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Dinero Tracker – Feb. 4

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
6 minute read
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Last night's ATS Records
NBA: 2-5 | NCAA BB: 24-15

Saturday's results featured an awful night reading NBA totals, normally a specialty of mine. I went 0-for-5. College delivered a profitable day and included coming through on three of five in-game parlay attempts, landing South Dakota/NDSU, Harvard/Cornell and San Francisco/Santa Clara. The NBA guarantee came in for a sixth straight day, making it 17-for-23 (73.9%) since Jan. 11. Here are some of the highlights (and lowlights):

SUNDAY'S FREE SELECTION

The pick: Tulsa -7.5
The Golden Hurricane won their first American conference road game on New Year's eve at Tulane but hasn't been able to pick up a win away from home since. This will be their best chance, coming off a home upset of SMU and entering the friendliest portion of their schedule as they try and get up into the American's top-four, which is certainly within reach given how tightly-packed the league is. Junior Etou and Corey Henderson will be tough for USF to stop. Ride Tulsa and lay the points.

SATURDAY'S FREE SELECTION

The pick: Pistons/Heat UNDER 199.5
Although they gave up 100 points for the first time in a six-game span, losing 103-97 in Philadelphia, the Heat still helped deliver the under and should do so again tonight thanks to their methodical approach. A 37-17 fourth quarter nearly helped them battle back against the 76ers and made last night's under call a little too close for comfort, but you should expect this date against the Blake Griffin-infused Pistons to see neither team reach 100 points. Ride the under.



Result: Both teams topped the 100-point mark, pouring it on in the fourth quarter by combining for 65 points to blow our 'under' bet out of the water. The teams fired up 62 3-pointers, combining to knock down 23.

SATURDAY'S LOCK

The pick: Rockets ML -145
Look for LeBron James to put together a great game as he tries to lift the Cavs past another heavyweight, but he doesn't have enough to trust against a Rockets team capable of getting buckets whenever they want against Cleveland's porous defense. Trevor Ariza and Eric Gordon are sidelined, but there should be more than enough firepower to pass this nationally televised road test. Ride Houston, guaranteed.

Result: The Cavs never had a chance, never leading or even after tying the game 4-4. LeBron shot just 3-for-10 and finished with 11 points, nine boards and nine assists in a 120-88 loss. Not sweating a lock in the fourth quarter is always a blessing.

LOCK THAT DIDN'T CLICK

The pick: Tennessee Tech +1
Few teams in the country are as banged up as Jay Spoonhour's Panthers, so you know practice is having been productive and being at home won't have the desired effect against a well-coached Golden Eagles squad that Steve Payne brings into town. Ride Tennessee Tech as Saturday's guaranteed college basketball winner.

Result: Banged up or not, it's easy to overcome injuries when you shoot the lights out, which is what Eastern Illinois did, draining 11 3-pointers in 17 attempts. Freshman Mack Smith scored a season-best 31 points to help snap the Golden Eagles' three-game winning streak, blowing up our lock.



TOTAL RECALL

The pick: Saint Mary's/San Diego UNDER 136.5
The Toreros don't have a way to slow down Jock Landale without sending double teams, so look for the Gaels to play patiently through the post. USD prefers to work the clock and spread defenses out, so with both teams employing a methodical approach, we're likely to see a good share of lulls here. Ride the under.

Result: This one went as planned thanks to the Gaels holding the Toreros without a field goal for over 10 first-half minutes. San Diego then got close enough down the stretch that the teams just played it out and there weren't many fouls down the stretch. Landale finished with 34 points and 18 rebounds in Saint Mary's 65-62 win, its 18th consecutive triumph.

CARDIAC ATTACK

The pick: San Francisco -4.5, SF/Santa Clara UNDER 129.5
The Broncos have had a really tough season under Herb Sendek, coming in on a four-game losing streak since pulling off an upset win at San Francisco back on Jan. 18. The bottom fell out in a 63-45 home loss to Pacific on Thursday night, so with starter Matt Hauser dealing with a foot injury, it's hard to get behind them rallying to pull out a season sweep of the Dons. Ride San Francisco and the under for the in-game parlay.

Result: Santa Clara made its run in the second half after being held to 23 points over the first 20 minutes, but the Dons responded every time and ultimately pulled away for a 70-59 win. The final minutes went our way as the Broncos went cold and were unable to score in order to extend the game, so the in-game parlay came in after their final miss was rebounded, allowing USF to run out the final seconds, delivering the under by a half-point.

SWING AND A MISS

The pick: Duke -10
The Red Storm will ride Shamorie Ponds to an upset bid and have been known to rise up and give the Blue Devils a scare when they've have no business doing so, but I don't see that being the case this afternoon at the Garden. Duke is too talented, St. John's has little depth and Chris Mullin and his staff figure to be overwhelmed by Mike Kryzezewki's. Ride Duke and lay the points.

Result: The Red Storm pulled off a stunning 81-77 upset that paid +500 for anyone who took a shot at a shocker. Ponds was great, scoring 33 points and answering numerous Blue Devil rallies with buckets, but Coach K was right on afterward in stating that his team didn't play basketball worthy of their program for the first 32 minutes, calling the effort "disgusting." I concur.

PROOF OF CLAIRVOYANCE

The pick: Boise State/UNLV OVER 153
Chandler Hutchinson is working his way into the conversation in the lottery given how well he's played this season, so expect the future pro to put on a strong show as NBA scouts will certainly also be watching Brandon McCoy and other Rebels in which should be a high-scoring affair in Boise. Ride the over here.

Result: According to the Idaho Press-Tribune's B.J. Rains, a dozen NBA executives from eight different teams, including Utah and Golden State's GMs, Dennis Lindsey and Bob Myers, were in attendance. Hutchinson led the Broncos with 21 points and eight assists in a 93-91 overtime thriller that was arguably the day's best game. McCoy had 24 points and eight boards. His tip-in at the buzzer of OT that would've tied it would not have counted. We had our 'over' in before the extra session.


Follow Tony Mejia on Twitter at @TonyMejiaNBA

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