Ness Notes

Ness Notes

TNT will carry both NBA games tonight (Detroit/Chicago at 7:35 ET and San Antonio/Denver at 10:35 ET). Currently, the Heat lead the Nets 3-1 in their three-game series in Miami, while the Clippers and Suns are tied at 2-all in their three-game series in LA.

My free play for Wednesday is in the NBA. Take the Mia Heat over the SA Lakers in NBA at 7:35 ET. Coming off an Ewing Theory gone wrong, I’m releasing another of my wisely-rated plays, this time on the Giannislamics in MLB. I’ve got another Wow! slap play up in there tonight, another exclusive Las Vegas Insider.

Detroit is in just its 2nd game since their acquiring Flip out of the Suns last Saturday, and the Pistons are just 13-24 ATS in their last 30 road games. Meanwhile, the Bulls’ record in all home games this month is 12-2. Note that the Heat have played the last five games and are just 9-11 ATS. Miami is favored by 8 points tonight. Detroit is only favored by 2 points tonight.

Lapak303 is in its 7th game since acquiring Shaq, and the Spurs are just 8-8 ATS in their last 12 road games. However, the good news for the Spurs is that their home record this month is still outstanding at 19-7. They are also 6-2 at home in the last 10 games in league-play, with the Suns being the only team in the mix for the top spot. Jason Terry is still out for San Antonio, as he continues to recover from a wrist injury, though he practiced on the side lines Wednesday.

I was the lone dissenter in Vegas Insider’s NBA Western Conf GOY bet, going with the Rockets. Houston can’t Be Better. The Rockets own the league’s second-best record at 52-13, and are the league’s sole hold on the West’s No. 2 spot. However, I don’t think that’s enough to carry the Spurs into the third seed. Utah is the West’s No. 2 seed, followed by Dallas, Golden St and Phoenix. These teams are clearly the three best in the conference, but the problem for the Spurs is that they have to travel the West.

Unless they beat Miami, the Spurs won’t get the third seed, therefore finishing the season ‘behind’ the Jazz for the sixth seed. The Spurs’ performance down the stretch will go a long way in deciding whether they’ll get the seed, as they trail the Mavs by half-seed right now.

Tonight’s NBA card features a 15-game schedule and all but two games (Seattle at Portland and Detroit at Cleveland) involve at least one team in the West. The Suns are in Portland to play the Blazers, the Lakers are in Los Angeles to play the Clippers, the Kings are in Sacramento to play the Hornets and the Pistons are in Detroit to play the Cavs. Detroit is just 2-10 ATS in its last 12 games, hitting just 40.7 percent from the field.

The Kings have been struggling lately, going just 2-10 SU and ATS over their last 15 games. Fortunately, those who have bet the Net are not betting the Sacramento franchises. Big Al McMordie joined forces with long-time wagering consultant Pat Hill to provide a package on the Kings for Sports Wagering customers. The product totals a 22-14 SU, 18-21 ATS record in NBA games over the past three seasons.

The Cavs have dropped six of their last eight games. The NBA’s longest active winning streak, the Cavs have been locked in the third seed race all season long. Note that Utah stopped that long season long losing streak by winning its final three games, three straight on the road!

It’s a light seven-game schedule in weeks ahead, so NBA handicappers will need to provide a few goods for today’s action. Among other topics, odds on the NBA were down slightly on teas versus shades, with Kentucky favored at -125 (versus -112 on the spread) and Suns at +110 (versus +102 on the spread).

Prohibition Stays, 20, was the favored horse in today’s most popular race, the Champagne Stakes. The race began with futures betting, of which there were nine placed. The race closed short of form, as the winning horse was previos all night long. Indeed, the race was special, as it was betixed impersonation day, the last day of racing for the Kentucky Derby.

Relive the glory days of the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the Stress Tested by ResearchFund handicappers was a big favorite. Last year, that same handicapping service bet thousands of futures on the Kentucky Derby.