Posted on 1/22/2008 4:09:22 PM

Basketball Betting – Wednesday Night GamesBet

By Mike Rose

Toronto Raptors vs. Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics perfect 10-0 SU mark in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference will be put to the test tonight when the Toronto Raptors pay the “Garden” a visit. The Celtics have put forth an impeccable effort through the first half of the season that’s seen them win 33 of their 39 overall games. That mark is tops in the league for best record, but most impressive is the fact that they’ve only lost three games SU at home which is also tied for the best mark with a couple of other teams. Toronto comes into this match-up with a respectable 22-19 SU mark, which includes a 10-11 SU mark when playing the role of visitor.

Last we saw the Celtics, they dished out a hurting at MSG when they handed the Knicks a 109-93 defeat. The 16-point victory covered the 8-point spread with ease. It was the Celtics third SU win in a row and third ATS win in a row as well. Their previous two games saw them roll Philly at home 116-89 as 10.5-point home chalks, and knock a hot Portland team off by 10 at home barely managing to cover the 8-point spread. Throughout their L/10 games, the Celtics have gone 7-3 SU but just 5-5 ATS.

Toronto inexplicably lost at Philadelphia their last time out allowing the Sixers to pick up just their second win in the month of January. The Raptors have been an incredibly inconsistent team all season long, but they no doubt boast the talent to be a major player in the Eastern Conference come Playoff time. Before their loss on Saturday, the Raptors picked up a pair if victories at home over Atlanta and Sacramento and covered the mid range chalk with ease. They come into this spot losers both SU and ATS in their L/2 road games. However, their prior two road contests saw them win and cover at NY and shockingly hand the New Orleans Hornets one of their 7-home losses of the season when they won SU as 6-point road pups. You just never know what you’re going to get with this club on the road.

The Celtics opened up as 9-point home favorites with the ‘Total’ set at 184.5. The Celtics have won and covered all three of their previous match-ups this season, so it’s safe to say Toronto will bring its “A” game with them tonight hoping to avoid the regular season sweep at the hands of their division rivals. The favorite is 7-3 ATS their L/10 match-ups, and the Under is 5-1 ATS the L/6 times these clubs have squared off in Boston.

LA Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs

ESPN picked a good one to broadcast tonight when the (27-12) LA Lakers invade San Antonio to take on the (26-13) San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers currently sit just one game in back of the Phoenix Suns for the lead in the Pacific Division, while the Spurs sit 1.5-game in back of both the Mavericks and Hornets for top billing in the Southwest Division. The Lakers have done a commendable job on the road this season posting 11-6 SU and 10-7 ATS marks. The Spurs have played 23 of their 39 games in their comfy confines this season and own 19-4 SU and 12-10-1 ATS marks.

Kobe and company last saw action Monday night when they took advantage of an injury to Nuggets superstar Carmelo Anthony and cruised to the 116-99 home win and cover. The win allowed the Lakers to bounce back from their previous game that saw them lose at home to the Phoenix Suns on TNT Thursday. Head Coach Phil Jackson has the Lakers playing some pristine ball as of late. They’ve won 8 of 9 in 2008, but they’ll have their work cut out for them over their next three with road dates at SA and Dallas before returning home to welcome in Lebron and the Cavaliers.

The Spurs bounced back from back-to-back losses their last time out by taking their frustration out on the Charlotte Bobcats. The 95-86 road victory saw them cover the 6.5-point spread, and the ‘Total’ just crept Under the closing number of 185. The Spurs have been plagued by inconsistent play of late and it’s shown in their overall effort. They’re just 5-5 SU over their L/10 games, and they’ve killed their backers during that stretch managing just two covers in 10 tries.

This will be the third meeting for these teams this season with each club taking care of business on its home floor. The Spurs pounded the Lakers 107-92 in their first meeting back in November and covered the 8-points in the process. The Lakers handed the Spurs a 102-97 defeat in their second match-up, and failed to cover the 6-point spread in the process. Laker backers will most surely remember Lamar Odom’s lack of precision at the FT line in the final minute of that one.

The Spurs opened up as 6.5-point home favorites with the ‘Total’ set at 198.5. Shockingly, the road team is 8-3 ATS the L/11 match-ups and had won SU in 5 of their previous 8 match-ups before their two meetings this season. Total players take note: The Under is 6-1 ATS their L/7 meetings in San Antonio and 5-2 ATS their L/7 overall meetings.

Washington Wizards vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Non-divisional Eastern Conference play heats up Wednesday night when the (22-17) Washington Wizards invade quicken Loans Arena to take on the (22-18) Cleveland Cavaliers. Washington currently site just 2-games in back of the Orlando Magic for the Southeast Division lead, while the Cavaliers trail the Central Division leading Detroit Pistons by 6-games. The Wizards have only managed to play .500 ball on the road this season by splitting their 18 games (9-9). However, they’ve been a tremendous $$$-maker this season playing the role of visitor by going 12-6 ATS and bringing their backers in 5.4 units of profit. The Cavaliers have done a bulk of their winning in their comfy confines sporting a 12-6 SU mark, but they haven’t been as kind to their backers. Their 6-12 ATS mark has seen their backers drop 7.2 units overall.

The Wizards are coming off a fantastic effort their last time out when they throttled the Dallas Mavericks 102-84 as 4-point home pups. It was their second win in a row, and the Wizz have captured victories both SU and ATS in 7 of their L/10 overall. They’ve also managed a 3-1 SU and ATS mark in their L/4 road games. Most recently, the Wizards lost outright to NY as 2-point road favorites, but that game occurred a night after they beat the Boston Celtics for the second time in three days.

The Cavaliers seem to have turned the corner of late. They got off to a horrendous start that had many shaking their head at this outfit, but Lebron and company have righted the ship and they look to be back on track. The Cavs have secured victories in 8 of their L/10 overall contests. They enter tonight’s game winners of four in a row with victories over Miami, San Antonio, Memphis, and Charlotte. They’ve only managed a 5-5 ATS mark over their L/10, but they have brought home the bacon in their L/3 games.

This will be the second meeting of the year for these clubs. Washington pummeled the Cavaliers in the Verizon Center in early December by a 105-86 count and covered the 10-point spread in the process. However, Lebron James sat that one out with the finger injury that had him on the shelf for a number of weeks.

The Cavs opened up as 5-point home favorites with the ‘Total’ set at 186. The Wizards are a combined 21-9 ATS on the road vs. + .500 non-divisional Eastern Conference opponents this season, while the Cavaliers come in a woeful 11-22 ATS combined against + .500 non-divisional Eastern Conference opponents. The favorite is 5-1 ATS the L/7 meetings, but Washington is 4-1 ATS the L/5 meetings in Cleveland. Tough game to project an outcome in, but it should be one heck of a battle!!!

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