Sign In $
NBA

Dinero Tracker – March 29

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
7 minute read
Editor's Note: Antony Dinero's NBA, MLB and college selections can be purchased daily on VegasInsider.com. Click to win!

Read the Dinero Tracker's mission statement here
Last night's ATS Records
NBA: 4-5 | NCAA BB: 5-1

Play Ball! Let's play 14. With baseball back, there's going to be enough material to get the Tracker on track throughout most of the summer. There will still be doing a ton of NBA for the rest of the season, even featuring a free pick on the hardwood throughout the early part of the first round. Baseball will step into a supporting role, doing so immediately. Full disclosure, I topped VI up +6791 in '14, got crushed in a miserable '15 and have enjoyed winning seasons each of the past two years for a combined net of 3200. Here's to great relief pitching in all your wagers in '18 in addition to Wednesday's basketball-only recap, complete with some of the highlights (and lowlights):

THURSDAY'S FREE SELECTION

The pick: Indians RL -1.5 +100
Felix Hernandez is only 31 years old as he takes the mound tonight, so this is isn't about him being over the hill. He's lost more than a step, but that's no reason he can't bounce back this season. I just don't think he's ready to make this Opening Day start after missing so much of spring training after catching a line drive to his forearm this time last month. He returned to start against the Cubs a week ago and hasn't faced any adversity. It makes a great story that he's making an MLB-best 10th straight start and Safeco provides a great backdrop, but he was just 4-3 there last year and is matched up with Corey Kluber, whose beard is in midseason form. He won four Cactus League games and has looked great, so let's not reinvent the wheel on the first day. Ride Cleveland to get 2018 off to a great start with a comfortable win over Seattle, laying 1.5 on the run line at even money.




WEDNESDAY'S LOCK

The pick: Lakers/Mavs UNDER 215.5
The Mavs will have Dwight Powell and Nerlens Noel back to aid the cause as they attempt to win back-to-back games for the first time since Jan. 10. Mark Cuban divulged that it's in his team's best interest to lose down the stretched, getting himself fined on Dr. J's podcast, but this game may work against that. The Lakers have Brandon Ingram back on a minutes restriction, so there are going to be issues with continuity on the L.A. side with Lonzo Ball likely getting less time. Ride the under here, guaranteed.

Result: This couldn't have started off worst since Brook Lopez was unstoppable early and Dennis Smith Jr. opened the game with a 4-for-4 showing from 3-point range. After a quarter, the Mavs led 34-32, but the game slowed up the rest of the way. Unfortunately, I was also on Dallas +8.5 and was in position to cash throughout until Smith and most of the other regulars closed the game on the bench. The Mavs scored just 12 fourth-quarter points and lost 103-93.

WEDNESDAY'S OTHER LOCK

The pick: Northern Colorado -10
Look for the Bears to dominate this CIT quarterfinal, taking full advantage of the Bearkats being out of their element in their first game outside of the Southwest since a loss in Idaho way back in November. Look for Andre Spight and Jordan Davis to help push tempo to take advantage of their edge due to the altitude. Ride Northern Colorado, guaranteed.

Result: The other UNC played this as it should have, pushing tempo at all times to make the most of its home cooking, ultimately resulting in a 99-80 rout that delivered the over too. That second-half line which had the Bears laying just five points was mighty tasty as Northern Colorado never stopped popping in finishing 17-for-30 from beyond the arc at home. Spight dropped 40 points..

TOTAL RECALL

The pick: Magic/Nets OVER 216.5
Both of these teams have been in the lab the past few days and should have fresh legs, but obviously neither wants to win a game this deep into the tanking process. With Aaron Gordon able to create mismatches for Orlando and Jonathan Isaac out of the equation, the Magic are likely to be porous on defense but solid offensively. The Nets will look to run, so look for the over to come through here.

Result: The Magic got a 3-pointer from Mario Hezonja to pull within 111-104 with 4.7 seconds left, but that was the last shot attempted in Orlando. Brooklyn held the Magic to 23 fourth-quarter points, but it was really a 22-18 second-quarter that completely killed our vibe after 69 combined points were scored over the first 12 minutes. The teams fired up 65 3-pointers but only made 23. One more would've gone a long way.



UPSET CITY

The pick: Illinois-Chicago +5, UIC/Liberty UNDER 144.5
The UIC Flames have made a run in the CIT despite the loss of top forward Dikembe Dixson and look to move on in the College Insider Tournament. Liberty can really lock in defensively, so expect a slower pace to win out, but it's hard to fade Marcus Ottey and Godwin Boahen, guards who have really grown up over the course of the season. Ride Illinois-Chicago and the under for the in-game parlay.

Result: It completely slipped my mind that this was a battle of Flames until I tuned in, but I picked the right version. Illinois-Chicago again proved resilient without Dixson, winning on the road despite falling behind. UIC put it away so handily that the total was never threatened in a 67-51 upset at Liberty. They'll visit Northern Colorado to decide the CIT on Friday and will again be an underdog.

CARDIAC ATTACK

The pick: Timberwolves -12.5
The Timberwolves are a team being pulled in a number of directions at the moment with Tom Thibodeau challenging everyone since they've faded of late, languishing without Jimmy Butler's presence. With Dennis Schroder and Malcolm Delaney out, the Hawks are in a trouble spot. Ride Minnesota and lay the points here.

Result: The Gators had multiple chances to break our hearts with a game-tying 3-pointer before the final buzzer but failed to put one in. Oh my! We won a close one. Evans came through in fantastic fashion despite not being at 100 percent.

SWING AND A MISS

The pick: Jazz -8.5/UNDER 195
The Celtics will be in for a tough night as they close out a Western swing in a shorthanded state. Following wins over Sacramento and Phoenix, this challenge is going to be far more complicated since neither of those teams were able to clamp down against a depleted group the way the Jazz can. Ride Utah and the under for the in-game parlay.

Result: The under came in thanks to Jaylen Brown's game-winning 3-pointer in the final second, completing a 9-0 run in the final 2:11 to give Boston a shocking 97-94 win in Utah. The Jazz blew a huge game while the Celtics picked up a huge boost by pulling off a scheduled loss given the absence of Al Horford in addition to the injured Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris.

PROOF OF CLAIRVOYANCE

The pick: Clippers -10
Tyler Ulis shot the lights out to help the Suns pull off a cover against the Celtics the other night, but with T.J. Warren, Devin Booker, Alex Len and Tyson Chandler out here, the Clippers have too much not to trust they'll win by double-digits here. The key will be preventing Ulis and Troy Daniels from finding a rhythm from the perimeter, but given the playoff push the Clips are making, they should be up comfortably come garbage time. Ride L.A. and lay the points.

Result: The Clips trailed by five after a quarter, but then got to work and ultimately scored the first 18 points of the fourth to put this away. That didn't stop things from getting dicey late since Phoenix closed on a 6-0 run over the last 54.2 seconds, but L.A. harmlessly dribbled out the clock in a 111-99 win.

Follow Tony Mejia on Twitter at @TonyMejiaNBA or e-mail him at mejia@vegasinsider.com

Nba News

VegasInsider Staff

VegasInsider Staff

More from VegasInsider Staff
•