Tuesday, January 19, 2010

NBA Odds: Tuesday Free Premium Sports Service Picks

NBA betting fans only have two games to choose from tonight, but they'll at least get to watch some superstars in action, including LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Danny Granger. The college basketball picks are in

Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers (-9.5) - 7:00 p.m. ET

Dating back to mid-December, the Raptors (21-20, 20-21 ATS) have been one of the NBA's hottest teams. Not only has Toronto come out on top of 10 of its last 13 games, it has rewarded NBA betting fans playing the point spread, covering five of its last seven outings.

Chris Bosh leads the team in scoring and rebounding (23.8 PPG, 11.2 RPG), while Andrea Bargnani and Hedo Turkoglu are second and third in scoring, respectively. The Raptors are actually the NBA's fifth-ranked team in points scored this season, but their defense has held the team from moving to the next level by surrendering an awful 104.9 points per game.

Cleveland (31-11, 20-21-1 ATS) just wrapped up a five-game road trip on the West Coast. It was modestly successful with three wins, though if you're an NBA betting fan playing the spread you're a little bitter—the Cavs were 1-3-1 during that stretch. The Cavaliers are 5-3 overall in their last eight outings.

LeBron James was sensational during the road swing, averaging 36.2 points on 55.3 percent shooting. James has actually performed better on the road this season, at least statistically speaking; his scoring average is 4.4 points higher away from home. But, considering the defense Cleveland plays, James doesn't have to drop 40 points every night; the Cavs are fourth in defense.

The Cavaliers have won eight of their last 10 games against the Raptors, including a 7-3 record against the spread but Toronto is extremely competitive and will continue that tonight.

Free premium picks: Toronto

Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat (-5.5) – 7:30 p.m. ET

If you bet on NBA odds , being an Indiana fan hasn't been such a bad thing lately. Although the Pacers (14-26, 17-23 against the spread) are among the league's worst teams, they've won three of their last four games while covering four of their last five. Indiana lost to New Orleans on Saturday, but at least it's playing competitive basketball.

Danny Granger has developed into a very good player (24.1 points, 5.8 rebounds per game), and the Pacers may have found another young gem in Roy Hibbert. The former Georgetown star has raised his numbers across the board, and he's proven capable of very big games on occasion—like Saturday's 27-point, 10-rebound effort. Until Indiana improves its 23rd-ranked defense, though, nice little runs like the one its enjoying will be few and far between.

Miami (20-19, 19-20 against the spread) has burned bettors at the sportsbook. The Heat just finished 3-3 on their six-game road trip. They haven't been much better at home, where they've racked up a brutal 5-11 record against the spread in their last 16 contests.

After Dwyane Wade (27.1 PPG), scoring is tough to find in Miami. Second-year forward Michael Beasley has shown some nice progress while improving his numbers from a year ago, but Miami could use more efforts like the one he put up Saturday, when he dropped 28 points on Oklahoma. While the Heat's offense is failing to get the job done, the "D" is has been pretty good and ranks 12th in the NBA.

This series has played out very evenly over the past few years, with Indiana and Miami splitting their last 10 games both straight up and against the spread. The total has hit the under in three straight games.

Sports betting pick: Indiana

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