team that frankly isn’t playing to the dominant level they were earlier in the season. The Bears just beat West Virginia in OT on Tuesday night to clinch their first regular season Big 12 Title in 71 years! Now with their Big 12 tournament seeding set at #1, they have to play 48 hours later vs an Oklahoma State team that is playing their best basketball of the season. Baylor has played 3 games since returning from a 21 day covid break and as we mentioned, they haven’t been all that great. They rallied from 17 down to beat a bad Iowa State team (0-16 in the conference) by 5, lost by 13 @ Kansas, and then beat WVU in OT on Tuesday. They’ve hit only 43% of their shots over that 3 game stretch and they’ve been out rebounded in 2 of those games. Far from dominating. Okie State has won 8 of their last 10 including a sweep of a very good Oklahoma team their last 2 games. They’ve been impressive on the road with a 7-3 record including wins @ Oklahoma, @ Texas Tech, and @ Marquette. The Cowboys 3 road losses in Big 12 play have come by an average of 6 PPG. These two met in January when Baylor was destroying pretty much everyone and the Bears topped OSU by 15. The Cowboys played that game without their star freshman Cade Cunningham (20 PPG & 6 RPG) who might just be the #1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft. They were also without starter Rondel Walker who averages 9 PPG & 3 RPG. Prior to OSU losing earlier this year and obviously not at 100%, this was a tight series with the 4 match ups the last 2 seasons decided by 3, 4, 7, and 8 points. If this was Baylor’s final home game and Senior night, we might be reluctant to fade them even though this is a bad scheduling situation. However, they host Texas Tech this weekend for their home finale. We think OSU can give Baylor a big time scare here and taking the generous points is the play. |
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03-03-21 | Creighton v. Villanova -4 | Top | 60-72 | Win | 100 | 14 h 55 m | Show |
#686 ASA TOP PLAY 10* ON Villanova -4 over Creighton, Wednesday at 8 PM ET - This is a huge home game for Nova as a win pretty much clinches the Big East regular season title. It’s also their final home game so they are set to send off 2 of the better players in program history with a win. Starting PG Gillespie (1200 career points) and starting F Samuels are both seniors potentially playing their final game at home. Speaking of home, the Cats have been great in their own arena this year with a perfect 8-0 record and an average margin of victory of +16. Going back even further, Nova has won 63 of their last 70 home games and they have won 6 of their last 7 @ home vs the Jays. However, they did lose last year at home vs Creighton so they should have a little extra for this one. On top of that, the Wildcats traveled to Creighton on Feb 13th as a 2-point favorite and lost 86-70. The Blue Jays shot nearly 60% in that game and averaged a ridiculous 1.34 PPP. It was a terrible defensive performance and the Cats bounced back a few days later to beat a very good UConn team here at home. Speaking of bouncing back, Villanova had 3 losses on the season entering last weekend and they rebounded to win their following game after each of those. They laid an egg on Sunday @ Butler losing by 12 for their 4th loss of the season and we expect a huge effort in this one. They shot just 2 of 27 from three point range in that loss (7%) one of their worst performances in the Jay Wright era. Now they are back at home where they make 40% of their 3’s and average 81 PPG. Villanova was favored by 2 @ Creighton and now they are laying just 4 at home, off a loss, on Senior night. Like this spot for the Wildcats. |
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03-03-21 | Nets -8 v. Rockets | Top | 132-114 | Win | 100 | 13 h 47 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* Brooklyn Nets -8 over Houston Rockets, 7:30 PM ET - This game sets up very similar to when we bet on the Nets over the Warriors in KD’s first game back in the Bay when Brooklyn handled Golden State. James Harden will play with a chip on his shoulder tonight back in Houston for the first time since being traded to the Nets. The NBA is driven by 3-point shooting and the Nets are the 2nd best shooting team from beyond the arc this season at 40.5%. Houston is LAST in the league in 3-point shooting at 33%. Brooklyn will have their way offensively here with the highest scoring offense in the NBA at 120.8PPG going up against a Rockets defense that gives up 112.2PPG (18th). The Rockets are clearly reeling right now with 11-straight losses and 8 of those beats came against teams with sub .500 records. Brooklyn has won and covered 6 straight road games and they’ll get another big win here. |
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03-03-21 | St. Joe's v. La Salle OVER 151 | Top | 72-66 | Loss | -110 | 16 h 6 m | Show |
#701/702 ASA CBB TOP PLAY ON 10* Over 151 Points – LaSalle vs St Josephs, Wednesday at 11 AM ET - We expect this one to be a shootout. These 2 A10 foes faced each other on February 20th and the final score was St Joes 91 – LaSalle 82 in OT. At the end of the regulation the score was 77-77 so they totaled 154 prior to OT. Neither team was all that efficient in that game with St Joes averaging 1.01 PPP and LaSalle putting up 0.97 PPP, both below their season averages. These are the 2 fastest paced teams in the conference so as expected, we had a LOT of shot attempts in that first meeting. St Joes made 33 of their 68 shot attempts and LaSalle hit 31 of their 79 shot attempts. As you can see they only made 43% of their shots and combined to make just 24% of their 3’s yet these 2 still hit 154 in regulation. On top of that, they only hit 63% of their FT’s in the game. These are the 2 worst defensive efficiency teams in the conference and it shows on the court. The Explorers have allowed at least 73 points in 14 of their 16 conference games this season. The Hawks have allowed at least 80 points in 9 of their 12 A10 games. These 2 defenses rank 260th and 342nd in points allowed nationally this season. St Joes offense has really stepped it up over the last 3 games after getting star G Daly back in the line up after he missed 10 straight games. They have scored 97, 91, and 76 points in their 3 games since he came back and he is averaging 25 PPG in those 3. LaSalle was missing G Sanders, on of their top 3-point shooters, in their first meeting vs St Joes and he is now back and healthy. Both of these teams have the offense to get into the 80’s and higher and in a fast paced game with no defense, we like the OVER. |
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03-02-21 | Wisconsin v. Purdue -1.5 | Top | 69-73 | Win | 100 | 15 h 3 m | Show |
#644 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Purdue -1.5 over Wisconsin, Tuesday at 9 PM ET - The Badgers are not living up to expectations this year and they are flat out playing poorly right now. They are just 5-6 SU their last 11 games and their wins during that stretch have come against Nebraska, Northwestern (twice), Maryland, and Penn State. Against the top 6 teams in the Big 10 they are 0-6 SU this season. They haven’t faced Purdue yet, but the Boilers fall into the top 6 category ranking 6th in the league. Offensively UW has been really struggling as they have not gotten to 70 points in a full month. During that stretch they are shooting just 35% as a team. On the road this season the Badgers are hitting just 39% of their shots overall and only 30% from beyond the arc. Purdue has been very tough at home with a 9-1 record and their only loss coming to Michigan, the top team in the conference. How has Wisconsin done when traveling to Purdue? Terrible to put it lightly. The Badgers are 4-41 SU all time at Mackey Arena and their last with there came in 2014, the year Wisconsin went to the Final 4. While the Badgers are struggling, Purdue is playing much better having won 9 of their last 12 games. On offense they have had problems making 3-pointers, however the Boilers are much better at home in this area hitting 35% from deep and the Wisconsin defense has allowed their last 4 opponents to combine to shoot 46% from beyond the arc. Last year Purdue was favored by 4 in this match up at home and won 70-51. Now we’re getting them at a lower number vs a Wisconsin team that is headed in the wrong direction. Purdue wins and covers this one. |
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03-02-21 | Knicks v. Spurs UNDER 215.5 | Top | 93-119 | Win | 100 | 10 h 30 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* UNDER 215.5 NY Knicks vs. San Antonio Spurs, 8:35 PM ET - Both teams have favored the Under on the season with a combined 25-40 Under record and tonight they add to that record. These two teams are similar in many regards including poor offense ranking 21st (Spurs) and 29th (Knicks) in scoring in the NBA. When it comes to offensive efficiency the Spurs are 21st in the league while the Knicks are 23rd. It’s also no secret both teams like to play defense. The Knicks allow just 104PPG on the year which is the best overall number in the NBA while the Spurs give up 111.7PPG which ranks 12th. New York has the 2nd best defensive efficiency numbers allowing just 1.081-points per possession, the Spurs give up 1.108PPP which is 11th best in the NBA. The other important factor here is pace of play. The Knicks are the slowest paced team in the NBA at 96.2 possessions per game so playing slow is a priority for New York. The Spurs are 12th in pace of play but they are coming off a game last night so expect them to play at a slower tempo here. In fact, in games that the Spurs have played without rest the average total points scored in those contests is just 205.8PPG. San Antonio is on a 4-1 Under run at home and have stayed Under in 6 of their last eight overall. New York is on a ridiculous 14-3 Under streak their last 17 road games. Bet UNDER in the Knicks vs. Spurs. |
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03-01-21 | Nuggets v. Bulls OVER 226 | Top | 118-112 | Win | 100 | 9 h 51 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* OVER 226 Denver Nuggets @ Chicago Bulls, 8 PM ET - Points shouldn’t be a problem for these two teams tonight as both average 114+ points per game and rank in the top 8 in overall scoring. The interesting part though is both teams score in different fashions. The Bulls get their points with volume scoring opportunities as they are the 4th fastest paced team in the NBA. The Nuggets don’t play fast, but score with the 5th most efficient offense in the NBA at 1.17-points per possession. Another reason for plenty of scoring here is the lack of defense by both teams. You have to scroll down the defensive efficiency list to 14th to find the Bulls and 20th for the Nuggets. Chicago has the 9th best 3-point shooting FG percentage in the NBA, Denver is 5th. Both teams rank 7th or higher in overall field-goal percentage. Nuggets on 20-6 Over streak as a road favorite, Bulls 7-3 to the Over their last ten as a home dog. |
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03-01-21 | Rutgers -7 v. Nebraska | Top | 51-72 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 29 m | Show |
#841 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Rutgers -7 over Nebraska, Monday at 7 PM ET - This is a huge game for the NCAA bubble team Rutgers. They are 9-9 in Big 10 play and cannot afford a loss at last place Nebraska. The Scarlet Knights are in a much better situation for this match up as they have had off since their win over Indiana last Wednesday. Nebraska, on the other hand, continues their brutal scheduling with their 5th game in 10 days. Since returning from their Covid break in early February, this will be the Huskers 12th game in 24 days. Nebraska has just 2 wins in their last 16 games including a win over Minnesota on Saturday here at home. That was a 4 point win over a Gopher team that is trending downward losing 8 of their last 10 games and they played on Saturday without starting guard Kalscheur and starting center Robbins who were out with injury. The Huskers shot WAY above their season averages hitting 55% for the game (they average 41% on the season) and 53% from 3-point range (they average 33% for the season) and were still leading by only 1 point with under 20 seconds remaining the game. This is a bad match up for Nebraska. They struggle big time on offense ranking 14th (dead last) in the Big 10 in offensive efficiency. Rutgers defense has been exceptional all season ranking 14th nationally in defensive efficiency. The Knights defense also creates a lot of turnovers ranking 2nd in the conference while Rutgers has been careless with the ball all season long coughing it up almost 20% of the time which is last in the Big 10. Lastly, the Nebraska defense excels at guarding the arc and that’s about it. However, Rutgers relies very little on the 3 point shot with only 28% of their points coming from deep. When these 2 met in Lincoln last year, Rutgers was favored by 5 points and won by 17. We see another double digit win for the Scarlet Knights so we’re laying the points. |
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02-28-21 | Warriors v. Lakers UNDER 223 | Top | 91-117 | Win | 100 | 10 h 57 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* UNDER 223 Golden State Warriors @ LA Lakers, 8 PM ET - Our analytics don’t see these two rivals combining for more than 218 total points in this contest. You’ll be surprised to know that neither of these two teams rank in the top half of the NBA when it comes to offensive efficiency. The Warriors (18th) average 1.11PPP while the Lakers (19th) average 1.109PPP. In their last five games the Lakers have been worse yet averaging 1.029PPP which is 29th in the league, barely above the Timberwolves. On the other end of the court though both teams have been outstanding this season when it comes to defense. The Lakers are the #1 rated defensive efficiency team in the league while the Warriors are 4th. Inside their DEFF numbers a couple key stats that stand out are each teams FG% defense as they Warriors rank 2nd overall in the NBA, the Lakers 5th. Golden State is coming off a high scoring game against a bad defensive team in Charlotte, but prior to that game had totaled less than 220 total points in three straight games. As we mentioned before the Lakers offense has been atrocious without Anthony Davis in the lineup as L.A. has failed to reach 100-points in three of their last five games and 102 or less in four of five. Golden State on 5-1 Under run their last six road games, Lakers Under in 5 of their last six. |
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02-28-21 | Knicks v. Pistons UNDER 215 | Top | 109-90 | Win | 100 | 14 h 31 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* UNDER 215 NY Knicks @ Detroit Pistons, 8 PM ET - This certainly isn’t a marquee game on the ticket Sunday but it’s one that offers the best opportunity to win. Let’s start with pace of play first. These two teams are two of the slowest paced teams in the NBA and neither want to get up and down here. In fact, the Knicks are the slowest paced team in the NBA at 96.1 possessions per game, while the Pistons are the 6th slowest. When it comes to offense both teams struggle as the Pistons average just 108PPG which ranks 25th in the NBA. Detroit is 28th in field goal percentage and 25th in 3-point percentage. The Pistons are 25th in offensive efficiency rating averaging .979-points per possession. New York has similar numbers when it comes to offense as they score just 104.7PPG (29th), shot just 45.1% (24th) and 36.4% from beyond the 3-point line. The Knicks are also one of the worst offensive efficiency teams in the league ranking 23rd. Defensively the Knicks are 3rd in the NBA in points allowed per possession at 1.087PPP while the Pistons are 19th at 1.123PPP. The Knicks are 4-13 Under on the road this season while the Pistons are 6-9 Under at home. Pistons on 5-1 Under run overall, while Knicks on 21-9 Under streak last 30 games. These two don’t reach 210 total points here. |
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02-28-21 | Nevada +8 v. Utah State | Top | 66-87 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 4 m | Show |
#815 ASA TOP PLAY ON Nevada +8 over Utah State, Sunday at 7 PM ET - These 2 played on Friday night here in Logan, Utah and the Aggies came away with a 75-72 win. It was a bad spot for Nevada as they were coming off a 19 day Covid layoff and we expected them to be rusty. They were as USU built a 16-point halftime lead and the Wolfpack made only 8 field goals in the first 20 minutes. They fell down by as many as 21 points but we were impressed with Nevada’s resolve. They battled back and nearly pulled off the win. Head coach Steve Alford admitted his team looked rusty for the first 25 minutes of the game but looked much more like themselves in the final 15 minutes. That’s a big positive heading into this game. Before their long layoff this Nevada team was very good. They won 6 of their 8 games before their hiatus including topping Boise State twice and the Broncos were in 1st place heading into this weekend before dropping 2 very tight games vs San Diego State, the highest rated team in the MWC. They are 9-6 in league play and all 6 of their losses have come by margins of 2, 2, 3, 5, 5, and 7 points. Utah State has faced the top 5 teams in the league a combined 7 times. They are 4-3 SU & 3-4 ATS in those games and they are just 4-5 SU & 3-6 ATS vs top 100 teams (Nevada falls into that category). Their starting PG Worster (10 PPG & 4 APG) has now missed 3 straight games and he is questionable at best again on Sunday. On Friday Nevada shot just 34% from inside the arc and attempted only 14 FT’s. On the season in MWC play they average 52% inside the arc and they get to the FT line more than any other team with 22% of their points coming from the line (they make 77% of those FT’s). Even with that (they were also -7 made FTs) they came back and took this Utah State team to the wire. With their momentum in the final 15 minutes on Friday, we think the Wolfpack will play much better on Sunday. They have covered 16 of their 21 games this year and we expect another tight one here. Take the points. |
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02-27-21 | Pacers v. Knicks +1 | Top | 107-110 | Win | 100 | 14 h 41 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* New York Knicks +1 over Indiana Pacers, 8 PM ET - We like the situation to fade the Pacers here who are playing the second night of a back-to-back and 3rd game in four nights. Indiana lost a big game last night against the Celtics with four of their five starters logging heavy minutes. That’s a big concern considering they rank 25th in bench scoring in the NBA and lack depth. The Pacers will have a tough time scoring here against a Knicks team that is 1st in points allowed per game, 1st in FG% defense and 1st in 3-point percentage D. New York allows just 1.087 points per possession which ranks 3rd overall in the NBA. New York has struggled offensively for the season but seem to have found their rhythm after putting up 140 points against the Kings. The Knicks have won 5 of their last seven games including 4 of their last five at home. The play here is New York. |
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02-27-21 | Wolves v. Wizards OVER 237.5 | Top | 112-128 | Win | 100 | 8 h 59 m | Show |
ASA top play on 10* OVER 237.5 Minnesota Timberwolves @ Washington Wizards, 7PM ET - The Total on this game seems relatively high in the mid-230’s but our predictive analytics are projecting 240 plus in this game. Minnesota recently made a coaching change but it won’t affect their style of play as new coach Finch prefers to play fast and shoot a lot of 3’s. The Wolves currently 6th in the league in possessions per game which plays right into Washington’s hands who rank 1st in the NBA in pace. Washington is one of the highest scoring teams in the league led by the 1-2 combination of Beal and Westbrook. The Wolves are coming off a game against the Bulls who are similar to Washington in terms of pace and efficiency ratings and that game had 238 total points at the end or regulation. The Wiz are coming off three straight games against some of the leagues slower paced teams and will welcome the faster pace they prefer on Saturday. Neither team is known for their defense as the Wizards own the 27th ranked defensive efficiency unit while the Wolves are 22nd. Minnesota gives up 116.1PPG (27th) while Washington allows 119.5PPG (29th). The last five meetings between these two teams have all resulted in 239 or more points. BET OVER! |
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02-27-21 | North Dakota State v. South Dakota -1 | Top | 71-80 | Win | 100 | 10 h 54 m | Show |
#682 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* South Dakota -1 over North Dakota State, Saturday at 4:30 PM ET - This is just the 2nd home game this month for South Dakota. That was their most recent game and a win one week ago vs Nebraska Omaha and prior to that the Coyotes had lost 3 of 4 but those games were all on the road (4 straight road games). At home this year they are perfect in Summit League play and their only home loss this season was vs Drake, who is a top 25 type team when fully healthy. Their last home loss in conference play was last season vs this North Dakota State team (lost by 3) so some extra motivation for the Coyotes here. In fact, they have won 15 of their last 16 conference home games with that only loss coming vs NDSU. The Bison sit a half game behind South Dakota in 2nd place in the Summit but their road resume has been shaky at best. They are 3-6 SU on the road this year and their conference games on the road (6 of them) have been vs UMKC twice (ranked 215th and split the 2 games), North Dakota twice (ranked 299th and split the 2 games), and Western Illinois (ranked 305th). They have not played any of the top teams in the league on the road this season. On top of that, the Bison haven’t played a road game in a full month! Every game they’ve played in February has been at home. South Dakota averages 84 PPG, 54% shooting, and 45% from 3-point range at home. They also make 81% of their FT’s in conference play which is best in the league. They are tough to stop here at the Sanford Sports Complex. North Dakota State struggles on offense at times and they are averaging only 66 PPG on the road this season. We think they’ll have a hard time scoring enough to stay in this one. With the line set where it is, we basically just need South Dakota to win this game at home. We’ll take our chances with that. |
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02-26-21 | Nevada v. Utah State -7.5 | Top | 72-75 | Loss | -108 | 14 h 4 m | Show |
#880 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Utah State -7.5 over Nevada, Friday at 9 PM ET - Utah State finally gets to play at home. They have played 5 straight road games with their most recent home game coming back on January 21st. They’ve had a huge home court advantage over the years winning 37 of their last 41 games in Logan and they are one of the few teams in the MWC that is allowing fans so that helps as well. The Aggies had a 13 day break from Feb 4 thru Feb 17 so they were a bit rusty last week in their back to back games @ Boise State, the 1st place team in the conference. Even with that, this Aggie team played quite well taking the Broncos to the wire in each losing by 9 (it was a 1-point game with 4:30 remaining) and losing by 4. USU led both games at halftime but shot just 7 of 30 from 3-point range in the 2 games combined and they were -16 made FT’s. Despite that, they nearly pulled off wins vs 14-3 (in MWC play) Boise State. Now back at home in must win mode we expect them to play very well. They are catching Nevada in a bad spot. The Wolfpack are just back from a Covid hiatus and haven’t played in 20 days. They have a solid 9-5 MWC record but they are 0-4 SU on the road in conference play. That’s right, only 4 of their 14 conference games have been true road games. We expect Nevada to struggle on offense after their long layoff and it doesn’t help they are playing the top defense in the Mountain West. Utah State ranks #1 in defensive efficiency, 3-point % defense, 2-point % defense, and blocked shots. It’ll be tough for a Nevada team that shoots just 42% on the road (31% from 3) to get any offensive rhythm in this game. USU has already proven they can beat the best in the league here at home as they swept the top rated team San Diego State. The host has covered 8 of the last 9 in this series and we like Utah State to win this by double digits. |
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02-25-21 | Ohio State v. Michigan State OVER 145 | Top | 67-71 | Loss | -115 | 15 h 37 m | Show |
#765/766 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Over 145 Points – Ohio State @ Michigan State, Thursday at 9 PM ET - These two met a few weeks ago and they combined to score 141 points with OSU winning 79-62. The 2 teams combined to shoot only 38% in that game including just 26% from beyond the arc and they still topped 140. We look for a much better offensive performance from both teams on Thursday. The Spartans season only offensive efficiency numbers are not overly impressive but over the last few games this teams seems to be coming together on that end of the court. They combined to shoot 51% while scoring 78 and 81 points in their last 2 games vs Indiana (37th nationally in defensive efficiency) and Illinois (15th nationally in defensive efficiency). In their first game vs OSU the Spartans were just coming back from a long Covid break and struggled scoring just 0.89 PPP which was well below their season average of 1.08 PPP. If the Buckeyes have a weakness, it’s on defense where they rank 7th in the Big Ten in defensive efficiency and 9th in eFG% defense. We think MSU continues to play well on offense in this game. OSU’s offense has been fantastic all season. They rank 3rd nationally in offensive efficiency and in the top 60 in eFG%, 3-point FG%, 2-point FG%, and FT%. They just put up 87 points over the weekend on Michigan who is the #1 defense in the Big Ten (MSU ranks 8th in that category). They have scored at least 73 points in 8 straight games and they have topped 80 in half of those games (4). Both teams get to the FT line a lot (3rd and 4th in Big Ten in % of points from the line) and in the first meeting they combined to attempt 60 freebies. If they simply shoot better from the field in this one, this easily gets into the 150’s. Ohio state has gone OVER the total in 6 of their last 7 games (one push during that stretch) while MSU, with their offense now coming together, has gone OVER 3 straight games. With the spread at OSU -4, the projected scored is 76-72. We like both teams to top their projected numbers and this one goes OVER the total. |