Free Picks for All Major Sports - December 20, 2007

Scooter

L.A. Lakers (15-9) at Cleveland (11-15)
Thurs, Dec 20, 2007 8:00 PM ET
Lakers -2 ½
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The Cleveland Cavaliers play host to the L.A. Lakers, at Quicken Loans Arena, for some slammin NBA action. The Cleveland Cavaliers have two wins in their last ten games after their most recent, 90-108, road loss to the embarrassing N.Y. Knicks. LeBron James had 32pts, 6 AST and 8 REB while Dwight Gooden had the second most points of the Cavs with 11pts. It was an awful game considering the Knicks are one of the worst teams in the NBA. The Cavs offense is averaging 96 PPG with the majority of them coming from the 3-point line. They are ranked 22nd from the field, which is shocking considering LeBrons talent.  The biggest reason the Cavs aren’t at the top of their division is their defense. They allow 101 PPG and they can’t defend in the paint, they allowed 50pts to the Knicks compared to the 38pts the Cavs had. They’re average at stopping the 3-point shot and they manage to pull down 30 DREB per game. On offense they only pull down 12 OREB per game, that’s got to change. The go to guy for the Cavs is LeBron James who averages 29 PPG, 7 AST and he leads his team in steals. The Cavs are currently 3-8 at home and they sit in 3rd place in the Central Standings. They are (10-16 ATS, 16-10 O/U)

The L.A. Lakers have seven wins in their last ten games after beating the Chicago Bulls, 103-91, on the road. Kobe Bryant had a low 18pts on the night but they got extra help Lamar Odem, Luke Walton and Andrew Bynum. Odem had a huge night with 17pts and 16 REB. The Lakers put up the third most points in the league averaging 107 PPG and the majority of them come from inside the paint. They’re average at the 3-pointer and at pulling down offensive rebounds. On defense they’ve been giving up too many points, ranked 23rd with 101pts allowed, but they’re ranked in the top ten at defending in the paint, stopping the 3-pointer and pulling down defensive rebounds. The top producer for the Lakers is Kobe Bryant with 26 PPG, 5 AST and he leads in steals. Andrew Bynum is the best Laker at blocking and rebounding. The Lakers are currently 6-5 on the road and they sit in 2nd place in the Pacific Standings. They are (15-9 ATS, 12-12 O/U)

Bottom Line:   The Lakers are playing really good ball lately and it shouldn’t be a problem beating the Cavs at home where they only have three wins. The Lakers get points from multiple players while the Cavs put the scoring load on LeBron.

Look for Lakers to win!

Stan Winman

Poinsettia Bowl
Navy (8-4) vs. Utah (8-4)
Thursday, December 20 9:00 PM EST
Utes -11.5
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Both teams finished the season at 8-4 but Utah looks like the stronger team, especially since Navy lost their head coach, Paul Johnson to Georgia Tech. With the Midshipmen losing their coach it might let down their team and Johnson will say and do all the right things but his mind will be at time elsewhere. Utah comes into the game having won 7 of their last 8 games, led by quarterback Brian Johnson and have been playing more competitive ball in a better conference all year. Defensively the Utes are a beast with the third ranked defense in the nation by allowing only 15.6 points per game and gave up just five touchdowns over their final six games. They are the favorites and they will play like it tonight in San Diego.

Bottom Line: The Midshipmen are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 non-conference games. The Utes are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games as a favorite. The Utes are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 Bowl games. The Utes are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games in December. The Utes are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Utes are 5-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record. The Utes are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games on grass. The Utes are 22-7-1 ATS in their last 30 non-conference games.

Poinsettias all around for the Utes

For a list of all the other Sportsbook odds go to Totalodds.com

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