Rickenbach NCAA FB Game #340 - Daytime Dominator - 8* Duke Blue Devils -5 vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons @ 3:30 ET Saturday - Both teams are off of season opening wins but while Wake Forest struggled against a Tulane team that has won 3 games or less in 4 of the last 5 years, Duke absolutely blew out their opponent. Granted it was an FCS shool but NC Central was no match for the Blue Devils and allows them to build up confidence heading into this match-up with the Demon Deacons. In last year's meeting Duke never trailed the entire way and they are now 4-0-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings with 5 straight SU Blue Devils victories. Wake Forest used two quarterbacks in last week's game against Tulane and neither played well as evidenced by the Demon Deacons ending up with a yardage deficit of 280 to 175 versus the Green Wave. Duke did not fare well ATS as a home favorite last season but they had gone 12-3 as a home fave in the three prior seasons so, as you can see, they have generally fared very well in this role. The Demon Deacons are on an ugly 14-24 ATS run as a road dog. Also, Wake Forest's first road game the last 7 years has seen them lose every single not only straight-up but also ATS. 8* Duke Saturday afternoon.

Rickenbach MLB Game #910 - Run Line Rout - 8* Milwaukee Brewers +1.5 runs -110 vs Chicago Cubs @ 8:10 ET Tuesday - Looking at full season numbers can be "dangerous" and I believe that is the case here and will have many "fooled" with the Cubs in this particular situation. Certainly on the season Jason Hammel has been much stronger for Chicago then Wily Peralta has been for Milwaukee. However, Peralta has been rock solid in the 5 starts he's made since returning to the Brewers rotation in August. In particular, Peralta has dominated at home where, in his last 4 starts, he has allowed only 6 earned runs on 16 hits while striking out 26 in the 24 innings spanning these four outings. Hammel's last 4 road starts, including one at Milwaukee, have seen him rocked for 25 runs (21 earned) in less than 15 innings of work! Even though the Cubs are 7-3 in their last 10 games, 5 of those victories have come by just a single run. That means the Cubbies, at -1.5 runs are on an ugly 2-8 run and I'll gladly fade them here. The Brewers are 8-7 in their last 15 games but 3 of the losses came by just one run so Milwaukee, at +1.5 runs, are on an 11-4 run. The Brewers have excelled as a home dog of +150 to +175 including going 6-3 this season! Though an outright upset would not surprise, I am grabbing the +1.5 runs in case the Cubs are able to sneak out a tight 1-run win. 8* Milwaukee on the RUN LINE Tuesday

Rickenbach NCAA FB Game #212 - ESPN Smash Pass - 8* Florida State Seminoles (-) vs Ole Miss Rebels @ 8 ET Monday - The Seminoles simply return too much talent in comparison with the Rebels. While Florida State returns nearly their entire offense from last season and much of a solid defensive unit as well, Ole Miss returns very little especially on the offensive side of the ball. Yes they have their ultra talented QB back and certainly have a huge experience edge at the QB position. However, the Rebels are essentially rebuilding their offense (other than the QB spot) and their rebuilding process on the offensive line is bad news when you're facing a Seminoles defense that has an extremely talented and veteran defensive line. Look for this to be a mismatch in the trenches and that should help lead the Noles to a solid win by a comfortable margin in this one. The Seminoles not only essentially have home field edge here with this "neutral site game" being played in Orlando, they also have the hunger factor working in their favor. Both of these teams went into their bowl games last year as a 7.5 point favorite. While the Rebels won theirs by 4 TDs the Noles lost theirs by 2 TDs. FSU has been anxious to get back on the field ever since and I expect the Seminoles to roll through the Rebels like a buzzsaw in this one. Though the Noles have a redshirt freshman QB he is ultra-talented and the Seminoles are also loaded at the other skill positions including phenomenal running back Dalvin Cook and wide receiver Travis Rudolph. 8* FLORIDA STATE Monday night

Rickenbach CFL Game #219 - Daytime Dominator - 10* Edmonton Eskimos +7 @ Calgary Stampeders @ 3 ET Monday - The Stampeders won the Grey Cup in 2014. The Eskimos won it last year. In getting there in 2015 Edmonton had to get by Calgary to get there and they did just that by winning their 3rd straight match-up with them in playoff action on November 22nd before winning it all on November 29th. Now, in their first match-up of this season (and the annual Battle of Alberta on Labour Day), the Stampeders certainly are hungry for revenge and they have the home field edge for this one as well. However, a key aspect I see here is that Calgary relies heavily on protection of their QB to make this offense "go" and they've got an offensive line injury at centre. This is forcing another lineman to take over the centre position and it's thrusting a rookie into play at right tackle. The Eskimos defensive line has some players who are very strong when it comes to creating chaos in the backfield by quickly getting past the opposition's offensive line. In this case I look for that o play a key role in this game as Edmonton is just as hungry as Calgary for this game. Yes it is the Stampeders with revenge but the Eskimos are the defending Grey Cup champs who have had some disappointment early this season. Edmonton has responded by winning three straight and they are relishing this opportunity to take down their provincial rivals and, in doing so, they would be knocking off the team that is at the top of the entire league so far this season. That said, I'll gladly grab the big points being offered here. 10* EDMONTON on Monday afternoon

Rickenbach CFL Game #218 - Daytime Dominator - 10* Top Play Saskatchewan Roughriders +4.5 vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 3 ET Sunday - The Roughriders ONE AND ONLY home game between Week 8 and Week 13 is this one. They want to make it count and Saskatchewan is also catching Winnipeg off of a huge road win at Montreal last week. Even though the Roughriders have, by far, the worst record in the CFL, they are coming off of a strong effort at Edmonton last week. I can see many being enticed into playing the Blue Bombers here and laying a rather short number on the road. After all, Winnipeg is 4-1 on the road this season while Saskatchewan is 1-8 overall this season. Don't fall for the "trap line" here on the Blue Bombers as the Roughriders are quite likely to pull off the shocker here at home as this one is all about situational handicapping. The scheduling situation (for both teams) and the line (surprising # on this one) is all you need to know here. However, I will also add that Winnipeg is on a 2-5 ATS run as a favorite while the Roughriders have a long-term 73-53 ATS mark as an underdog in a range of +3.5 to +9.5 points. Grab the points here! 10* Saskatchewan Sunday afternoon

Rickenbach NCAA FB Game #206 - Game of the Month - 10* Top Play Arizona Wildcats +2.5 vs Brigham Young Cougars @ 10:30 PM ET Saturday - Tremendous line move here as the Wildcats have gone all the way from being 2.5 point faves to being 2.5 point dogs in this match-up. I do understand what many are looking at here. BYU is a veteran team and has the much better defense in comparing numbers with that of Arizona. Also, the Cougars "veteran" team is defined by a lot of returning starters on the offensive side of the ball including a big, experienced offensive line. This is viewed as a mismatch going against the smallish defensive line of the Wildcats. However, here are the keys that combat all this. Speedy linemen have a way of shooting the gaps when facing bigger opposition and speed kills. Arizona's defensive line may surprise with how they perform in this game. Additionally, Rich Rodriguez is in his fifth year as the head coach at Arizona while Kalani Sitake is not only in his first year as BYU's head coach, it is the first year he's been a head coach anywhere. Additionally, being an independent means the Cougars don't have conference games to look forward to. What motivates a team like this is a game like exactly what they have on deck next week. Brigham Young has a huge revenge match-up in their "Holy War" battle at Utah. The Cougars were absolutely embarrassed in last year's 35-28 bowl loss to the Utes in which BYU was down 35-0 in the first quarter. They can't help but have their sights set on that upcoming big-game match-up next week especially since the Cougars have now lost five straight to Utah! Arizona will have the home field edge (though this game is being played at the University of Phoenix Stadium) and the Wildcats are a Pac 12 offensive juggernaut. The Cats averaged 37 points per game last season and BYU (already peeking ahead to the Utes revenge game) simply is not going to be able to keep up in this one. Look for Rodriguez to outcoach Sitake in the latter's head coaching debut. 10* ARIZONA late Saturday night

Rickenbach NCAA FB Game #196 - ESPN Smash Pass - 8* Georgia Bulldogs -3 vs North Carolina Tar Heels @ 5:30 PM ET Saturday - Two quality teams in this match-up but considering the short line and the SEC vs ACC angle, there is great line value with a Bulldogs team that is also accustomed to playing in the Georgia Dome. This is truly not a "neutral site" game as the venue favors Georgia in a big way. The Bulldogs have a big edge on defense as North Carolina ranked much worse on yardage allowed than points allowed per game last season. In other words, the Tar Heels were fortunate and that defense now has to put up with the battering ram that is Nick Chubb and the powerful Bulldogs ground game. North Carolina got torched by teams with solid rushing attacks last season and this does not bode well for their opening game this season. The Bulldogs have a new head coach and he wants to get off of on the right foot. The Tar Heels have Fedora who is in his 5th year at North Carolina. Last year UNC lost their opener to South Carolina and they face a much tougher SEC opponent this time around. A big key here is that the Bulldogs are 29-7 SU and 25-10-1 in their last 36 games against ACC competition. The past two seasons Georgia went 7-3 ATS in non-conference action while North Carolina went 3-7 ATS in non-conference action. Two high-quality programs but SEC continues to hold the upper hand and the Tar Heels have lost 4 straight games (including 0-4 ATS) played on neutral sites. New Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart was the DC at Alabama the past 9 seasons and he played at Georgia for 4 years in the late 90's. It's a new era beginning post-Mark Richt and the Bulldogs led the SEC in pass defense last year and returned all the starters from their secondary. The Tar Heels have had some big offensive production highlight their reason campaigns but they don't have the defense to hang tough in this one. The Bulldogs have the superior defense. The Heels improved with defensive coordinator Gene Chizik last season but the way they fell off late in the season all the way through to their bowl game was quite alarming. Great line value on the more "settled" team here. 8* GEORGIA Saturday evening

Rickenbach NCAA FB Game #160 - High Noon Top Blowout - 10* Top Play Northwestern Wildcats -4.5 vs Western Michigan Broncos @ Noon ET Saturday - You can tell by the line movement on this game (downward) that many are looking at the Broncos as an underdog in this early Saturday match-up. I completely respect Western Michigan as a MAC team but that is the key to the equation surrounding my big play on Northwestern in this match-up. The Wildcats are a Big Ten team that went 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS in their non-conference games last year. Note that the Broncos went just 1-3 SU and 2-2 ATS outside of the MAC last season. I am well aware of the fact that Western Michigan has gone bowling each of the last two years and has been a team on the rise in the MAC. However, the last time they played Northwestern they got rolled by a 3 TD margin and the Wildcats have won 8 of their last 9 home openers. With this line moving down there is even more value on Northwestern here as we laying a rather small number against a team from an inferior conference. Remember last year the Wildcats home opener featured an upset win over Stanford. Even though Western Michigan is no Stanford (in terms of motivation for a big win) there is no way that the Wildcats will overlook the Broncos as Northwestern has Illinois State on deck. That means there is definitely no lookahead factor here. The Wildcats were very strong on defense last year and return 6 starters from that D which gives them a huge edge in comparing the defensive capabilities of these two teams. Northwestern allowed only 16 points per game last year while Western Michigan allowed 28 points per game. Over the last 25 years the Broncos are 3-26 SU against Big Ten teams. Over this same period, the Wildcats are 12-5 SU against MAC teams. Big difference in terms of the level of competition and I feel this is a very reasonable line on the superior team whom also has the home field edge. Lay it. 10* NORTHWESTERN early Saturday. 

Rickenbach NCAA FB Game #154 - Breakfast Bash - 8* Boston College Eagles +3 vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (game played in Ireland) @ 7:30 AM ET Saturday - One of the big advantages that the Yellow Jackets generally have over their opponents is that they don't have a lot of time to prep for the option. Of course that is not the case when it comes to this season opening game against Boston College. The Eagles have had plenty of time to get ready for the option attack of Georgia Tech. On top of that, Boston College had one of the top defenses in the nation last year and the Eagles return 15 starters this season while the Yellow Jackets are returning only 11 starters. Boston College ranks a big edge when you compare these two defenses and also ranks an edge in terms of the all-important experience factor that is so critical especially early in the season. The Yellow Jackets have made it easy on themselves in recent years by not scheduling FBS opposition to open the season. That changes this year with not only facing an FBS school but facing one of the teams with the best defenses in the country (particularly against the run) and facing them in Ireland on top of all that! The last time the Jackets faced an FBS school to open up a season they were held to just 17 points. The Eagles allowed only 15 points per game last season. The Yellow Jackets allowed 26 points per game last season. The Boston College offense is sure to show some improvement and facing a defense that is only returning 5 starters from last season certainly helps in that regard. 8* BOSTON COLLEGE early Saturday morning.

Rickenbach NCAA FB Game #150 - ESPN Game of the Week - 8* Colorado Buffaloes -8 vs Colorado State Rams @ 8 ET Friday - In a rivalry game it is often enticing to grab the points with the underdog. In fact, the dog in this series is 13-6-1 ATS. However, prior to last year's OT win for the Buffaloes, 5 of the 7 prior meetings had been decided by a margin of at least 14 points. I expect another lopsided win in this year's match-up between these fierce rivals as Colorado simply has a huge edge in experience and the Rams have major concerns on defense. While the Buffs return 18 starters from last year, Colorado State only returns 10 starters. Particularly concerning for the Rams is that they lost their defensive coordinator from last year and they also lost all the starters from the defensive line and some of their best players in the secondary as well. CSU is likely to struggle in the trenches early this season and also will be susceptible to blown coverages downfield. In other words, the Rams are in trouble as they are unlikely to stop either the run game or the passing attack of a Pac 12 Buffaloes team that went 3-1 in non-conference action last season and averaged 38 points per game. Colorado is very experienced on the defensive side of the ball and coordinator Jim Leavitt is now in his 2nd season with the program and he has more experienced personnel to work with this season. Leavitt's blitz packages and the "stunts" will keep the Rams offense from getting comfortable in this one. This game is being played in Denver where the Buffaloes have won 6 of the last 8 with an average margin of victory of 13 points. Look for the Rams to drop to 1-4 ATS a neutral field underdog of 7.5 to 10 points. 8* COLORADO Friday

Rickenbach CFL Game #215 - Divisional Dominator - 10* Top Play Ottawa Redblacks -2.5 @ Montreal Alouettes @ 7:30 ET - Not only are the Alouettes without their star receiver (Duron Carter) due to suspension, their offense has struggled for much of this season. 4 interceptions created a disaster for the Als last week and now they face an Ottawa team fully focused on exacting revenge after an ugly, embarrassing home loss (43-19) two weeks ago. The Redblacks now have their starting QB back and he should be even stronger in his 2nd game back. Ottawa was heavily penalized in last week's game (a loss) and they'll have that cleaned up for this rematch with a division rival this week. The Redblacks had won 4 straight meetings with Montreal before the loss in Ottawa two weeks ago. As a road fave of 3 points or less Ottawa is on a long-term 4-1 (80%) ATS run. Also, the Redblacks excel in games that are projected to be tight. In games with a line of +3 to -3 Ottawa has gone 20-9 SU and 19-10 ATS long-term. Montreal is 0-3 ATS as a home dog of 3 points or less this season. Also, the Als are 9-17 ATS when playing with 6 days or less of rest. Look for the Redblacks to get revenge against a short-handed Alouettes team. 10* OTTAWA Thursday evening.

Rickenbach MLB Game #918 - Run Line Rout - 10* Top Play Detroit Tigers -1.5 -105 vs Chicago White Sox @ 7:10 ET Monday - The White Sox James Shields is off of a better start against the Phillies but Philadelphia hadn't faced him since last season. Now he faces a Tigers team that is very familiar with him and seeing him for the 4th time in the last 2 and 1/2 months. That doesn't bode well for Shields who has allowed 14 runs in the 16 innings spanning these three recent starts against Detroit. Also, Shields comes into this start having gone 0-4 in his 5 August starts with a 13.95 ERA and he's been rocked at a .408 clip in these outings. He's likely to get clobbered by the Tigers here and that should provide plenty of run support for Detroit's Matt Boyd to win this game by at least two runs. The Tigers southpaw is 5-0 with a 2.38 ERA in his last 8 starts (and 1 relief appearance) since he moved back into Detroit's rotation. The Tigers are hungry to bounce back after back to back losses to the Angels followed a 5 game winning streak that saw Detroit score 7.8 runs per game with every victory coming by a margin of at least two runs. The White Sox last 16 losses have come by an average margin of 3 runs per defeat and, with a complete pitching mismatch here, this looks like another blowout loss for Shields and the ChiSox. Each of the White Sox last 4 losses with Shields on the mound have come by at least 2 runs with 3 of them by 6 runs or more. 10* DETROIT -1.5 runs on the Run Line Monday Evening.

Rickenbach NFLX Game #277 - Game of the Year - 10* Top Play San Diego Chargers +5.5 @ Minnesota Vikings @ 1 ET Sunday - After opening up at a 4 this line has been driven as high as a 5.5 in some shops as of about 24 hours before kickoff. I am pulling the trigger now on what I feel is a fantastic value situation. I am certainly well aware of the stellar record that the Vikings have had in PreSeason action under head coach Mike Zimmer. However, they won their first game this season by just a single point. Then, even though they won the 2nd game by a full TD that came on an INT returned for a touchdown. The point is that the Vikings have not been as impressive this preseason as they were the last two years. They are opening up a new stadium Sunday but, in PreSeason action, that is just not going to be the boost that it will be in the regular season when crowd noise is truly a factor. That's, of course, because that's when the games count. As for this NFLX match-up, I don't see the Vikings being able to create a big margin in this game. The Chargers are off a win last week and their defense was very strong against the run. San Diego, in my mind, is rallying around the entire Joey Bosa situation and his holdout is actually strengthening the resolve of this defensive unit. I look for another strong effort from the Chargers Sunday. The Chargers ugly loss in Week 1 of this PreSeason was a wake-up call and they've answered it. San Diego was "only" 2-2 SU in the PreSeason last year but the two losses came by a COMBINED 3 points. In other words, as a dog in this pointspread range the Bolts would have been 4-0 ATS last NFLX season and they'd now be on a 6-1 ATS run dating back to the final game of the 2014 preseason. The point is that, as a general rule, the Chargers have avoided ugly losses in preseason action. After resting QB Phillip Rivers last week, the Chargers are ready for the "dress rehearsal" game and I like the value with the big points here as the Vikings only had 258 yards of offense last week and they only won their week 1 game by a single point as I noted above. The Vikings will be the "trendy" pick in this one but I am fading the masses and everything I am seeing points to a very focused effort from the Chargers in this one. 10* SAN DIEGO Sunday

Rickenbach NFL Game #259 - Blowout Rout - 8* Pittsburgh Steelers +3 @ New Orleans Saints @ 8 ET Friday - The Steelers not only were shutout last week in ugly 17-0 loss (4 Landry interceptions) it also was their 2nd straight loss to open up the Preseason. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has his team fired up about responding this week in the critical week 3 "dress rehearsal" game. The past two Preseasons Pittsburgh only went 2-7 but they NEVER lost more than 2 straight in a preseason. They went 1-4 last season and 1-3 in the Preseason two years ago. Tomlin had entered that season with a Preseason record of 22-10 (69%) as a head coach. In other words, even in preseason, the highly competitive Tomlin does not like to lose. The Saints also come into this game off of back to back losses to open up their preseason but New Orleans went 0-4 in last year's preseason. Even with their 3-1 in the 2014 preseason note that one of those three wins came by just 2 points. Laying 3 points in all their games the Saints would now be on a 2-8 ATS run the last 2+ preseasons. The Steelers are happy about having to face Drew Brees and Company on the road as coach Tomlin feels it is a good test they are welcoming with open arms. Keep in mind this is a Super Bowl caliber Pittsburgh team that does have good depth on its roster and they are highly motivated in this spot. That will make a New Orleans win very tough to come by as I like the Steelers playmakers on defense too and I am gladly grab the generous points here as the Saints have gone from a near pick'em to now being favored by a full field goal. 8* PITTSBURGH Friday

Rickenbach MLB Game #972 - Run Line Rout - 10* Top Play Detroit Tigers -1.5 -105 vs Los Angeles Angels @ 7:10 ET Friday - The Angels, the last two games notwithstanding, have truly struggled on the road this season. After a 2nd straight upset win at Toronto last night, Los Angeles now faces a Tigers team that has won four straight games. Detroit also is happy to be back home as they look at atone for a rare, tough performance in their most recent homestand as they went 2-5 at home before going to Minnesota and getting the series sweep. Again, looking at the long-term numbers here you can see the Tigers at home have a big edge over the Angels on the road. Couple that with a huge pitching edge and we have the makings of a blowout win for Detroit in this one. That is why taking the run line at very nearly even money is offering great line value here. Of the last 14 team wins that the Tigers have had with Verlander on the mound, 11 of them have come by a margin of 2 runs or more. Verlander is 5-1 with a 1.93 ERA since the All Star break and teams are hitting a paltry .170 against him in those 8 starts. The Angels send Rickey Nolasco to the mound and they have lost all 4 of his starts since they acquired him. Overall this season Nolasco is 4-11 with a 5.22 ERA. The Tigers have hit him hard 2 of the 3 times they have faced him this season and the Angels bullpen is certainly not an area of strength. 10* DETROIT Run Line Friday

Rickenbach CFL Game #303 - Game of the Year - 10* Top Play Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Pick'em) @ Montreal Alouettes @ 7 ET Friday - Winnipeg is fresh off of their bye week and has won three straight games. QB Matt Nichols has led the way and the Blue Bombers have begun to surge following the handing of the pivot duties to Nichols from Drew Willy. This is a revenge game from a 22-14 home loss for Winnipeg earlier this season. The Blue Bombers have payback on their minds and Winnipeg has gotten the cash in 4 of their last 5 visits to Montreal. The Bombers certainly are catching the Alouettes at an ideal time. Montreal's offense has been very inconsistent this season. That said, it is hard to imagine that the Als will be able to have another big game after their huge divisional win at Ottawa last week. That win over the Redblacks was a key win for Montreal and is likely to leave them a little flat this week. Keep in mind too that the Alouettes offense has struggled for much of this season. The rested and highly motivated Blue Bombers are the play here as they continue their surge with Nichols orchestrating the offense. Montreal has another match-up with division rival Ottawa on deck while the Bombers only have last place Saskatchewan on deck. Situational edge definitely goes to the road team here and I expect the Blue Bombers to improve to 4-1 on the road and 4-1 against the East this season. Look for the Alouettes to drop to 1-4 in home games this season. 10* WINNIPEG Friday

Rickenbach NFLX Game #251 - NBC Blowout - 8* Atlanta Falcons +3 @ Miami Dolphins @ 8 ET Thursday - The Falcons have played exceptionally well this preseason and certainly don't want to lose the momentum now in the true "dress rehearsal" game as week three annually sees the starters playing the most. Atlanta has the leading offense in the preseason so far and certainly can do some damage against a Dolphins defense that got shredded by the Cowboys last week. Although it is "only" preseason, the Falcons did lose at Miami last year in the preseason (13-9 loss) and they are anxious to show they are ready this week. The Dolphins don't have the QB rotation strength that the Falcons have and Miami also has a penchant for struggling in the Week 3 preseason game. In fact, the Dolphins have failed to cover 5 straight week 3 games. Conversely, the Falcons are on a 6-3 ATS run in Week 3 games. Atlanta coach Dan Quinn has been "hitting all the right buttons" in practice this week and I expect a strong effort from the Falcons here as they know they should have put up many more points last week considering they piled up nearly 500 yards of offense. The Dolphins would love to bounce back after getting annihilated 41-14 last week but they simply are outclassed here. The Falcons are on the way up as they've increased their win total each of the last three regular seasons while the Dolphins haven't improved their win total in three years. Again, this is the week that most closely resembles a regular season match-up and the Falcons are on top of their game right now and I like what I am hearing from coach Quinn heading into this one. 8* ATLANTA Thursday

Rickenbach CFL Game #301 - ESPN2 Blowout - 8* BC Lions +2.5 @ Ottawa @ 7:30 ET Thursday - Look for the Lions to respond after being blown out last week. Yes, the Redblacks were also off of a blowout loss but I feel that BC was the team playing the much better ball before the bad loss. The Lions simply didn't have the emotion or intensity needed to knock off the Stampeders last week. It was almost as if BC expected that they could just show up (since they were at home) and knock off Calgary. True to form though, the road teams continued their domination this season and the Stampeders routed the Lions. Now BC makes a 9-day road trip to the East as they play Ottawa Thursday and then, the following week on Wednesday, the Lions will do battle with the Argonauts in Toronto. The Redblacks are "scuffling" after their bad loss to Montreal last week but BC already seems rejuvenated just by being on the road. It is truly "no wonder" as to why because the Lions are 3-1 on the road this season and note that Ottawa has won only 1 of their 4 home games this season. BC is a perfect 4-0 ATS this season when on the road and the Lions play this game with "double revenge" from last year as the Redblacks beat them by double digits in both games. The Lions defense had been fantastic before last week's game. They respond this week as does the entire team including QB Jonathon Jennings. 8* BC Lions Thursday

Rickenbach CFL Game #126 - Daytime Dominator - 10* Top Play Toronto Argonauts +3.5 vs Edmonton Eskimos @ 4 ET Saturday - The Argonauts are off of an ugly loss as Logan Kilgore had an awful game at pivot last week and threw 5 interceptions. He'll bounce back strong this week as he also gets a couple of key receiving targets back this week. Toronto is hungry to come up with a big game at home as, like most of the CFL, home wins have been hard to come by so far this season. The Eskimos are off of a big win last week but that could result in them coming up a little bit flat here this week against a non-divisional foe. Edmonton has struggled against the East this season and also, Eskimos pivot Mike Reilly has struggled against Toronto with a 1-4 mark in his career against Edmonton. The Eskimos also are without the services of a key defensive lineman for this game. The Argos are getting healthier, the Eskimos are not, the Argos are motivated off of an ugly home loss, Edmonton is flat off of a big home win last week. Add it all up and you have the perfect situation to back the motivated home dog in this weekend match-up that has been moved up from a 7 ET to a 4 ET start time. Daytime domination for the home team expected here as the Argos are hungry and ready to atone for last week's ugly loss. 10* TORONTO Saturday.

Rickenbach CFL Game #121 - Div Game of the Month - 10* Montreal Alouettes +9 @ Ottawa @ 7 ET Friday - The Redblacks are struggling on offense as they continue to be without starting pivot Trevor Harris and have had to turn to 41 year old Henry Burris at the pivot. Friday Ottawa faces a hungry Alouettes team that is looking to get their season turned around before it is too late and one of the keys that Montreal can fall back on is the fact that their defense has been solid this season. i look for the Als to turn this into a tight, defensive battle and that means it will be tough for the Redblacks to create any type of margin in this game. Ottawa, earlier this season, had an underdog mentality but now they are in the #1 spot in the East and have a bit of a "target" on their backs now. The Redblacks are unlikely to handle this as well as they handled their "dog" mentality and I look for the Alouettes to possibly even spring the upset here but certainly they should at least keep the game within a one score margin when all is said and done. Look for the Als to improve to 3-1 ATS in Friday games this season. Also, the road team has taken 4 of the last 6 meetings between these teams and one of those two losses came by only 3 points. Look for the road team to again get the cash here as Ottawa drops to 0-3 ATS this season when they are a favorite in a range of 3.5 to 9.5 points. 10* MONTREAL Friday.

Rickenbach NFLX Game #407 - Contrarian Crusher - 8* Chicago Bears +3.5 @ New England Patriots @ 8 ET Thursday - After getting shutout in Week 1, look for the Bears to respond a big way here in Week 2. The Patriots Week 1 win over the Saints looks impressive to the casual observer but note that two of the touchdowns the Pats scored were non-offensive touchdowns. New England was outgained in their game last week and here they are laying more than a field goal against a Chicago team that will be determined to bounce back after the disappointing effort last week. The Bears faced a very tough Broncos defense but note that they now face a New England defense that gave up a lot of yardage to the Saints last week. Also, the Chicago defense did hold the Denver offense to just 13 points as the other 9 points scored were via a return for a TD and a safety. The fact is that the Bears did not play as bad as the final score from last week indicated and the Patriots did not play as well as their final score indicated. The result of this is line value this week and, in preseason, motivation is very important. The Bears are highly motivated after the 22-0 shutout loss last week. 8* CHICAGO

Rickenbach MLB Game #926 - Run Line Rout - 8* Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 +105 vs San Diego Padres @ 1:10 ET Wednesday - Chris Archer does not have a good record on the season but he certainly has deserved much better at home than what he's received. At Tropicana Field this season he has a 2.91 ERA in his 12 starts and he'll shut down a Padres team that is struggling to do much at the plate. In yesterday's 15-1 loss, San Diego was held to only 7 hits. Amazingly, that is the 9th straight game in which the Padres have been held to 7 hits or less. As for the Rays, their offense is getting back on track with a 3-game winning streak that has seen Tampa Bay erupt for 35 runs. The Rays should stay hot at the plate against Christian Friedrich as he has compiled an ugly 6.58 ERA in his last 10 starts. By playing the run line we get plus money on the superior pitcher plus we are fading a road team that is tied for the league lead in road losses with 39 already this season. As a road dog of +175 to +200 the Padres have gone 4-23 the past 3 seasons combined so the Rays are very likely to get the win here but of course I am not going to lay a 2 to 1 price on them. However, I will gladly lay the 1.5 runs knowing that the Rays have won by at least 2 runs in 16 of their last 17 victories. 4 of the Padres last 5 losses have come by at least 2 runs. 8* TAMPA BAY

Rickenbach MLB Game #904 - RL Game of the Week - 10* Top Play Colorado Rockies +1.5 runs +105 vs Washington @ 8:40 ET Monday - The Rockies Jorge De la Rosa has pitched much better than his full season records show. In his 11 starts since mid-June he has allowed more than 3 earned runs only 1 time! In the other 10 starts he has made over this two month period De la Rosa has compiled a fantastic 2.69 ERA. De la Rosa also has a stellar 5-2 record in his career starts against Washington and he has a 1.86 ERA against the Nationals in his last 3 starts. Max Scherzer gets the start for the Nats in this one. Though he has pitched very well of late, pitching at Coors Field is always a challenge. Also, in his last two starts against the Rockies (both last August) Scherzer was quite hittable with 7 earned runs on 16 hits in his 12 innings of work. Scherzer is only 1-4 in his career against the Rockies. With the wind expected to be blowing in at Coors Field tonight I expect it to be tough for the Nationals to get any kind of big inning against De la Rosa in this one and the Rockies are likely to be in this one all the way which is why I see big value with the +1.5 runs available at plus money for this one. The Nationals are 4-3 in their last 7 games but two of those wins came by just a single run. The Rockies have been in a tough stretch on the road but 3 of their last 6 losses have come by a single run and certainly they are happy to be back home where De la Rosa is a fantastic 52-19 in his career! Fantastic underdog value here with the Rockies. 10* COLORADO Run Line +1.5 RUNS Monday

Rickenbach CFL Game #306 - Best Bet - 10* Top Play Saskatchewan Roughriders +6 vs Calgary Stampeders @ 7 ET Saturday - The final score shows an ugly 20 point loss for the Roughriders last week against the Stampeders. However, that game was tight until the fourth quarter and now Saskatchewan gets a shot at revenge and the rematch is at home for them. The Riders have extra motivation after the Stampeders incited some trash talk following the win at Calgary last week. Saskatchewan has a solid veteran QB that does not make many mistakes and, in fact, has not thrown a pick this season. The Stampeders have won 5 straight in this series and have covered 4 of those 5 games. However, this situation is a highly motivate spot for Saskatchewan at home as they won't be home again for another 3 weeks. With the way road teams dominated early this season we all know a reversal is coming...at least in terms of ATS numbers...and I am confident that, this time, the Roughriders keep this one tight for all 4 quarters rather than just the first 3. That said, there is great line value with the generous points being offered here. 10* SASKATCHEWAN +6 Saturday

Rickenbach NFLX Game #273 - Chief Authority - 8* Seattle Seahawks +4 @ Kansas City Chiefs @ 4:30 ET Saturday - Quarterback rotations and depth are important factors in Preseason NFL but sometimes can be overestimated. I believe that is the case here because the Seahawks have unproven guys behind Russell Wilson and this has helped drive this line from a -1.5 up to a -4 on the Chiefs! This is offering key line value to a Seattle team that is certainly not known for "laying down" with Pete Carroll at the helm. Note that Carroll is 24-14-3 (63%) ATS in Preseason games in his career. Conversely, Andy Reid of Kansas City is 29-38-1 (43%) ATS in Preseason games. Even though the Chiefs are 5-3 SU in NFLX games the past two seasons, two of those wins came by 2 points or less. As for the Seahawks, though they only went 2-2 in the Preseason last year, only one of their four games was decided by more than two points and that was a 10-point WIN for Seattle. I just don't see the Seahawks being beaten by more than a field goal here and I really wouldn't be surprised to see them win outright. No matter the players on the field, Carroll has his team ready and is a tremendous competitor. Also, it is certainly worth noting that back-up QB Trevone Boykin is a dual-threat QB that is tremendously skilled and 3rd stringer Jake Heaps is having a great camp. The Hawks will be in this one all the way and I'll gladly take the additional line value being offered by the big line move in this one. 8* SEATTLE +4

Rickenbach NFLX Game #269 - 8* Cleveland Browns +3 @ Green Bay @ 8 ET Friday - The Packers Aaron Rodgers is unlikely to play and, of course, even if he did it would be minimal action considering this is Game 1 of 4 for Green Bay in this pre-season. With Brett Hundley still hurting for the Pack, it is likely that the QB duties are going to be completely shared by unproven rookies in the form of Joe Callahan and Marquise Williams. I just don't see the Packers as being able to move the ball very much against a very hungry Browns team. Of course when the regular season rolls around Cleveland is destined to have another tough season but in the pre-season it is all about motivation and player rotations. The Browns are going to be giving their top guys a lot longer look than the Packers are in this game. Cleveland will have RG III opening up at QB and he'll be followed by Josh McCown so the Browns will have some NFL experience leading the way at the QB position. They also have a hungry head coach as Hue Jackson gets his first heading coaching gig since he was the head coach for the Raiders for five seasons ago. He is hungry and so too are the Browns. Even though Cleveland is only 2-6 the last 2 years in NFLX action, 3 of those 6 losses came by a single point and one came by just a field goal. There is excellent line value with the points here. Yesterday the home teams were the story in NFX action, look for more road success in day two! 8* CLEVELAND BROWNS

Rickenbach CFL Game #303 - 10* Top Play - Winnipeg Blue Bombers +4 @ Toronto Argonauts @ 7:30 ET Friday - The Argonauts are coming off of a win and a bye week and, as they've pushed up the East Division standings, may seem like a good "play on" team this week. However, the Blue Bombers have also been surging up the standings in the West Division and they have a bye week on deck. While Winnipeg will "leave it all on the field" this week knowing they have a bye on deck, note that Toronto has a game with the Grey Cup Champs, Edmonton, on tap for next week. The road teams have dominated much of this season so far in the CFL and the Blue Bombers have just one road loss this year while the Argos have only one home win so far this season. The Winnipeg secondary has been playing very well and, on the other side of the ball, they've been getting solid QB play. This is very significant because the passing game has been more emphasized than ever so far this season in the CFL. The Argonauts are dealing with the Ricky Ray injury at the QB position and this has put a lot of pressure on a young Logan Kilgore. That pressure tends to be amplified in home games. That said, I love the line value here with the road dog Blue Bombers as they continue to play solid defense. I look for Winnipeg to improve to 4-1 ATS so far this season in games where they are a dog in a range of 3.5 to 9.5 points. As for the Argonauts, they are 1-6 ATS the last 7 times they have entered a game on a winning streak of 2 games or more. Also, Toronto is on a 5-14 ATS run in home games! 10* WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS Friday

Rickenbach CFL Game #302 - 10* Top Play Edmonton Eskimos -6.5 vs Montreal Alouettes @ 9 ET Thursday - Not going to get too wordy here. The Eskimos have uncharacteristically slumped early this season and they need a bounce back effort at home. Their offense is led by the league-leading passer and their defense has also forced a ton of fumbles this season. The Alouettes anemic offense simply won't be able to keep up. In fact, shut down their red-hot leading receiver and you've basically shutdown the Montreal offense. Edmonton is fired up for a huge effort at home after a tight road loss last week. As for the Als, they simply can't get it going and are off another embarrassing home loss last week where they were dominated. The Eskimos have won (and covered!) 4 straight against Montreal and I look for a big home win here and will take advantage of the downward line move. This one opened up at a 7.5 but has dropped to a 6.5 which is giving us even more value in a game that has the makings of a home rout. 10* EDMONTON

Rickenbach NFLX Game #253 - Philly Insider - 8* Tampa Bay Buccaneers +4 @ Philadelphia Eagles @ 7 ET - This line has gone from a -3 to a -4 on the Eagles and I feel that too much respect is being giving to Philadelphia when you consider the situation. Both teams have new head coaches and, though I respect Doug Pederson and feel he will do a good job with the Eagles, I feel the Buccaneers have an edge in this Game One match-up. Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter has a reputation for developing talent and bringing out the best in young players. This has been evident again so far in Tampa Bay's training camp and I especially like how the defense has performed thusfar in camp. The Buccaneers added a lot of defensive talent through the draft and in free agency. The Eagles made all the headlines this off-season with the drafting of Carson Wentz and I feel strongly that he will prove to be an excellent choice for Philly long-term. However, he's got a target on him right now because he is expected to play quite a bit in this pre-season opener and you can bet the Bucs defense (even though it will be back-ups) certainly doesn't want to be shown up by this highly touted NFL rookie. New defensive coordinator Mike Smith has been getting excellent production so far in camp with the Buccaneers. The Eagles are very thin at linebacker and already have some injury concerns too early on with the defense. That said, I'll take the better D (at least at this point in the pre-season and in terms of depth) with an equally hungry team (both teams fired up with new head coaches) that is also getting generous points here. 8* TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS +4

Rickenbach CFL Game #127 - Game of the Month - 10* Top Play Edmonton Eskimos +4 @ Ottawa @ 7 ET Saturday - Edmonton is off of a loss in a divisional battle and they are 5-1 SU an ATS the past two seasons when off of a loss in West Division action. Now they take on an East Division foe with revenge on their minds as the Eskimos lost to the Redblacks earlier this season. Ottawa is trying to fight off a losing streak but they are 4-10 SU the past two season when they enter a game on a losing streak of 2 games or more. That said, there is great value with Edmonton here as the Redblacks are laying 4 points even though they notoriously struggle to snap losing streaks and they've had issues at QB because of the injury to pivot Trevor Harris. Ottawa will prove to be no match for the Eskimos and QB Chris Reilly who is having a fantastic season thusfar. The Redblacks won the first meeting this season (in overtime) to get some revenge for the Grey Cup loss last season. That said, it is now Edmonton that is the revenge-seeker and the Eskimos are positioned well for the upset here. Look for the Eskimos to improve to 5-0 ATS in their last 5 road games with a posted total of 52 points or more. As you can see from the O/U on this game, a lot of points are expected here and I just don't see the struggling Ottawa offense as being able to keep up in this one based on all the question marks they have at QB right now. 10* EDMONTON +4

Rickenbach CFL Game #123 - 8* B.C. Lions -2 @ Montreal @ 7 ET Thursday - BC blew a big lead last week and this was very unexpected as the Lions, entering last week's action, had one of the top defenses in the league. They Alouettes are certainly known for their solid defense as well but, until last week, the Als offense really had not performed well at all this season. Now Montreal is up against a fired up British Columbia defense that is not happy at all about what transpired last week. That means the Alouettes are going to be on the wrong end of the best that the Lions D has to offer this week. BC was 3-1 before last week's blown late lead and loss in OT while Montreal was only 1-3 on the season before getting the big home win last week - albeit against a Saskatchewan team that is now 1-4 on the season. I look for BC to outclass Montreal in this absolute bounce back spot where the Lions are very hungry off of a loss. The Als have lost 13 of their last 18 games against teams with a winning record while British Columbia has won 11 of their last 17 games against teams with a losing record. That said, the line move from a 3 down to a 2 is also offering exceptional line value here on the Lions. 8* BC -2 Thursday

Rickenbach CFL Game #121 - 10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats -4 @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 8:30 ET - Big revenge game for Hamilton as they lost at home to Winnipeg in Week 3 of this season. Prior to that loss, the Tiger-Cats had won and covered 6 of their last 7 meetings with the Blue Bombers. Hamilton has an edge here as they are coming off of their bye week. Even though both teams are off of a win over Edmonton, the Tiger-Cats have the edge with the bye week. Winnipeg got a boost last week with the play of QB Matt Nichols who took the place of a struggling Drew Willy. However, the Blue Bombers are now dealing with a lot of injuries at the skill positions on offense. This will make it tough for Winnipeg to move the ball well here because Hamilton has a solid defense with arguably the best front seven in the league. They are "sack machines" and Nichols won't find it near as easy against this defense as he did against the Eskimos last week. The road team is a perfect 5-0 SU and ATS in Tiger-Cats games this season and Hamilton should get their revenge easily on the road against an injury-depleted Blue Bombers squad. Winnipeg is 1-17 SU against teams with a winning record and 6-11-1 ATS in those 18 games. This is a very manageable line here and I'll gladly lay it with the road fave. 10* Top Play HAMILTON Wednesday

Rickenbach CFL Game #307 - East Game of the Year - *10* Top Play Toronto Argonauts +10.5 @ Ottawa Redblacks @ 7:30 ET Sunday - Big revenge game for Toronto after losing at home to Ottawa on July 13th. The Argonauts were seeking their first home win at BMO Field which, as a result of the loss to the Redblacks, did not occur until last week. That's when the Argos knocked off the Alouettes in a solid 30-17 win. The Argonauts will look to build off of that win over Montreal while Ottawa is still licking their wounds after their upset loss at Saskatchewan last week. The Redblacks have significant injury issues at QB but at least can turn to veteran Henry Burris. However, the 41 year old is matched up with a rookie and what is interesting is that Burris is 0-4 the last 4 times he has made a start against a rookie QB. The Argos will have 26 year old Logan Kilgore making this start. Note also that the Argonauts are a perfect 4-0 in a game following a Ricky Ray injury the last 4 times he's gotten hurt and missed a start. Interesting combined 8-0 angle favoring revenge-minded Toronto here. This game is for first place in the East Division and the Argonauts had won 4 of their last 5 meetings with Ottawa before coming up short against the Redblacks earlier this month. The Argos are looking to go to 3-0 in road games this year and, overall the early season CFL action has been dominated by road teams. I look for that trend to continue here and I like having the big points as Burris will be looking to work the rust off in this game and I don't see Ottawa as being able to create much separation on the scoreboard in this one. *10* TORONTO +10.5

Rickenbach CFL Game #303 - Friday Paydirt - 8* Saskatchewan Roughriders +1 @ Montreal Aloutettes @ 7 ET - Huge scheduling edge here for the Roughriders and that is why this game is nearly in a pick'em price range even though the Alouettes are at home. Certainly both teams have struggled early this season but there is no question that this spot favors Saskatchewan. Not only did Montreal just play on Monday, but their offense has been by far the worst in the league. Conversely, the Roughriders got a huge game from Mitchell Gale at QB (Pivot) in last week's game and he led them to the upset win over Ottawa. Saskatchewan has averaged 31 points per game the last 3 weeks while the Als have averaged just 14.8 points per game on the season! Montreal is winless at home on the season and the East Division has only 1 home win in 8 games so far this year. The Roughriders are the only winless road team in the entire league but this will be just their 2nd road game of the season and the rest of the West Division has a combined 6-2 road record. The trend toward "road success" continues tonight and the boys from Saskatoon take advantage of a Montreal team playing on unusually short rest. The offensive edge for the Roughriders is huge in this match-up. 8* Saskatchewan

Rickenbach CFL Game #302 - *8* Edmonton Eskimos -9.5 vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 9 ET Thursday - Edmonton blew a huge lead in their upset loss to Hamilton last week and that loss came at home. That said, you can fully expect that the Eskimos are ready to respond here and this is a mismatch in terms of the firepower on offense. Edmonton is averaging 31.8 points per game this season which is tops in the league. Winnipeg is averaging only 19.6 points per game which is 2nd to last in the league. The Blue Bombers already had a QB change in last week's game and they simply aren't going to be able to keep up here. Edmonton is angry and will impose their will on the Blue Bombers. Let's not forget that the Eskimos were the CFL champs last year and they don't take kindly to losing. This is especially true when it is by virtue of blowing a huge lead. Though the Eskimos defense has been a concern so far this season one must remember that they also have faced a number of top offenses early this year. The Blue Bombers have not displayed the firepower necessary to stay in a game like this against a motivated foe and let's not forget that Edmonton held them to just 16 points in a game a few weeks ago. Winnipeg has failed to cover in each of their last five visits to face the Eskimos and I look for more of the same here. *8* EDMONTON

Rickenbach CFL Game #127/128 - CFL East Game of the Month - *10* Top Play Toronto Argonauts -5.5 vs Montreal @ 7:30 ET Monday - The Alouettes have averaged only 14 points per game so far this season. Now they visit the Argonauts whom they crushed 34-2 last October in Toronto. That said, there is no shortage of motivation for the Argos here who also are not happy about having started this season 0-2 at home! Toronto is off of a loss last week but they have yet to lose 2 straight this season as they opened up their schedule with a home loss and then followed it up with back to back road wins. Now, after another home loss last week, it is time for the Argonauts to inflict some punishment on a short-handed Montreal team who has lost their last two games by an average of 19.5 points per game. With the line move on this game from a -7 down to a -5.5 we also are being offered exceptional line value here and we'll take it! *10* TORONTO

Rickenbach CFL Game #125/126 - *10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats +5 @ Edmonton @ 7:00 ET Saturday - The Eskimos have the bulls-eye on their backs after winning the Grey Cup last season. Keep in mind it was the Tiger-Cats that had lost each of the prior two Grey Cups so they are hungry to get back there. I like the underdog value being offered with Hamilton here on the road. Overall, road teams have dominated so far this season in CFL action and the Ti-Cats are already a perfect 2-0 away from home. Edmonton is off of another win last week but it was a tight one (by 4) and they are being asked to lay an even bigger number this week against a much tougher opponent. The Tiger-Cats are 15-7 ATS on the road the past 2+ seasons and that includes a stellar 8-2 ATS when it is a road game with a posted total of 52 points or more. Look for Edmonton to drop to 1-4 ATS in home games the past 2+ seasons with a posted total of 52 points or more. The tough defensive line of the Tiger-Cats is going to prove to be a difference maker here. The Eskimos are allowing an average of 32 points per game this season while the Ti-Cats are allowing only 21 points per game. Defense will play a key role in this game and the Tiger-Cats are fired up about facing the defending champs! *10* HAMILTON +5

CFL Game #124 - Friday Rickenbach *8* Saskatchewan Roughriders +6 vs Ottawa @ 9 ET - The only remaining winless team faces the only remaining undefeated team. That said, many may find it interesting that the Redblacks are not a bigger favorite here. I truly see this as an upset spot for the Roughriders. They have the same head coach that led Edmonton over Ottawa for the Grey Cup last year. That said, even though the Redblacks offense has been on fire this season and the Roughriders have struggled on defense, don't be surprised if they have dialed up a fantastic game plan for this Friday match-up. Also, the Saskatchewan defense is certainly tired of hearing about their struggles and I look for them to come up with a huge effort at home as this is a huge early season game for the Roughriders. They would love nothing more than to turn it around by knocking off the lone remaining undefeated team in the league. Ottawa has a big game on deck against a divisional foe (Toronto) next week. As for Saskatchewan, this is their final home game until mid-August so they know they are fully focused on coming up with a huge effort here. The Roughriders have split the last 4 meetings with the Redblacks but one of the two losses came by just three points. That said, there is big line value here with the home dog who may get a surprising boost by the QB change which was necessitated due to injury. *8* SASKATCHEWAN

Rickenbach Game #122 - Thursday CFL *8* Winnipeg Blue Bombers +5.5 vs Calgary @ 8:30 ET - Calgary is off of a bye and the Stampeders have had great success when off of a bye week. I am well aware of that. However, Winnipeg has been battling hard and is off of a hard-fought loss by 4 points to Edmonton last week which followed a big upset of the Tiger-Cats at Hamilton the prior week. The point is that the Blue Bombers are battling hard and they are going to be especially tough on Calgary here because the Stampeders beat Winnipeg three weeks ago in a 14 point loss for the Blue Bombers. Winnipeg had trouble defending the run in that game and that was also an issue in last week's loss to the Eskimos. That said, the Blue Bombers defense is highly motivated for their biggest effort so far this season in this home revenge spot against Calgary. The Stampeders have a big game on deck with B.C. who is the leader in the division and could get caught looking ahead here. Also, keep in mind, Calgary is winless in their two road games so far this season. Even if they finally do get into the win column on the road, I don't expect the Stampeders to be able to cover this inflated pointspread. The Blue Bombers have failed to cover just 3 of their last 9 Thursday games. Calgary is a long-term 34-46 ATS in July games. *8* WINNIPEG +5.5

Rickenbach CFL *10* Top Play Edmonton Eskimos -3 @ Winnipeg @ 8:30 ET - The Eskimos are off of a win versus Saskatchewan but they blew a huge late lead and are not happy about that. Edmonton's defense was one of the best in the league last season but that has not been the case at all this season and certainly it is now time for "heads to roll" for the Eskimos. They need a huge effort this week and they are certainly catching the Blue Bombers at the right time. Winnipeg is off of a huge upset win at Hamilton but let's not forget they had lost each of their first two games by an average margin of defeat of 11 points per game. The Blue Bombers are averaging only 21 points per game so far this season and simply won't be able to keep up with a highly motivated Eskimos team here. Edmonton has been led by Mike Reilly at QB and John White in the running game and this balanced attack will prove to be too much for a Winnipeg team still celebrating last week's upset win. The Blue Bombers had lost 12 of it's last 14 games straight-up before the upset win last week and I'll gladly lay the small number with Edmonton here. The Eskimos have covered 5 of their last 6 meetings with Winnipeg and they have all the edges in this one, including situational. *10* EDMONTON

Rickenbach CFL *10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats -5.5 vs BC @ 7 ET - The home team has won both games in this series each of the past two years and last year the games were decided by 27 points and 30 points! With the line move here from an opener of -7 to now just -5.5 on the Tiger-Cats, there is significant line value available as the home dominance should continue. Hamilton got a big upset win on the road last week at Toronto and will be ready to keep rolling in their home opener. The Tiger-Cats are 10-4 ATS the past two seasons as a home favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points. British Columbia is off of a tight home win over Calgary in Week 1 but the Lions were down 17 to 6 late in the 3rd quarter. The late comeback win could leave BC a little "emotionally spent" for this one and Hamilton's offense is going to be tough to stop. Zach Collaros is out with a knee injury but QB Jeremiah Masoli was phenomenal last week filling in for him. Not only did Masoli have a huge day overall (as the Tiger-Cats put up 40 points) he completed 15 consecutive passes at one point in the second half. Those were completed to four different receivers and now Hamilton also gets back wide receiver Tiquan Underwood for this one. Too many weapons for BC to stop and the Lions only went 4-13 SU (and 6-11 ATS) the past two seasons when facing a team with a winning record. *10* HAMILTON

Rickenbach CFL *10* Top Play Montreal Alouettes +1 vs Ottawa @ 7 ET - The Alouettes home opener and they fired up about returning to winning ways after a tough season last year. Montreal certainly got their season off of on the right foot by knocking off Winnipeg last week. That 22-14 win over the Blue Bombers displayed some impressive defense for the Alouettes but what also impressed was that the offense moved the ball very well under their new offensive coordinator. A couple of turnovers when knocking on the doorstep of points resulted in Montreal's point total being lower than it should have been but that is helping to create line value for this week's Alouettes game. That's because Montreal truly looked strong on both sides of the ball last week and they now take on a Redblacks team that is off of a huge revenging win that came in overtime at Edmonton last week. As impressive as that win was last week, Ottawa was certainly helped by the fact that they faced an injury-depleted Eskimos secondary. The Redblacks will face a much tougher challenge against the Als secondary this week. Another thing going against Ottawa here is the short rest factor as this is a Thursday game and they just got that big revenge win on Saturday. The Redblacks have lost 40 of 53 road games long-term. Montreal has won 13 of 16 June games long-term. It will be loud in Montreal Thursday and the situation is perfect for the Alouettes to exact revenge for losing all 3 match-ups with Ottawa last season. Keep in mind that the Als had won all 3 match-ups the prior season. Payback time. *10* MONTREAL

Rickenbach CFL *8* Winnipeg Blue Bombers -2 vs Montreal Alouettes @ 8:30 ET - Both teams are looking to get back on track after tough seasons. The Alouettes are hoping to do it with offense and that puts them at a disadvantage tonight. There is a decent chance of rain in Winnipeg this evening and that could help slow down the Montreal offense. With the Blue Bombers fired up for their home opener as they put their new uniforms on display, Winnipeg is going to be a tough team for the Alouettes to overcome on the road. The Blue Bombers are out for revenge after losing 35 to 14 in September last year. That was the 3rd straight victory by the home team in this series but it also put an end to a 3 game winning streak for Winnipeg in the series. Montreal has lost 13 of 19 road games the past two seasons. With the line moving down from a 3.5 to a 2 in favor of the Blue Bombers, most any straight-up win for Winnipeg will get us the cash here. Before the Alouettes win and cover in September the Blue Bombers had covered 11 of the 15 prior meetings. I feel Winnipeg is again being undervalued here and the Blue Bombers added a ton of talent in the off-season. Though rebuilding can be tough on a team early in the season, the keys here are the home field edge, the weather actually favoring the Bombers as well, and the fact that Montreal was the worst team in the East Division last season and has some of their own offseason changes to adjust to as well. Take advantage of the line move here. *8* WINNIPEG

Rickenbach CFL *8* Hamilton Tiger-Cats +5 @ Toronto @ 7:30 ET - There is quite a lot working in Toronto's favor in this match-up but this has also created a lot of line value for Hamilton. Yes the Argonauts are playing with revenge from last season's playoff loss to the Tiger-Cats. Also, I am well aware of the fact that the Argos will have a boost with their brand new stadium, BMO Field. However, the value is with Hamilton in this spot. Not only has the line moved from an opener of Argos -3.5 to a 5 as of game-day morning, I also like the QB "issues" here. Though Zach Collaros is out for the Ti-Cats, Jeremiah Masoli will be under center this evening and he was the starter for Hamilton in the playoffs last season. He also looked sharp in their big win to round out the pre-season last week. The Argonauts have Ricky Ray at QB but he is certainly not getting any younger and he's still trying to recover from a shoulder injury. The Ti-Cats do have some question marks on defense but the Argos offense is not 100% yet. That said, I do like the advantage that Hamilton has on offense with a lot of dynamic talent on the receiving end of Masoli's passes. The Tiger-Cats scored 42 points last week to wrap up their pre-season and they have plenty of confidence against the Argos. Hamilton won all 4 meetings last season. The year before they lost all 3 meetings but the 3 defeats were decided by a combined 4 points! Getting +5 here with the Tiger-Cats, who have covered 5 straight games at Toronto, is a great value. *8* HAMILTON

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers +5 @ Golden State @ 8 ET - The pressure has now all been shifted to the Warriors. After being down 3 games to 1 in this series, the Cavaliers have battled back to knot the series up at 3 and force a Game 7. It would be a monumental failure for Golden State to lose this series on their home floor after being up 3 game to 1. The problem this is creating for the Warriors is the last thing that a team needs is pressure when they already were not shooting the ball well. Believe it or not Golden State has now been held to 42.1% or less from the field in 4 straight games! Conversely, Cleveland is feeling the positive energy of having given themselves a chance in an "anything can happen" Game 7 and the Cavs are riding a wave of emotions that has seen them shoot the ball very well the last 4 games in this series. The Cavaliers have shot at least 46.9% from the field in 4 straight games including an incredible 51.9% or better in 3 of those 4 games. The absence of big man Andrew Bogut in the middle will continue to be an impact for the Warriors interior defense here in Game 7 as well. The fact we are getting 5 points with the team that has won three of the last four games in this series by a double digit margin is a tremendous value given the situational momentum and pressure factors here as well. Look for the Cavaliers to get the upset win here but if they do fall short I expect it to be an epic finish decided by just one possession as the Cavs get the cash either way to finish 9-4 ATS this season in games where they are an underdog! *10* CLEVELAND

Rickenbach MLB *8* Pittsburgh Pirates Run Line +1.5 runs +105 @ Chicago Cubs @ 2:20 ET - Of course Jake Arrieta is a fantastic pitcher who is having a phenomenal season again. However, there is great line value here with having Francisco Liriano and the Pirates +1.5 runs and at even money. This game is projected to be a low-scoring game (the total opened up at a 7 and may even drop to a 6.5) and the wind is expected to be blowing in at Wrigley Field. That means it likely will be the type of game where it is tough for either team to build any kind of margin in the game. The Cubs have lost 2 of Arrieta's last 3 starts and he did give up 3 earned runs on 9 hits in only 5 innings of work in his most recent home start. Also, prior to Arrieta's blowout win at Atlanta in his most recent start, 3 of his 6 prior outings had been games decided by a single run. Look for another tight game here as Liriano is certainly the type of pitcher who has displayed the ability to come up strong in a "big game setting" many times during his career. The Pirates lefty is coming off of a very strong start where he induced 17 swinging strikes and he struck out 8 while allowing just 1 earned run in that 6-inning outing. Liriano is looking to atone for an ugly effort at Wrigley Field in May and you can bet he'll be ready today. It's a Friday afternoon game at Wrigley Field and the Pirates are 41-20 in Friday games the past three seasons combined while the Cubs came into this season having gone only 26-29 in Friday games the two prior seasons. Again, we don't need a Pittsburgh win here as even a one-run Pirates loss gets us the cash in this one and I really like the situation here with the way Liriano threw in his last start coupled with the fact it will be "pitcher-friendly" conditions at Wrigley today. *8* PITTSBURGH +1.5 runs

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers -2 vs Golden State @ 9 PM ET - With this line now settling in at a -2 as of Wednesday evening, it is "go time" for me with the Cavaliers. Even though Draymond Green is expected back for the Warriors, the absence of Andrew Bogut is likely to prove to be more impacting than many expect. Even though Bogut hasn't played a lot of minutes in these finals, he has played key minutes where he has a been a force in the paint on the defensive end and he's also been big with some key boards underneath as well. Another key is that Green certainly has been known to get himself into foul trouble and now Bogut is not available to help balance that. The biggest key of all for this game is LeBron James and Company being fired up (which they are!) about the opportunity to have this Game 6 at home and to be able to force an "anything can happen" Game 7. The Cavaliers also want to atone for a poor game in Game 4 on their home floor after they were so dominant for the home fans in their big Game 3 win in Cleveland. Even though Golden State got that win in Game 4 in Cleveland it is important to note that the Warriors have shot 42.1% or worse from the field in THREE STRAIGHT games now. The only reason they won Game 4 was because of some hot three point shooting. That is unlikely to be repeated here as the Warriors have been held to 33.3% or less from beyond the arc in 3 of the last 4 games. James and the Cavs are so hungry I just don't see them being denied for a 2nd time on their home floor in this series. Keep in mind, the Cavs had won 8 straight playoff home games in this post-season before that Game 4 loss. They respond tonight by NOT disappointing the home fans in the proverbial must win situation. *10* CLEVELAND

Rickenbach MLB *8* Baltimore Orioles +1.5 runs -130 @ Boston @ 7:10 ET - Both of these pitchers have great records on the season and also have compiled a solid WHIP so far this year. However, Chris Tillman's 3.01 ERA is more than a run and a half less than Boston's David Price. Look for the Orioles right-hander to continue his domination of the Red Sox. Not only is Tillman off of a dominating start against the Royals in his most recent start, he also is 9-3 with a 2.84 ERA in his career starts against Boston. As for the Red Sox Price, the southpaw gave up 5 earned runs in 5 innings in his most recent start against the Orioles and that did come this season. This is an edge for the O's lineup as Baltimore is facing the Red Sox star lefty for the 2nd time already this season while Boston has not faced Tillman in over a year. I am going to grab the run and a half here with Baltimore because even though they've lost three straight, two of the three losses came by just a single run. Additionally, the Orioles had won 8 of their last 9 games before the three straight losses so they have been playing solid ball. Conversely, the Red Sox have lost 6 of their last 10 games and also Boston has lost 3 of its last 4 games at Fenway Park. Baltimore has gone an incredible 12-5 in their last 17 games as a road dog of +150 to +175. The Orioles are also 29-16 in night games this season. The Red Sox are 2-4 as a home fave of -150 to -175 this season. Also, when playing with day off, Boston has gone 18-26 the past three seasons. *8* BALTIMORE Run Line +1.5 runs

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers +6 @ Golden State @ 9 ET - Not only is Draymond Green expected to be out (suspension) for the Warriors but the Cavs LeBron James is fired up. Those two factors, in my opinion, are not properly factored into this line and there is tremendous line value with the Cavaliers as a sizable dog in a "win or go home" game. Certainly Cleveland disappointed in Game 4 but they will make up for it in Game 5. The Cavs are 16-6 straight-up this season when off of an upset loss as a favorite. The Warriors are only 8-8 ATS the past three seasons when off of an upset win as an underdog. The point is that the situational factors here favor the Cavaliers. Certainly Golden State is hoping to avoid a trip back to Cleveland but I see the hungriest Cavs team you've ever seen taking the floor tonight and I fully expect the outright win as they dominate the boards and get back to shutting down Stephen Curry like they were doing earlier in this series. The Warriors star had a breakout game in Game 4 but we've seen shooting slumps throughout this series for Curry and his teammates. That resumes tonight and Golden State will be in a dogfight tonight just to win this game...let alone get the cover. Grab the value with the points! *10* CLEVELAND

Rickenbach MLB *8* Philadelphia Phillies +1.5 runs -105 @ Toronto @ 7:05 ET - Jerad Eickhoff's record (3-8) is not reflective of how well he has pitched this season. He's often been a hard luck loser as he has a 3.68 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP on the season! Eickhoff comes into this start having compiled a solid 2.76 ERA in his last 5 starts and he'll take advantage of facing a Blue Jays team that has never seen him. As for R.A. Dickey of the Blue Jays, he had trouble with his knuckler (which is a key to his success) in his most recent start and he gave up 9 hits in less than 6 innings of work but was fortunate to only allow 2 earned runs in that outing. Dickey will be facing a Phillies team that has given him some trouble in recent meetings with 23 hits allowed in his last 18 and 1/3 innings against them. In his most recent start against the Phils, Dickey gave up 5 earned runs in only 4 innings of work. The Blue Jays are 0-6 in Dickey's home starts this season but, just in case Toronto does sneak out a tight win here I am going to grab the +1.5 runs with the Phillies. With Eickhoff on the mound, I see the Phils being "in this one" all the way! With yesterday's win over the Red Sox the Blue Jays still are only 5-4 in their last 9 games and 3 of those 5 wins came by just a single run. There is significant line value here with basically a "pick'em" price on the Phillies on the run line. PHILADELPHIA +1.5 runs

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers (-) vs Golden State @ 9 ET - The "knee-jerk reaction" here would be to back the Warriors as they may be expected to bounce back off of an embarrassing loss. However, the reality is that Golden State simply has not played that well on the road in this post-season. With their ugly loss at Cleveland on Wednesday, the Warriors have now lost 5 of their 8 post-season road games. Additionally, they really didn't play that well in 2 of the 3 road wins they did get. Their 7 point wins at Portland (on May 9th, should have blasted them) and at Oklahoma City (on May 28th, were down most of game) truly did not indicate any type of road dominance. The most dominating road win that Golden State has had in this post-season was when they blew out the Rockets in Houston on April 24th and that dominance was put on display in the second half AFTER Stephen Curry got hurt just before half-time. The fact is that Curry is not playing that well in this series and the Warriors are likely to be in trouble again in Game 4 as the Cavaliers are now 8-0 at home in the post-season with an average margin of victory of 22 points per win. The Cavs are simply a different team at home and the hunger of LeBron James and Company was on full display in Game 3 and I expect to see a repeat of the aggressive style in Game 4. Certainly this game is likely to be much closer than the Game 3 win but, that said, there is still great value only having to lay a very small number here with the Cavs. Look for the Cavaliers to continue dominating the glass and look for the Warriors shooting struggles away from home (under 41.5% from the field in 3 straight games) to continue Friday. *10* CLEVELAND

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers +7 @ Golden State @ 8:05 ET - The Warriors won Game 1 of the Finals Thursday by 15 points so I have a quick question for you. How big was Golden State's lead when only a minute and a half was left in the 3rd quarter? It's a trick question of course! The Warriors weren't even winning the game at that point. Cleveland led the game with 13.5 minutes to go. The fact is that credit certainly should go to the Warriors for the way they pulled away but the Cavaliers have now shaken off any remaining rust from the layoff after knocking off the Raptors and the Cavs will be ready in Game 2. I don't expect Cleveland to again shoot 38% from the field and certainly their rebounding edge is worth mentioning as I expect that to continue. The Cavaliers are the hungrier team but turned the ball over too much in Game One and certainly faded down the stretch which is certainly atypical of a team led by LeBron James. The Cavs will respond as they've done many times before in situations like this. Since the last time they faced Golden State in regular season action (January 18th) the Cavaliers had been held to 40% or less from the field only 7 times. Cleveland won their next game 6 of the 7 times. Of course we don't have to get a SU win here to get the cash but that factor has me raising this selection to a top play as the value is certainly there with the points. In Game One the Cavs were only getting 5.5 or 6 points but now, as of Friday night at least, the Cavs are getting 6.5 or 7 points. It's a lot of value for the betting markets to be giving to a hungry dog that "hung with" the Warriors for 3 full quarters before falling apart in the 4th quarter Thursday. I don't see a repeat of the collapse in Game Two and it would not surprise me to see the Cavs when this outright as Kyrie Irving responds off of a tough game. Grab the significant points here. *10* CLEVELAND +7

Rickenbach MLB *8* Atlanta Braves Run Line +1.5 runs -127 @ LA Dodgers @ 4:10 ET - As bad as the Braves certainly have been this season this is a tremendous value spot based on the pitching match-up as well as the fact that the Dodgers just are not hitting the ball well right now. They had their chance yesterday to pound a struggling hurler, Bud Norris, and still did not impress and they face a much tougher match-up today. The Dodgers have averaged only 5 HITS per game in their last 7 games...that is not RUNS that is HITS! That is insanely bad offensive production and they now faces Braves starter Matt Wisler who is holding hitters to a .176 batting average in his 5 games (4 starts) away from home this season. Also, in his 3 day games (2 starts) he has compiled a stellar 1.20 ERA so far this season. He nearly outdueled Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw when he faced him in late April and he's certainly capable of outdueling Scott Kazmir. I am well aware of the fact that the veteran southpaw has pitched better recently compared to his early season outings for the Dodgers. However, prior to surprisingly strong back to back starts for the left-hander, Kazmir had only 2 quality starts in his last 8 outings! That means he either wasn't lasting 6 innings or wasn't holding the opposition under 3 runs or both (and there were a lot of rough outings for him). The Braves can do enough to support Wisler here and, even if Atlanta doesn't get the outright win, i see them losing this game by just a single run. *8* ATLANTA +1.5 runs

Rickenbach MLB *8* Chicago Cubs Run Line -1.5 runs vs Arizona @ 2:20 ET - This match-up simply has blowout written all over it and the price to take the run line with the Cubs is certainly well within reason. This is particularly true when you consider that 30 of the Cubs 37 wins this season have come by 2 runs or more. The fact is that the Cubs generally don't "just win" they truly dominate in most of their victories. With the pitching mismatch of John Lackey for Chicago versus Archie Bradley for the Diamondbacks, this play easily made my card for Friday. Lackey is 3-1 with a 1.96 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in his 5 home starts this season. He's on top of his game right now for sure as the veteran right-hander has allowed just 15 hits in his last 28 innings. He now takes on an Arizona lineup that has averaged only 7 hits per game in their last 4 contests. The only reason the Dbacks got the win yesterday (a 3-0 shutout) was thanks to a fantastic pitching performance from Zach Greinke. But today they have Bradley on the mound and he is off of a strong start but it came against a Padres lineup that has struggled in most of their games this season. In Bradley's two prior starts he got rocked for 9 earned runs on 14 hits and 7 walks. As a result, Bradley has a 7.84 ERA and 2.03 WHIP in road outings this season. 25 of the Diamondbacks 32 losses this season have come by a margin of at least 2 runs and the Dbacks are on a 62-115 run in games against teams with a winning record. The Cubs have won 8 of 9 and stay hot here. *8* CHICAGO CUBS Run Line -1.5 runs

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers +6 @ Golden State @ 9:05 ET Thursday - The Warriors snuck by the Thunder but it wasn't pretty. This is not the same Golden State that simply steamrolled opposition during the majority of the regular season. The Warriors have been tested both mentally and physically by having to come back from a 3-1 series deficit to knock off the Thunder. Certainly Golden State deserves credit for that but now they face a Cavaliers team that is healthier than ever with the Big Three of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love. Last year was so frustrating for Cleveland...thinking of what might have been. Now they finally get a chance (healthy!) to redeem themselves and they have a huge edge of being able to sit back and watch the Warriors having to throw everything they had at Oklahoma City just to get to this point while the Cavs were resting up and game planning for this opportunity. As result of this, I fully expect the Cavaliers to jump on the Warriors and hit them hard early in Game One. We get line value because of the Cavs being on the road and Golden State's home court edge certainly is not as dominant as it had looked. The Warriors at home had a few miracle covers, got upset by the Thunder in one game, and even barely got by the Blazers in GS when they closed out that series. Conversely, the Cavaliers are definitely playing their best basketball of the season. The Cavs are 12-2 SU in these playoffs and 9-4 ATS in their last 13 postseason games. LeBron and Company have been waiting for this opportunity for so long and don't forget that last season Kyrie Irving was only able to play in one game in these finals and Kevin Love missed all 6 games. LeBron James felt he had a lot on his shoulders in this series last year (to say the least) but now has his full supporting cast. The results should be a fantastic rematch and I expect the Cavs to "steal" game one but certainly am grabbing the points which offer exceptional value and that makes this one a Top Play for me. *10* Cleveland

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Oklahoma City Thunder +7.5 @ Golden State @ 9 ET - There is no denying that the Thunder lost a heart-breaker in Game 6 on Saturday. They looked like the right side to have, no question about it, for all but the last few minutes of the game. If there is one team that has already shown multiple times this post-season that they could bounce back from a bad game without question, it is Oklahoma City. It would not surprise me to see the Thunder win this game outright at Golden State. The Warriors no longer have the same invincibility they had on their home floor before the post-season got underway. Additionally, the 7 point margin of victory for the Warriors in Game 6 helps lead to line value here because a turnover-plagued final few minutes of the game is what resulted in the Thunder giving that game away. It had no business being a 7 point final in favor of Golden State. The result of that though is additional line value here for Oklahoma City. Certainly it is highly unlikely that the Thunder are again going to get outscored 63 to 9 from three point land! That 54 point margin of difference from beyond the arc certainly played a large role in the outcome of the game as the Warriors made 21 of 44 three pointers while the Thunder made only 3 of 23. Oklahoma City has the resolve and the right match-up edges to beat the Warriors at Golden State. Even if they do fall short the last two OKC losses in this series have come by just single digits. Everyone has seen, throughout this postseason, that the Thunder are loaded with grit and determination. They now have lost back to back games to the Warriors and this is noteworthy because Oklahoma City has not lost three straight games in nearly SEVEN months! All the way back in early November is the only time this entire season that OKC has lost three straight games. If they do lose this one straight-up, I look for the Thunder to still get the cash but I absolutely expect them to play their toughest, strongest, grittiest game of the post-season and I look for them to dominate the boards and for the shooting stats from three point land to play out much differently in this one. Keep in mind, the Warriors had been held to 32% from beyond the arc in the past three games combined before the insane shooting night in Game 6. The Thunder are fired up after what happened on their home floor and they'll be regrouped and ready to win for the 6th time in 9 road games this postseason and, keep in mind, that's an impressive road stat when you consider that Golden State and San Antonio (OKC's prior series) were the two best home teams in the regular season! *10* OKLAHOMA CITY

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Oklahoma City Thunder -2 vs Golden State @ 9:05 ET Saturday - Amazingly the Thunder have not lost back to back games since early April. Oklahoma City put up a good fight at Golden State in Game 5 Thursday night but they fell just short. Now we catch the Thunder off of a loss which is a situation that has seen them go 6-0 SU and 6-0 ATS dating back to early April. Oklahoma City won those 6 games by an incredible average margin of 24 points per victory! Included in this perfect run is a 28 point victory over Golden State in Game 3 of this series after dropping Game 2 on the road. I don't expect this game to necessarily be decided by such a blowout margin but I certainly like having Oklahoma City on their home floor laying only a bucket in a spot where they've dominated for many weeks. The Thunder have won 12 of their last 14 home games and the Warriors, once consider invincible, have lost 4 of their 6 road playoff games. Curry, Thompson, and Green combined to make only 5 of 19 three pointers in Game 5 and though that still managed to "cut it" on their home floor, that won't get the job done on the road in Game 6. The bad news for Warriors fans is that the Golden State shooting is unlikely to improve on the road. The Thunder play in a raucous arena where they control the tempo and their defensive stops really get the arena rocking. Oklahoma City has held Golden State to only 30% from three point land in the two games in OKC in this series so far. The Thunder had a huge rebounding edge in each of the two games played at Oklahoma City and Durant, Westbrook, and Roberson all had double digits in boards in Game 4 here. The Thunder have proven all along that they have the talent level and moxie to match up with the Warriors and OKC big man Adams, along with the defensive presence of Ibaka, continue to show the "grit" of the Thunder. With the hunger that all these players, led especially by Durant and Westbrook, have shown throughout these playoffs, I do not see these guys being denied on their home floor. Therefore, the short number here is truly a fantastic value and I look for the Thunder to advance to the NBA Finals as they once again "step up" on their home floor off of a loss. *10* OKLAHOMA CITY

Rickenbach NBA *8* Golden State Warriors Pick'em @ Oklahoma City @ 9 ET - Just when you think it may be "over" for Golden State, look for them to fight back. I have been riding Oklahoma City throughout this post-season as they upset the Spurs when no one gave them a chance and now against the Warriors they may very well pull off the series upset as well. However, I expect this game to go to Golden State in full "bounce back" mode. I can use the "straight up" trends here rather than the ATS trends since the line is a pick'em and the SU results are especially noteworthy. The Warriors are 12-0 (10-2 ATS) this season when playing with revenge. Also, when off of an upset loss as a favorite, Golden State has gone 11-0 (8-2-1 ATS) this season. After a loss by 10 points or more, the Warriors are 6-0 (4-2 ATS) this season. When trailing in a playoff series the past few seasons, Golden State is a combined 5-0 SU and ATS! No matter how you look at it this is definitely a team that knows how to respond to a disappointing effort and certainly the 133 points allowed on Sunday has the full attention of coach Steve Kerr and this Warriors team. They will assuredly respond in Game 4 on Tuesday. Also note the following in-season trends for the Thunder that are "in play" tonight: Oklahoma City is 1-3 ATS when off of an upset win as an underdog and also 14-21 ATS after allowing 105 points or more in their prior game. *8* GOLDEN STATE 

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers -5.5 @ Toronto @ 8:35 ET - After going 10-0 to open up the playoffs, the Cavaliers finally lost one on Saturday at Toronto. Of the Cavs most recent 9 wins, only 2 came by a single digit margin. With Cleveland 15-5 SU off of an upset loss as a favorite and 6-2 SU this season when off of a loss by a margin of 10 points or more, the Cavaliers can be expected to bounce back here. Certainly Toronto deserves credit for their fantastic performance in Game Three but you can bet (literally!) that the Cavaliers will make the appropriate adjustments. You can also bet that Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving aren't going to combine to again go 4 for 28 from the field like they did on Saturday! The Cavs still lead this series 2 games to 1 and the Cavaliers are 14-2 SU (and 10-6 ATS) the past three seasons combined when they are leading in a playoff series. The Cavs will make some changes to counter the production of the Raptors Bismack Biyombo who had a huge game on the board and on defense in Game 3. Toronto is 5-9 ATS this season (and 14-24 ATS the past three seasons) when they are off of an upset win as an underdog. Also, this is still a Raptors teams that has gone 8-19 ATS in all playoff games the past three seasons combined. If this game was in Cleveland the Cavs would be favored by at least double what the spread is for this one. Take advantage of the line value of the Cavaliers being on the road in a bounce back spot. It is payback time for LeBron James and company Monday. *10* CLEVELAND

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Oklahoma City Thunder +3 vs Golden State @ 8 ET Sunday - The long layoff between games two and three of this series is a huge benefit for the Thunder. The best thing for the Warriors after they blew out Oklahoma City in Game Two on Wednesday would have been to walk right back onto the court Friday and pick up right where they left off. Instead, based on a scheduling quirk, not only is the West off on Friday when you would have expected them to play next, they don't even play Saturday either. This a huge edge for the Thunder who have plenty of time to regroup and prepare to get back on track after Game Two got away from them. Oklahoma City was actually tied with the Warriors with about a minute and a half to go in the second quarter Wednesday when Golden State suddenly erupted. That big push right before half that opened up a solid Warriors lead of 7 points at the half changed the momentum of the game and the mindset of the Thunder who had battled so hard to stay with Golden State all the way in the first 23 minutes of the game just like they did in all 48 on Monday when they got that upset win over the Warriors. The Thunder now have had a full chance to regroup and are still happy they got the split in Golden State. Also, an angry Russell Westbrook (rough game two for him) is a focused Russell Westbrook and that means his "A game" will be brought to Game 3 on Sunday. Just like he did against the Spurs, Westbrook is capable of elevating his level of play and very nearly practically willing his team to victory. When the Warriors got blasted at San Antonio in the second round, they responded by winning the next game and gutting out the victory even though the game was at San Antonio. Now, they are in a "bounce back" mode again and they get this game on their home floor where the Thunder have won 10 of their last 12 games and the 2 losses came by a total of only 5 points. In the playoffs Golden State is only 2-2 on the road and they faced a Houston team wrought with team chemistry issues and a Trail Blazers team that only advanced because the Clippers lost both their star players (Paul and Griffin). The point is that the Warriors haven't exactly been "road warriors" in these playoffs and now they face a team with a ton of talent, a rebounding machine, and that plays with tons of heart and intensity especially when on their home floor. Look for the Thunder to even this up on Sunday night. Huge edge with the extra prep time for coach Billy Donovan and Company to regroup for this one. *10* OKLAHOMA CITY

Rickenbach NBA *8* Oklahoma City Thunder +9 @ Golden State @ 9:05 ET - In the tradition of the "zig zag" theory I am quite sure most of the world is going to be lined up on the Warriors tonight. But, just like how I rode the Thunder in their road games at San Antonio I am recommending the same thing in Game Two of this series as what I recommended in Game One. Grab the generous points with Oklahoma City. What is being over-estimated here is how Golden State simply must bounce back at home after already losing a game in this series. Remember how the same things was being said about San Antonio (no way they lose on their home floor twice)? What is being underestimated here is that neither Andrew Bogut nor Steph Curry are truly 100%. The Warriors were a -6 with Bogut on the floor in game one and Golden State also was a -6 with Curry on the floor in game one. Curry even had an uncharacteristic 7 turnovers in the game. The worst news of all for GS is that Oklahoma City won Game One even though Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook shot a combined 17 of 51 (33%) from the field! That is SCARY news for the Warriors. Not one but BOTH of the Thunder stars had "off games" Monday and yet Oklahoma City still got the upset win AT Golden State. Wednesday could spell disaster for the Warriors. Why? Because the Thunder can be extremely aggressive, relentless, and relaxed all at the same time! Why is that? Because after today this series takes a break until Sunday at Oklahoma City. The Thunder have already "stolen" a game at Golden State. The extra rest coming up after tonight's game means that OKC can "go for the jugular" tonight and put a ton of pressure on the Warriors and a ton of energy into this contest. Durant and Westbrook played a lot of minutes in Game One and, with the way the scheduling works out, there is no reason they can't do it again in Game Two. As far as what I mean by "relaxed" there is no pressure on the Thunder here. None whatsover. They already got a win at GS. That means tonight I look for MORE of Durant's and Westbrook's shots to fall. They will be relaxed and in a better flow offensively and this spells trouble for Golden State. The only reason I am not going with a top play here is that I certainly do respect the Warriors here and I already had a big top play in going against them in Game One. However, I do absolutely feel that this is a great situation for the Thunder while the whole world is likely to line up on Golden State. Even more line value for dog players. Grab it. *8* OKLAHOMA CITY

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Oklahoma City Thunder +7.5 @ Golden State @ 9:05 ET - The Thunder continue to get very little credit for having dispatched of the Spurs. Remember that everyone was saying they couldn't wait to see San Antonio match-up with Golden State in the Western Conference Finals. The clamoring about the Spurs/Warriors impending series came even larger when SA annihilated OKC by 32 points in Game 1 of their 2nd round series. Of course now that the Thunder went on to win 4 of the last 5 games including each of the next two match-ups in San Antonio, everyone is just saying that the Spurs were old, coach Popovich has lost his abilities, etc. The point I am making is many just don't realize how good this OKC team is. The Thunder dominate the boards because they have big men like Adams and Kanter and Ibaka is a continued force defensively and on the glass. These are the guys you hear less about because, of course, Durant and Westbrook are the stars that get all the hype. The fact is that the Thunder are well coached (give Donovan some credit!) and are built well to give the Warriors some trouble in this series. The fact that one of Golden State's big men, Bogut, is likely to play tonight but is still trying to work his way back from an injury and Curry still may not be 100% combines to give even more value to the underdog Thunder here. The Warriors are certainly a phenomenal team but let's not forget that their first round opponent was a dysfunctional Rockets team filled with internal conflict and their 2nd round opponent was lucky to even be there. Why was Portland lucky? Because the injuries to the Clippers Griffin and Paul prevented what would have been a dandy of a 2nd round showdown between the Clips and the Warriors. The point is that Golden State hasn't really been tested yet but they're about to get tested fully by a full-tilt Thunder attack that has no fear of anyone. They are playing like a team that is possessed as they attack the boards and rotate well on defense, etc. I like hungry dogs and teams that feel like they are being given no respect. Everyone is already talking about how the NBA Finals will play out featuring the Cavs versus Warriors! The Thunder have heard and have plenty of motivation here...not that a shot at the NBA Finals isn't already motivation enough. An outright upset in Game One is what I expect but of course I am grabbing the available points. This is the game the Thunder could catch the Warriors a little overconfident. It is a fantastic situational play and that's why it gets my highest rating! *10* OKLAHOMA CITY

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Miami Heat +4.5 @ Toronto @ 3:35 ET - This series has been so tight with many close games that, first off, there is simply inherent value in having the points in this match-up. However, there is certainly some other strong reasoning for grabbing Miami in this one. Toronto simply relies too heavily on their backcourt and the overall poor shooting from their star guards has certainly hurt the Raptors throughout this series. Toronto's reliance on their backcourt has become an even bigger issue with the injury to big man Jonas Valanciunas as his absence means even more of the scoring load falls on the Raptors guards. Toronto has a history that does not bode well for a huge Game 7 match-up like this whereas the Heat have proven time and time again that they are resilient with Dwyane Wade leading the way. Miami has won 3 straight series where the Heat were down 3-2 in each series. This is part of a long-term run for Miami that has seen them go 7-1 in elimination games. Simply put, the Heat have shown they can be at their best when they are feeling the "heat". This is certainly not the case for the Raptors who, with Friday's loss, are now 2-6 all-time in games where they have a chance to eliminate their opponent. Overall, Toronto is 6-17 ATS in all playoff games the past three seasons. Conversely, the Heat are now on a long-term 36-20 run in second round playoff games. Miami is also 11-2 SU in Sunday games this season while Toronto is 5-10 ATS. If the Raptors eke out the win here it is likely to be by a single possession or on a last second shot. But, truly, there is every reason to believe the Heat win this game outright and certainly the line value (in this fiercely contested series) is with having the handful of points. *10* MIAMI

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Miami Heat -4 vs Toronto @ 8:05 ET - The Heat came back from 20 points down against the Raptors in Game 5 and that was on the road. Miami cut the Toronto lead from 20 all the way down to just 1 in the fourth quarter. That says a lot about this Heat team even though they ultimately fell short of the cover against the Raptors on Wednesday. Look for Miami to bounce back tonight on their home floor. Dwayne Wade was drafted all the way back in 2003 and only two times since then has an Eastern foe ever managed to win two games in Miami in a series. The Raptors already stole one in this series and I don't see them winning another one here. Toronto is an ugly 1-4 all-time in their series closeout opportunities away from home. The Heat are 7-1 the last 8 times they faced elimination and that includes already going 2-0 in that situation this season as they rallied from a 3-2 deficit to knock off the Hornets in round one of this post-season. The Raptors finally got big games from their key scorers in Game 5 but, overall, Toronto's highly regarded back-court has shot poorly in this series, and I look for the subpar shooting to resume now that the Raptors are back on the road for Game 6. Toronto is 0-6 all-time when leading in a playoff series including 1-5 ATS. Conversely, the Heat are on a long-term 27-18 SU and ATS run when trailing in a playoff series. The Heat have been playing excellent defense in this post-season and the small number on this game makes the home team well worth the investment as their 4 home wins in this post-season have come by an average margin of 21 points per game. *10* MIAMI

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Oklahoma City Thunder +2 vs San Antonio @ 8:35 ET - All the talk in San Antonio was about how the Spurs would match up with the Warriors in the next series. Maybe the talk should have focused on how much Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker have aged! Of course the Spurs have new younger talent like LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard but there is only so much those guys can do. What the Spurs have quickly found out is that the overall talent and athleticism of the Thunder - including stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook - could prove to be too much. Having to head for Oklahoma City in Game 6 and facing elimination, some may expect the Spurs to rally the troops but, after blowing a 13 point lead in Game 5 on their home floor, it is evident who wants this series more. That said, I don't see the Thunder blowing the opportunity to close this series out on their home floor. History is certainly not on the Spurs side here because coach Gregg Popovich has a 2-10 record...you read that write...just 2 wins in 12 chances when on the road in the playoffs and facing elimination. Many of those came by double digits and nearly all of them came by at least 7 points. That said, to be getting OKC as a home dog here means even more value because many times the Spurs have fallen well short in a spot like this. Aldridge started this series in fantastic fashion but has now struggled for three straight games. Danny Green had a big game 5 but it would be tough to duplicate that shooting effort on the road. He only made 30% of his threes on the road in the regular season and big scoring efforts from him have been infrequent this season. The Spurs have covered only 5 of their last 14 road games and 2 of those covers came against Memphis and 1 against Minnesota. San Antonio just hasn't been up to par against the better teams in the league and the Thunder certainly are roaring like a freight train right now and I don't see the Spurs being able to successfully stop them in Oklahoma City given the hunger this team has put on full display in coming back from a 2-1 series deficit. *10* OKLAHOMA CITY

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Portland Trail Blazers +13 @ Golden State @ 10:35 ET - The Trail Blazers have had the lead at half in each of the last 3 games and the average margin was 10 points in favor of Portland! Give the Warriors credit for coming back to win 2 of those 3 games. However, all 4 games in this series have been decided by 12 points or less and one of those two aforementioned wins came in OT as Stephen Curry put on a ridiculous performance in the extra stanza. Arguably one of the greatest OT performances of all time. Curry though is actually part of the key as to why I like this play so much. I don't see Portland going away without a fight in this series. The Trail Blazers have shown plenty of heart and grit and while they are certainly disappointed about the Game 4 loss in OT they also are professional players that know their season is over if they do not win tonight. That said, I look for the Blazers to give another huge effort tonight and even if Golden State still manages to get a big lead and is up by say 15 points as we get into the latter stages of this game, do you really think Curry is going to be on the floor? Of course not! The Warriors need to protect their star players (in particularly that star) and that means if they are up big late in this game they definitely need to be sitting guys. They will start looking ahead at facing either OKC or SA in the Western Conference finals and Golden State will certainly be more concerned with staying healthy for that match-up rather than worrying about whether or not they win this game by 15 points or just 10 points or even high single digits for the final margin. The point is that all of the above is IF the Warriors are up huge. I honestly would not be surprised, based on how Game 4 played out WITH Curry on the floor, if the Blazers are in this game all the way. This is their season on the line and they dominated the glass in Monday's game but just got a little sloppy with too many turnovers in the game. Even with that it was still a game decided in OT. Portland is 9-4 ATS this season when playing with home loss revenge. Certainly Golden State has been a "covering machine" while the Trail Blazers have not but the Warriors certainly were fortunate in their Game 4 cover and that is helping to result in an inflated line here for Game 5. I'll gladly step in and take advantage of the big number as per the reasoning above. *10* PORTLAND

Rickenbach NBA *8* Miami Heat +4.5 or 5 @ Toronto @ 8:05 ET - After opening up at Toronto -4 this line quickly moved to -4.5 and we are now seeing lines as high as -5 as of early gameday morning. The Raptors are getting the money as many expect them to bounce back on their home floor. However, let's not forget that 3 of the 4 games in this series have gone to overtime. Also, the one game that didn't was only decided by 4 points. Considering those factors as well as the absence of the Raptors Jonas Valanciunas being more costly than the absence of Hassan Whiteside in terms of how those two bigs had contributed early in the series, and you have the makings of some extreme line value here with taking the points. The Raptors backcourt continues to struggle as they've shot poorly for weeks now! Simply put, Toronto is nothing special and yet they're grabbing the money right now in this critical Game 5 situation. I'll gladly grab the team that has a history of more postseason success and is getting a handful of points here. Miami is 6-3 SU and ATS in 2nd round playoff games the past three seasons. The Raptors are 5-16 ATS in all playoff games the past three seasons. Also, the continued low-scoring trend in this series favors gritty Miami over the Raptors without Valanciunas. Miami is 13-5 SU when they enter a game off of 3 or more consecutive unders while the Raptors are 5-7 SU (and 2-10 ATS!) in the same situation. The Heat keep grinding tonight and the value is with the points until the Raptors can prove otherwise in this series. *8* MIAMI

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Oklahoma City Thunder +7 @ San Antonio @ 8:00 ET - The Spurs are 43-2 SU at home and most of you have probably heard or are not surprised to hear that record as San Antonio's home dominance was well-documented this season. However, many of you might be surprised to know that the Spurs are only 6-10 ATS in their last 16 home games. Two of those ATS covers came at the expense of the Grizzlies in the first round. Memphis had a roster that was so depleted they honestly might have lost a series against the NCAA Champion Villanova Wildcats, let alone having to play the Spurs. By the way, the Spurs last 5 games against good teams (Golden State, Oklahoma City, and Toronto) saw San Antonio go just 1-4 ATS with 2 of the 4 losses being outright losses. I am not necessarily saying the Thunder win this game outright but it truly would not be a complete surprise. The original Big 3 of the Spurs: Parker, Ginobili, and especially Duncan are all showing their age. That said, are Leonard and Aldridge enough to get past Westbrook and Durant of the Thunder. I think this is going to be an epic battle the rest of the way and, in a game five that should be very tight, grabbing the big points is the way to go. Keep in mind, ever since that crazy first game where OKC got a wake-up call, the last 3 games have featured 2 Thunder wins and 1 Thunder loss by just four points. That game was decided on a late offensive rebound of a missed free throw for San Antonio. Had OKC grabbed that board, the Thunder would have had the ball with a chance to win or tie the game at the end of regulation. The whole point is that not a lot of margin separates these teams but the whole world is likely to be lining up on San Antonio in this one. True to form, I like to be a contrarian and it has served me well through the years. I'll grab the generous points as the Thunder know that, to advance, they still have to win a game in San Antonio. In other words, no let up here, no loss of emotional edge. The Thunder come out just as focused as the Spurs in this one. *10* OKLAHOMA CITY

Rickenbach NBA *10* Miami Heat -5.5 vs Toronto @ 8 ET - All the games in this series have been tight but this looks like the game where all that changes. The injury issue with Jonas Valanciunas of the Raptors is a big deal. Yes, I am well aware of the Hassan Whiteside injury for the Heat and the fact that Chris Bosh has been a long-term absence for Miami. However, Valanciunas is truly a key, integral part of the Toronto interior and his production is going to be difficult to replace if he's unable to play for any significant amount of time (and he's out for this series). Couple that with the fact that the Heat are looking to bounce back off of a rare home loss and you have the makings of a home rout in this Game 4 match-up that is absolutely key for Miami to win to get back into this series. Keep in mind that the Raptors were up by 13 points very early in the 3rd quarter when Valanciunas got hurt. That means the Heat essentially won the 2nd half (nearly all of that half) of the game by 9 points as they went on to lose the game by 4 points. The significance in that is that, at home and seeking revenge and facing the Raptors without Valanciunas (out for the series) perhaps the Heat win this one by 9 points in each half and get an 18 point win! Honestly that result would not surprise as, even though Whiteside is an important piece to the Heat, Valanciunas is even more important to the Raptors. Toronto's win at Miami Saturday resulted in their 1st ATS cover in their last 7 games. The Heat had covered 10 of their last 15 games before the game three defeat. The Raptors are 5-15 ATS in all playoff games the last three seasons and 0-3 ATS when leading in a playoff series. Toronto is also 14-23 ATS when off of an upset win as an underdog. The Heat went 11-6 ATS this season when off of an upset loss as a favorite and are also 11-5 ATS this season when playing with home loss revenge. *10* MIAMI

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Oklahoma City Thunder +1.5 vs San Antonio @ 8:00 ET - The Spurs snuck out the Game 3 win but I don't see the Thunder losing two straight on their home floor. Westbrook had an awful shooting night Friday and I don't foresee that being repeated here. Straight up trends can be discussed here because this line is right around the pick'em range and the Thunder have gone 11-2 this season when playing with home loss revenge. Also, when trailing in a playoff series the Thunder have gone 6-2 the past three seasons. One of the few roles that the Spurs have struggled in is that of the road favorite. They were somewhat fortunate to get the cover in Game 3 as Leonard got a huge offensive rebound for them off of a free throw miss. Otherwise the game likely would have ended with the Spurs losing on a last second three pointer or winning by no more than 2 points and many (including myself) had the +2.5 in that game with OKC. In this game 4 match-up the line is SA by 1.5 or 1 as of early gameday morning. Note that San Antonio was 7-13 SU and ATS as a road favorite of 3 points or less before notching that Game 3 win as a small road fave. So they bucked a 65% play against situation in Game 3 but the Spurs are unlikely to win again in a similar situation considering the Thunder have more than just home revenge on their minds. OKC knows that if they lose tonight the series is essentially over because winning 3 straight (including 2 more times in SA) is highly unlikely. That means tonight is the true definition of a must win. Now I don't just blindly play "must win" situations and certainly have played against them often in the past but, in this case, knowing the Thunder lost the turnover battle and rebounding battle in Game 3 plus shot poorly and yet still only lost the game by 4 points...I am backing the home team tonight. Westbrook has made just 26 of 75 shots in this series. That's not going to continue at home in Game 4. He had a huge statement game at home in Game 5 against Dallas and that finished the Mavericks off. That was a big game and he'll step up again here and help lead the way to another critical home win as the Thunder get back into this series by evening it up tonight. *10* OKLAHOMA CITY

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Oklahoma City Thunder +2.5 vs San Antonio @ 9:35 ET - In typical "zig zag" fashion, this line opened up with Oklahoma City favored by a point and a half and the Thunder are now as high as a two and a half point dog in this one. Of course everyone saw the Spurs fall just short at home on Monday and so the whole world couldn't believe the odds makers had the "gall" to favor the Thunder in Game 3. As a result, tons of support flooded in on the Spurs as there is no way the Spurs could lose back to back games, right? In my humble opinion, you better believe they could. San Antonio had a great regular season particularly at home and they play great "system" basketball. However, the Spurs Big 3 of Ginobili, Parker, and Duncan certainly isn't what it once was. As a result, guys like Kahwi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge fill the most important roles now. However, is this really going to be enough to carry the Spurs through this series when guys like Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are so determined for the Thunder. Oklahoma City is a confident group on their home floor and has had great success in recent home meetings against the Spurs. In fact, OKC is 6-2 SU and ATS in their last 8 meetings with the Spurs in Oklahoma City. As a road favorite of 3 points or less the past three seasons the Spurs are 7-13 SU and ATS! In road games this season with a posted total between 200 and 204.5 San Antonio has gone 3-8 ATS this season. The Thunder are 4-2 SU and 5-1 ATS as a home dog of 3 points or less the past three seasons. They are playing with the mentality of an "underdog edginess" against the Spurs while San Antonio has been calling for Golden State ever since they swept an injury-ravaged Memphis team and then dominated the Thunder in the first game of this series. What Game Two did, with the tight Thunder win, was totally change the emotions and motivation of this series and I'll gladly fade the line move in this one because, ladies and gentlemen, we have a series on our hands here. This is going to be an all out war and the Spurs lost their moxie with the Game Two loss. *10* OKLAHOMA CITY

Rickenbach MLB *8* Philadelphia Phillies Run Line +1.5 -130 @ St Louis @ 1:45 ET - The Phillies suffered a tight loss yesterday but that was just their 3rd loss in their last 13 games. I look for the Phils to bounce back today but if they do fall short I would expect it to play out much like last night's game did where Philadelphia lost it in the bottom of the 9th to lose by a single run. So I am grabbing the run line here with the small juice making it a worthwhile investment to have the run and a half. The Cardinals had lost 5 of 6 before yesterday's win. The Cards have lost each of the last 3 starts that Jaime Garcia has made. The St Louis southpaw also is 0-3 in his last 3 starts against the Phillies and he has given up 12 earned runs in the 14 innings spanning those three outings. The Cardinals are 0-5 in home games with a posted total of 7 runs or less this season. The Phillies are 9-2 this season in all games with a posted total of 7 runs or less. Odds makers are expected a lower-scoring game here as they hung a 7 on this game and the Phillies should get a quality start from Jerad Eickhoff. The young righty's stats are a little skewed by one bad start at Milwaukee this season. In his other 4 starts this season, Eickhoff has held opponents to just 7 earned runs in 25 innings! More of the same today. *8* PHILADELPHIA Run Line

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Miami Heat +4.5 @ Toronto @ 8:05 ET - On the one hand, the Raptors could be a little more relaxed now that they finally got out of the first round. On the other hand, this could be a big letdown spot for Toronto as they had so much emotion for their huge Game 7 with Indiana where the Raptors finally got over the frustration of recent playoff failures. I foresee the latter. While Toronto exhales a sigh of relief of finally getting a big Game 7 home win, the Heat will come into this game with their typical workmanlike mentality. Comparing the teams, Miami has been playing the much better defense and the Heat used this defense to create some blowout wins as their average margin of victory against Charlotte was 20 points! As for the Raptors, they barely snuck by Indiana. The 3 losses for Toronto came by an average margin of 15 points per game and 3 of the 4 wins came by only a single digit margin and that included the last two victories coming by 5 points or less. The Raptors concerns include the poor shooting of Kyle Lowry as his elbow injury is more of an issue then was previously expected. Also, Toronto is 0-3 in their last 3 Game One home games. Though the Raptors have won 5 of the last 6 regular season meetings with Miami, playoff basketball is a different "animal" and the Heat held Charlotte to 43% or less from the field in all 7 games. The Raptors allowed the Pacers to hit 45% or better from the field in each of the final four games in the series. That has a lot to do with Toronto's 0-4 ATS run and I expect a 5th straight loss for the Raptors at the betting window tonight. *10* MIAMI

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Oklahoma City Thunder +8 @ San Antonio @ 9:35 ET - After getting completely steamrolled by the Spurs in Game One, I expect a huge response from the Thunder in Game Two. San Antonio simply could not miss on Saturday as the Spurs were simply on fire from the floor. The game was decided by halftime and the Thunder are fully prepared to respond in Game Two. You can bet (literally) that the Spurs won't again shoot 61% from the floor and 60% from three point land. It was simply "one of those nights" and, not to take anything away from the Spurs, the Thunder are not that "bad" of a team. In fact, when off of a loss by a margin of 10 points or more, Oklahoma City has gone 4-1 SU this season. After allowing 105 points or more this season, the Thunder have gone 25-10 SU. Now, I am certainly not saying that I expect the Thunder to win this game outright as, let's not forget, the Spurs have gone an insane 43-1 at home this season. But, what I am saying is that I expect this game to be decided by no more than a couple buckets. It wasn't like the Thunder had a problem with rebounding or turning the ball over too much in Game One. Again, it was just "one of those nights" and Westbrook, Durant, Ibaka and company will be ready to respond big tonight. Getting off to a great start and keeping the wild San Antonio crowd from getting so raucous early will key what I expect to be a tight, back and forth game tonight. Coach Donovan is a great coach and he will make adjustments for Game Two. When leading in a playoff series the Spurs have gone 10-8 SU and 9-9 ATS the past three seasons combined. When trailing in a playoff series the Thunder have gone 5-2 SU and 4-2-1 ATS the past three seasons. The Spurs are expected to ultimately prevail in this series but it's far from over yet and the Thunder should give one of their best efforts of the entire season tonight after the ridiculous way Game One played out. *10* OKLAHOMA CITY

Rickenbach NBA *8* Atlanta Hawks +8 @ Cleveland @ 7:05 ET - The Cavaliers demolished the Hawks in last year's post-season and that is what is still fresh in everyone's minds. The key to things being different this spring is the Hawks stellar defense as they have been a top defensive team that came on very strong at the end of the season as well. The key to things being particularly different in Game One of this second round series is that the Cavaliers are off of a long layoff. The Cavs swept Detroit in round one and so LeBron James and Company have had a full week off heading into this Monday game. No matter how much you practice or simulate games there is no such thing that compares to the actual game and Cleveland, as a result, is very likely to have some rust here in Game One. Rust won't be an issue for the Hawks as they wrapped up their series with the Celtics on Thursday. Atlanta got a big road win at Boston to wrap up that series and having 3 days off coming into this series is perfect for the Hawks. It's enough time to rest but it's not so much time off that it becomes an issue of losing your rhythm. The latter of which is absolutely what I expect to see happen for Cleveland here in Game One. The Hawks fantastic defense has held 9 of their last 15 opponents under 39.9% from the field! This is quite a contrast in comparison with Cleveland who has allowed 8 consecutive opponents to hit at least 43.5% from the field. Look for the Hawks to be confident on the road here after the big road win at Boston to finish up that series. Atlanta is 51-29 ATS the past three seasons when they are off of a win by a margin of 10 points or more. As for the Cavaliers, they are 9-19 ATS this season when they enter a game on a winning streak of 3 games or more. Cleveland may manage to get the home win here but if they do, it is likely to be by a very slim margin as the Hawks have the scheduling edge here and want to prove they are not the same team that the Cavaliers so easily dispatched of last season. *8* ATLANTA

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Indiana Pacers +6 @ Toronto @ 8:05 ET - Forget pointspreads for a minute...let's just talk about some straight-up numbers in this one. The Pacers have won 2 of the last 3 games. They won 2 of the 3 games in Indiana and one could also argue that they should have won 2 of the 3 games in Toronto. Remember the Pacers blew Game 5 here in Toronto as they had a big double digit lead going to the 4th quarter. Indiana showed their resolve and bounced back by getting the home win in Game 6 so that they could force this Game 7. The value that gives us here is that the Pacers have the momentum in the series, they have the confidence of knowing they can win at Toronto (won one here but should have won two), and they've got the psychological factor working in their favor too as the Raptors have such a negative stigma about failing in the playoffs including in Game Sevens on their home floor. Now, all of the above said, this should be simply a fantastic game where it would not surprise if Indiana is the team that ends up advancing. That said, in a series where home court has really proven to not be that big of a deal, if you're going to give me the team with the momentum, the better frame of mind (postseason failures in Toronto's mind), and you're going to give me a half dozen points too...I am going to jump all over that anytime! That is why this is a top play as I look for Paul George to come up huge once again for the Pacers. Indiana is now 8-5 ATS in first round playoff games while the Raptors are 4-12 ATS in first round playoff games the past three seasons. Toronto will be feeling the pressure just win this game...let alone get the cover. I look for a Pacers upset but will grab all the available points in this one. *10* INDIANA 

Rickenbach NBA *8* Portland Trail Blazers +9.5 @ Golden State @ 3:35 ET - Of course it's hard to fade the Warriors when they are hot as they have been but there are a couple of key factors that lead to great value here. One of course is the fact that Stephen Curry is out for Golden State in game one. The other, and perhaps most important, is that the Warriors go from facing a dysfunctional Rockets team to a Trail Blazers team playing with plenty of heart and confidence. Of course the Blazers were able to take advantage of Clippers injuries as the series went on but there is no questioning the fact that the makeup of this team is much different than that of the Rockets team that the Warriors so easily disposed of. This has led to fantastic line value for the underdog Blazers in this one as they have the talented backcourt to match-up well with Golden State on the perimeter (especially in a game where Curry is out). For comparison's sake just look at what Portland did to the Clippers after Chris Paul went out (yes I know Blake Griffin got hurt too but he was out for significant time anyway recently) and compare this with how the Rockets performed against the Warriors after Curry got hurt before half of Game 4. The point is that Golden State, sans Curry, is in for a much bigger challenge here than they got from the Warriors. Big dog value in this one. *8* PORTLAND

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Oklahoma City Thunder +6.5 @ San Antonio @ 8:35 ET - The Spurs are 42-1 at home this season and only laying 6.5 points here so they must be the play here, right? Not likely although that is precisely what the odds maker is banking on here to balance the action as, in my opinion, the smart money comes in on the Thunder in this one. Oklahoma City is one of the few teams that has proven to be a tough match-up for the Spurs in recent meetings. The Thunder covered all 4 games with the Spurs this season and though the Spurs won the two home games they were both tight victories. Oklahoma City's tandem of Westbrook and Durant, when healthy, are capable of terrorizing opponents. They come into this series well-rested after easily dismantling the injury-depleted Mavericks. The Spurs also are well rested after easily crushing the even moreso injury-ravaged Grizzlies. The fact that San Antonio wasn't even tested in the first round could be bad news here as they just really faced no adversity and were never challenged because Memphis was so short-handed. At least the Thunder had the 'excitement' of losing game two on their home floor. Oklahoma City responded by winning 3 straight games by an average margin of 18 points per victory to dispatch of Dallas. The Thunder went 7-2 ATS in Saturday games this season and are 16-6 ATS in Saturday games the past three seasons combined. Of course this match-up is billed as offense (OKC) versus defense (SA) and that may not bode well for the Spurs (at least at the betting window) as San Antonio has gone 14-21 ATS in their last 35 games against teams averaging 99 points or more per game on the season. The Spurs take such a huge jump up from facing the injury-ravaged Grizzlies to the fully healthy (and ultra talented) Thunder that I would not be surprised to see a Game One upset. At the very least, look for the road dog cover in this one. *10* OKLAHOMA CITY

Rickenbach NBA *8* Indiana Pacers -2 vs Toronto @ 7:35 ET - Pacers blew a big lead and lost at Toronto in Game 5. Normally that type of defeat is extremely tough to come back from but this situation is very different. Indiana is now back home, they are facing elimination, and they have had two full days of rest to prepare to play their "biggest game of the year" tonight. The Pacers are 12-4 ATS when playing with two days of rest this season and I expect a fresh Paul George to "go off" tonight and lead the way to a Pacers home win. Indiana already faced a "must win" situation in Game 4 of this series when they got down 2 games to 1 and "had to win" at home in Game 4. The result was a dominating 100-83 victory for the Pacers. By rallying on their home floor that night they got back in the series and they can do the same thing tonight to stave off elimination. The Raptors also are battling the post-season "demons" of past exits from the playoffs and that weighs heavily on teams in this situation. With Toronto's non-covering Game 5 win, the Raptors are now 4-11 ATS in playoff games the past three seasons combined. Toronto feels the added pressure here as they had a 3-8 SU mark in playoff games heading into this series with the Pacers. *8* INDIANA 

Rickenbach MLB *8* Philadelphia Phillies +1.5 Runs -107 @ Washington @ 7:05 ET - The Nationals lost to the Phillies 4-3 yesterday. The Nats managed just 7 hits in the game. Washington has been held to 7 hits or less in 5 of their last 8 games and have been held to 3 runs or less in 6 of their last 9 games. When a lineup is performing the way the Nationals have been they will be in a battle just to win this game. With that said, the likelihood of the Nats winning by two runs or more is even less. Washington is just 5-4 in their last 9 games. The Phillies are 4-1 in their last 5 games. The Phillies Jeremy Hellickson is off of a couple tougher outings at home but he's gone 1-0 with a 1.54 WHIP and a 0.60 WHIP in his two road starts this season. The Nationals are hitting just .244 on the season while the Phillies are hitting .258 in road games this season. With each win the young Phils get they are growing in confidence and they'll be ready to do battle with Gio Gonzalez of the Nats today as they get a 2nd shot at him after seeing him on the 17th. The southpaw pitched well that day while, on the 15th, Hellickson struggled against the Nationals. So often these things reverse when there is a quick second shot at an opponent so don't be surprised if Hellickson outduels Gonzalez today. Yesterday was the Phillies 6th win in their last 9 games as a dog of +130 or more. But I am grabbing the +1.5 runs here in case they lose this game by a run. 6 of their last 16 games have been one run games. *8* PHILADELPHIA Run Line +1.5 runs

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Boston Celtics +7 @ Atlanta @ 8:35 ET - The home team has won all four games in this series but that could change tonight. I am certainly grabbing the generous points here but would not be surprised to see the Celtics win outright at Atlanta Tuesday. Simply put, the Hawks failed miserably in Game 4 of this series. They saw Boston make adjustments in Game 3 and then still failed to respond appropriately in Game 4. This is a bad sign for Hawks fans that Celtics coach Brad Stevens is simply staying one step ahead of Atlanta in adjustments throughout this series. Granted, the Game 4 win was an overtime win for the Celtics but that was the kind of "bounce back game" that the Hawks should have won "going away". It's not a good sign the way they struggled. Let's not forget what coach Stevens did at Butler in the college ranks as he relished the "dog role" in leading the Bulldogs to becoming a force despite being a mid-major program. The Celtics have shown marked improvement in Stevens' three seasons with them and this appears to be culminating in what could be a first round upset in the making in this series with the Hawks. Boston has covered 3 of the first 4 games in this series and the Celtics are 18-12 as a road dog of 6.5 to 9 points under Stevens. The Hawks are now 10-17 ATS in playoff games the past three seasons and 41-61 ATS in playoff games long-term. When tied in a playoff series the Celtics have a long-term mark of 21-10 SU while the Hawks have a long-term mark of 9-13 ATS. *10* BOSTON +7

Rickenbach MLB *8* Atlanta Braves Run Line +1.5 runs -105 vs Boston @ 7:10 ET - The Red Sox David Price has been inconsistent so far this season and he's been roughed up in two of his last three starts. This has led to an 8.62 ERA in his three most recent starts. Price and the Red Sox are a large road favorite in this game and that is giving exceptional value to the run line home dog in this one. The Braves have an ugly record on the season but in going 4-6 in their last 10 games they have lost by more than a single run just 3 times in those 10 games. Atlanta will have a starting pitcher on the mound who can absolutely keep the Red Sox offense at bay. Matt Wisler gets the start for the Braves and Boston has not faced him in his career. This is a big edge for Wisler and the Braves righty has a solid 3.26 ERA and stellar 0.98 WHIP in his 3 starts this season. The Red Sox, in their last 9 games, only have 3 wins by two runs or more. Solid edge with the run line here in a game where the Braves have the pitcher who is in better current form right now. *8* ATLANTA +1.5 runs

Rickenbach NBA *8* Miami Heat +2.5 @ Charlotte @ 7:05 ET - The Hornets feel like they have found the "elixir" after defeating the Heat by double digits on Saturday. However, all that happened is that Miami had one of their worst shooting nights of the season, Charlotte had one of their best games ever as far as fewest turnovers (3), and the Hornets shot extremely well from the free thrown line while the Heat struggled there. The point is that Miami outrebounded Charlotte, got to the free throw line more, and now is highly motivated for Game 4 as they are coming off of a loss. The Nicolas Batum injury situation is still a concern for the Hornets and, while the stars seemed to align for Charlotte in Game 3, they are unlikely to be so fortunate tonight. Miami is fired up and will make the appropriate adjustments here. The Heat are 9-3 SU when leading in a playoff series and they had won 6 straight first round games before the loss Saturday. The Hornets are 1-7 SU when trailing in a playoff series and they had lost ten straight playoff games before the win in Game 3. The Heat went 14-6 SU (and 13-6-1 ATS) when off of a loss by 10 points or more this season. The Hornets quickly come back down to earth tonight after rallying around the Batum ankle injury situation in Game 3. Back to reality in Game 4. *8* MIAMI

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Atlanta Hawks +2 @ Boston @ 6:05 ET - The Hawks had a big lead in Game One but then blew it late and had to hang on for the 1 point win. Atlanta then dominated Game Two and won by 17 points. In Game Three, the Celtics made adjustments plus had the home court edge and they were the ones that got the big lead. However, the Hawks battled all the way back to tie the game and this was near the midway point of the fourth quarter. The point is that Boston played very nearly their "perfect game" on Friday and yet they still almost blew the game and lost it. I feel we're getting exceptional line value here with the Hawks again getting +2 on the road in Game 4 when one considers how Game 3 played out. You can bet that Atlanta will make adjustments to counteract what the adjustments that Celtics coach Brad Stevens was able to put to work Friday night. Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer will have his team ready to go here and Atlanta will continue to take advantage of Avery Bradley being out for the Celtics. Look for the Hawks to draw plenty of motivation from the Game 3 loss as well as from the exploits (and extracurricular activity) of Isaiah Thomas. Boston had lost 6 straight first round playoff games before the win Friday night. The Hawks have won 27 of their 46 games against teams with a winning record this season. The Celtics, the past three seasons combined, have lost 81 of 121 games against teams with a winning record. Take the better team, the healthier team, the revenge-minded team, and getting points here. Extreme line value. *10* ATLANTA

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Dallas Mavericks +9.5 vs Oklahoma City @ 8:05 ET - Statistically a bit of a crazy result in Game 3. The Mavericks took very nearly as many shots as the Thunder did from the field and the Mavs hit 47.4% of those shots and yet they lost the game by almost 30 points! So what happened? The Thunder were on fire from three point land while the Mavs struggled from beyond the arc. OKC (15 of 27) outscored Dallas (6 of 24) by 27 points from three point land. That type of statistical discrepancy is certainly unlikely to be repeated again today but the big Oklahoma City win Thursday is helping to keep this line higher than it should be. The Mavs are in an excellent spot as a big road dog and I look for them to put up their best fight of the series in today's game. The Mavericks felt the Thunder were a little "too physical" in in the win on Thursday. That said, Dallas will be looking to redeem themselves with a "not in our house" mentality in Game 4 Saturday night. Keep in mind that the Mavs had won 8 of their last 11 games before that embarrassing loss. Also, the Thunder had lost 6 of their last 10 before that big win. Oklahoma City is 13-20 ATS this season after a win by 10 points or more and the Thunder have a 4-7 ATS mark as road faves of 6.5 to 9 points this season. The Mavericks are 14-6 ATS against Northwest Division opponents this season and the Mavs are 13-5 ATS this season when off of a loss by a margin of 10 points or more. Huge response from the home team in this one. *10* DALLAS +9.5

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Atlanta Hawks +3 @ Boston @ 8:05 ET Friday - It is a great value to have the Hawks as an underdog in this match-up. With Avery Bradley hurt for the Celtics, Boston was able to make a bit of a "surprise run" in the second half of Game One. However, other than that, it truly has been domination for Atlanta so far in this series. The Hawks saw what happened in the 2nd half of Game One and made the appropriate adjustments and they dominated Game Two just like they dominated the first half of Game One. Without Bradley, the Celtics backcourt is truly hurting and the Hawks play such stifling defense that it has truly frustrated Boston. The C's will be trying to bounce back on their home floor but, keep in mind, Boston has lost 7 straight first round playoff games. The two days off between games actually helps Atlanta more. The Hawks have had a chance to rest up and, unless the Celtics catch Atlanta in a spot where they are a little "weary" or "banged up", they are unlikely to get a win in this series as the Hawks impose their will. Boston is 4-10 ATS this season when playing with two days of rest between games while Atlanta went 6-3 ATS (and 7-2 SU) with two days rest this season. The Hawks went 5-2 ATS this season after allowing 85 points or less in their prior game. Also, the past three season combined, the Hawks are 50-28 ATS after a win by a margin of 10 points or more. *10* ATLANTA Friday

Rickenbach NHL *8* Philadelphia Flyers Puck Line +1.5 goals -140 @ Washington @ 7:05 ET - In a best of seven series, getting win number four is often the toughest no matter the circumstances. We already saw this in this series as the Flyers were down 3-0 and left for dead before coming back to win Game 4 in Philly on Wednesday. There was nothing "flukey" about that win either. The Flyers outplayed Washington and got an early goal and then were up 2-0 quite early before Washington made it "interesting" late in the eventual 2-1 Flyers win. Taking the theory about "tough fourth wins" even further, note that the Lightning were outplayed by the desperate Red Wings last night. Yes Tampa Bay ultimately prevailed 1-0 on a very late goal with two minutes to go in that game but the Lightning were truly fortunate to close out that series. In the other potential close out last night we saw the Blackhawks win in double OT as they fought to live another day. The point is that these fourth wins truly are tough and, with that said, I love having the goal and a half with the Flyers in this spot. Washington will be hard-pressed to win this game and I would not be surprised to see the resurgent Flyers send this series back to Philly. If the Flyers do fall short it is likely to be by just a goal. Philadelphia has been sparked by the goaltending change to Michal Neuvirth. Also, the Flyers have truly been done in by the power play in this series. In 5 on 5 Philly has played Washington tough. The Flyers also got physical with Washington in Game Four but Philadelphia was very disciplined. They know they must stay out of the box and I look for another solid game from the Flyers tonight. Remember that Philly has won 6 of the last 12 meetings between these teams and the 3 regular season losses included in that run came by just a single goal in 2 of the 3 games. Continuing to be driven by the emotions from the recent passing of their founder and team owner Snyder, the Flyers again play with a ton of heart tonight. Getting the 1.5 goals is the key here as this should be very tight "playoff hockey" at it's best tonight. *8* PHILADELPHIA +1.5 goals Friday

Rickenbach NBA *8* Toronto Raptors -1 @ Indiana @ 7:35 ET - The Raptors need to take back home court advantage after blowing game one of this series on their home floor. Yes Toronto evened the series up with their win over the Pacers in game two but the Raptors know their work is not finished. That said, I look for an intense effort from Toronto tonight as, with two days off coming into this game, they know their best chance to "steal one" down in Indiana is in Game Three. Game Four will come up on a short turnaround as that game goes Saturday afternoon. A big key so far in the series is that the Raptors have dominated the glass. Also, Toronto has made just 9 of 37 three pointers so far in this series. While their rebounding edge is likely to continue (full season stats show that this is an area they can dominate over the Pacers), the three point shooting struggles are unlikely to continue. Toronto has made 46 of 113 (41%) from beyond the arc in their last five regular season meetings with Indiana. The Pacers have lost 14 of their last 22 games against teams with a winning record. Conversely, the Raptors have won 16 of their last 23 games against opponents with a winning record. Also, Toronto has a straight-up record of 20-8 this season when off of a win by a 10 points or more. All of the above records are SU records which are "open for business" considering this line is basically a "pick em". Off the big win Monday, look for the Raptors roll to continue as they improve to 21-8 when in this situation. *8* TORONTO

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Portland Trail Blazers +8.5 @ LA Clippers @ 10:35 ET - The Trail Blazers lost by twenty in game one but they really didn't play all that poorly. They simply got outshot on a night when everything was falling for the Clippers. The Clips hit 53.8% from the field while the Blazers were held to 39.8% from the field on Sunday. Prior to that loss, the Blazers last 7 meetings with the Clippers had only resulted in Portland losing the game by more than 6 points twice. In other words, the value is there with big points like this being offered. Even with Blake Griffin back for the Clippers some will argue the Clips had a better rhythm without him on the floor and the point is that this is still a #4/#5 playoff match-up. That said, I think the points being offered here are quite generous. The Blazers didn't get what they need from their shooters in game one and have had two full off days to prepare for the rematch tonight. Portland needed the time, the Clippers would have just as happily taken the court the very next night. That said, the Clips are likely to lose some of the momentum with the layoff here. The Clippers are 3-9 ATS this season when playing with two days of rest between games. The Trail Blazers are 10-4 ATS this season with two days of rest between games. Also, after a loss by a margin of ten points or more this season, Portland went 13-8 ATS. It is again bounce back time for the Blazers tonight. *10* PORTLAND

Rickenbach NBA *8* Charlotte Hornets +5 @ Miami @ 7:05 ET - The Hornets got jumped on by the Heat in Game One and Charlotte ended up down huge to Miami by the end of the first quarter. The best thing for the Hornets after an ugly loss like that was to have two full days off to "regroup" for the rematch in Game Two. Rest assured, the Hornets will be ready tonight. As "ugly" as Game One was for Charlotte, they did play the Heat "even" in quarters two and three. The Hornets simply "stunk it up" to open up the game and then they close it out in the fourth quarter (game already decided) by letting the back-ups play. The Hornets and Heat typically play tight games and the result on Sunday will certainly prove to be an aberration as this series goes on. The Heat shot a ridiculous 57.6% from the field in Game One while the Hornets shot an equally ridiculous 43.1% from the field. The odds makers kept the line on this game in the same range as it was for the first game despite the Heat dominating the Hornets. Of course the odds makers know what they're doing in that regard...and we do too...Charlotte climbs back into this series with an outright win tonight or, at the very least, gets the cover by losing this game by no more than bucket or two. Miami is 31-41 ATS the past three seasons after a game where they scored 105 points or more. The Hornets are 12-5 ATS this season after a loss by a margin of ten points or more. Bounce back time. *8* CHARLOTTE

Rickenbach MLB *10* Top Play New York Mets Run Line -1.5 +100 @ Philadelphia @ 7:05 ET - Shorter write-ups today due to bad storms here in Texas. The Phillies took two of three from the Mets already this season in New York and that means revenge is on their minds with this next series taking place in Philly. The Phillies got lucky the first time that they did not have to face Noah Syndergaard in the series but there is no such luck this time. He has allowed just 1 earned runs in 13 innings spanning his first two starts and he's also struck out 21 in those outings. The Phillies are still having trouble scoring runs and it certainly won't get any easier tonight. As for the Mets, I expect them to enjoy success against Jerad Eickhoff. They already saw him in the first series and that certainly was a choppy start for the Phillies right-hander. Now New York gets a quick second look at him and don't be fooled by his most recent start. Even though Eickhoff had a great start it was against the punch-less Padres lineup. This one will go much different tonight and it should be a road rout! 5 of the Phillies 7 losses this season have been by 4 runs or more. The Mets, with a huge pitching edge should have no problem taking this one by 2 runs or more. The Mets sticks are finally getting going too with having scored 5 runs or more in three straight games. The Phillies have only scored more than 3 runs TWICE this ENTIRE season. Value on the run line here. *10* NY METS -1.5 

Rickenbach NBA *8* Charlotte Hornets +4.5 @ Miami @ 5:35 ET - Two very evenly matched teams. Sure the Heat have the home court edge in game one but the road team has won each of the last two meetings between these clubs. Also, four of the last six meetings between these teams have been decided by 5 points or less. Charlotte is a fantastic 23-10 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 6 points the past three seasons and, by the way, 18 of those 23 covers were outright wins! I am still recommending grabbing the points in this one but an outright upset would not surprise in the least. Miami, in home games with a posted total in a range of 195 to 199.5 has gone 3-7 ATS (and 3-7 SU!) this season. Also, the Heat ATS record in that range the past 3 years is an ugly 10-17 ATS. Nicolas Batum is ready to go for the Hornets today after sitting out 3 of the last 6 games. Also, the last 4 games he's played in he only averaged 24 minutes per game but I look for him to be back up to his typical contributions today and that will help the Hornets as they look for the game one upset today. *8* CHARLOTTE

Rickenbach NHL *7* Minnesota Wild Puck Line +1.5 goals -160 @ Dallas @ 8:05 ET - The Wild will benefit from the return of center Erik Haula tonight. Minnesota is ready to respond after the 4-0 loss Thursday. Dallas went 1-4 this season after shutting out their opponent. Keep in mind we are playing Minnesota on the puck line here so they don't have to win this game to get the cash. That said, if the Stars are able to break that 1-4 skid I expect it to be a tight win by a single goal. Minnesota got embarrassed in the first game. Teams respond after a defeat like that. Though the Stars have won three straight games, history suggests the hot streak is likely to come to an end. The past three seasons combined Dallas has lost 20 of 30 games when they enter a game on a winning streak of 3 games or more. Tyler Seguin is a question mark for Dallas tonight and Stars coach Lindy Ruff would not commit to a starting goalie for this game even though Lehtonen shutout the Wild in the first game. I don't agree with Ruff on this as his goalie rotation worked well in the regulars season but, historically, in the playoffs teams are better off committing to one guy. Even if Lehtonen starts again, the fact that he would be looking over his shoulder knowing Antti Niemi is "right there" may not be such a good thing. The Wild had too many shots from the perimeter and they need more traffic in front of the net and to create more scoring chances right in front of the cage. I expect them to do just that tonight. The proper adjustments will be made and game two will be much closer than game one and it would not surprise me if this game ends up being an overtime game. Hence the value with the puck line here. *7* MINNESOTA +1.5 goals

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Boston Celtics +5.5 @ Atlanta @ 7:05 ET - Boston lost a couple of games at Atlanta this season simply because the Hawks just shot "lights out" from three point land. The Hawks are a solid 3-point shooting team but they hit 17 of 33 in one game and 12 of 24 in another game. This is ridiculously hot shooting that is hard to duplicate. Note that in their other two games against Boston this season Atlanta was held to a combined 10 of 40 from beyond the arc. Not surprisingly, the Celtics outscored the Hawks by a combined 207 to 202 in those two games. In their most recent visit to Atlanta a week ago, the Celtics led at the half and were only down a bucket going into the 4th quarter. The eventual 11 point margin of victory for the Hawks had a lot to do with them scoring 51 points from three point land. As you would expect, Boston will be focused on playing better perimeter defense in this one. That Hawks ATS win was one of just two covers that Atlanta had in their final eight games of the season. The Celtics won 9 of their final 13 games this season and can play excellent defense when they "step it up" as they've shown that at times this season. Now that the playoffs are here, look for them to step it up for sure. I expect Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, and Jae Crowder to provide solid perimeter defense after what happened here last Saturday. The Celtics are 23-13 SU and ATS when playing with revenge this season. Atlanta is 9-14 ATS in all playoff games the past two seasons. *10* BOSTON

Rickenbach NBA *8* Indiana Pacers +7 @ Toronto @ 12:35 ET - Indiana is 30-14 SU (and 28-16 ATS) the past three seasons when playing with two days of rest between games. The Pacers will be rested and ready to go here against a Raptors team that is 14-18 ATS the past three seasons when playing with two days of rest between games. Toronto was hot to close out the regular season so they are a popular choice here. However, Indiana, unlike the Raptors, have made deep postseason runs before. They come into this series with confidence and Paul George is playing well enough that he is going to draw in the Raptors defense. This will open things up for the other Pacers to step up and I look for guys like Monta Ellis and George Hill to have a big game here in the series opener. The Pacers have held the Raptors under 37% from the field in 2 of the last 3 meetings. In the one game they didn't, Indiana did hold Toronto to just 68 field goal attempts. The Pacers defense is not being given as much respect as it should and they held opponents to 33% from three point land while the Raptors allowed 37% beyond the arc. The Raptors have won just 3 of their last 11 playoffs games and they got the cash in just 2 of those 11 games. All the pressure is on the Raptors here to erase past playoff disappointments and I would not be surprised to see Indiana get a game one upset and I certainly see value in the big points. *8* INDIANA

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Denver Nuggets +11 @ Portland @ 10:35 ET - If Dallas loses to San Antonio in the early evening action Wednesday then the Trail Blazers will already have the #5 seed for the post-season and that will render this game meaningless. However, even if the Mavs do defeat the Spurs, the Blazers aren't necessarily going to run up the score here on Denver. Yes, I am well aware of the series dominance that Portland has had over the Nuggets. However, the Trail Blazers have not been playing well defensively of late. The Blazers have split their last four games and during this stretch Portland has allowed an average of 116 points per game with opponents shooting 51.3 percent overall and 49.4 percent from 3-point range. Remember Denver is still a dangerous team on offense (102 points per game this season) and also remember that EACH of the last five meetings between these teams has been decided by 7 points or less. Another key to keep in mind about this inflated line is that Portland certainly wants to stay healthy as they prepare for the post-season. Even if this game ends up being a game that does matter to them (in terms of their quest for the #5 seed) it does not mean that all the starters are going to be on the floor if the Blazers do get a sizable lead late in the game. Portland is pulling their guys IF they are even fortunate enough to be up by double digits late in this game. With all that said, I do NOT see the Blazers as being very likely to win this game by double digits. For the Nuggets this is a division rival going to the post-season while they'll be staying home and watching it on TV. That is motivation for Denver here and the Nuggets have gone 6-1 ATS this season (and 17-5 ATS the last 3 seasons!) as a road dog of 9.5 to 12 points! *10* DENVER

Rickenbach MLB *6* Arizona Diamondbacks +1.5 -150 @ LA Dodgers @ 4:10 ET - I normally don't lay much juice in any sport in any situation but this one is too good to pass up on. Laying 150 to get the +1.5 in this spot is very reasonable. The Diamondbacks will have Patrick Corbin on the mound and he looks recovered from Tommy John surgery. The fact he allowed 3 homers in his first start is actually helping to give some value here because it's keeping him "under the radar" awhile longer. I expect him to have a fantastic run early this season as he generally gets a lot of ground ball outs and should have a lot of success in pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium this afternoon as he atones for some "mistake pitches" in the loss to the Rockies at hitter-friendly Chase Field last week. The Dodgers will have Kenta Maeda on the mound for his 2nd MLB start since coming over from Japan. The right-hander was great in his first start but that came in the midst of a 3-game set with the Padres who were punchless throughout that season-opening series. Look for Maeta to find the Dbacks solid lineup to be much more challenging. Arizona is hitting .310 in divisional games so far this season while the Dodgers lineup struggled in their only look at a southpaw starter (San Fran's Bumgarner) so far this season. If Los Angeles does pull this out I expect it to be a tight victory by a single run. The Dodgers come into this game having lost 3 of their last 4 games and the lone win was by a single run. The Dbacks are a team on the way up (improved dramatically last season) and they are much better than their early season record would indicate. The result is nice value here on the run line. *6* ARIZONA +1.5 runs

Rickenbach NBA *10* Top Play Minnesota Timberwolves +3.5 vs Houston @ 8:05 ET - What type of the team is the last type of team you want to face late in the season when you are chasing a playoff spot? It is a young team like the Timberwolves that is playing loose and confident. Minnesota is absolutely a dangerous dog in this spot. The T-wolves have won three straight games and all 3 of those wins came on the road and included the big upset of the Warriors at Golden State. Minny now hosts a Houston team that continues to be shaky. The Rockets finally pulled away from the Lakers yesterday but they allowed 110 points. This was the 3rd time in their last 4 games that the Rockets allowed 110 points or more! Houston now goes on the road in what is essentially a must win situation and they have to take on a young, rested Timberwolves team. Minnesota hasn't played back to back games since late March and they will take advantage of catching the Rockets in this back to back. Houston is 6-13 ATS in the second game of back to backs this season and that includes 12 outright losses! They'll be lucky to win this game let alone cover the spread because Minnesota is playing very loose and confident right now and that means shots are falling and the T-wolves are relishing the opportunity to play spoiler here against an old nemesis as the Rockets have owned the T-wolves in series history. This game is projected to be very high scoring and Minny is 17-9 ATS in games with posted total of 210 or greater this season. Also, don't be concerned about taking them off of an upset win. The Timberwolves are 10-6 ATS this season when off of an upset victory as an underdog. I expect them to notch another upset win here but will grab the points because if they do lose I would expect it to be by a single possession. *10* MINNESOTA

Rickenbach NBA *8* Charlotte Hornets +7 @ Boston @ 7:35 ET - The Celtics and Hornets are both known for their strong play at home this season. As a result, everyone is jumping on Boston here and I feel that will prove to be a huge mistake. What it has done is driven up the line on the Celtics and this is offering fantastic underdog line value for Charlotte. This is a late-season battle for home court edge in the post-season so it is a huge game for both teams. The Hornets play this game with quadruple revenge as the Celtics have taken each of the last four meetings! You can bet that Charlotte is ready to respond after losing a pair of early season match-ups in December on their home floor. The Bobcats lost at Washington yesterday but they are 7-3 (70%) SU this season when off of an upset loss as a favorite. Also, when off of a loss by 10 points or more this season, the Hornets have responded by going 11-5 ATS in their next game. When off of a divisional game this season Charlotte has gone 9-4 ATS. The Celtics have failed to cover 12 of their last 18 games. In fact, in their last 18 games, Boston has only FIVE wins by more than SEVEN points. As you can see, there is great line value here with the underdog and the Hornets have gone 11-4 SU in the 2nd game of back to back games this season. After an embarrassing loss at Washington, the Hornets respond today. *8* CHARLOTTE

Rickenbach NBA *8* Brooklyn Nets +6 vs Washington @ 7:35 ET - With Washington off of their big win versus Charlotte and Brooklyn off of their ugly loss at Indiana, the whole world seems to be lining up on the Wizards in this one and you know what that means for me. I generally look at things from a contrarian standpoint and I expect the Nets to show up in a big way here. I know that the Wizards would like to get to .500 and I know that other players on the roster are hoping to step up their game with both Beal and Wall hurting. However, I also know this...the Wizards definitely were not short on motivation when they needed wins to make the playoffs and they didn't accomplish that. Just winning to get back to .500 is not nearly the motivation that a playoff berth is. The Wizards are 4-8 SU and ATS in their last 12 road games. They are also 3-10 ATS this season when off of an upset win as a underdog. While it is also true that the Nets have been struggling recently, it is also true that their recent schedule has been dominated by road games. Look for Brooklyn to respond in a big way now that they are back home. The Nets have won 3 of their last 5 home games and let's not forget that this is just their SIXTH home game in their past 25 games! The Nets schedule has been dominated by road games the past SEVEN weeks! They stunk it up at Indiana yesterday and it was evident that the Pacers wanted it more. Tonight I feel strongly it will be evident that the Nets are the team that wants it more. They got embarrassed Sunday. Tonight at home they use that as motivation and they also respond well to being back on their home floor. *8* BROOKLYN