Doc’s Sports

We were on New York last night as it looked like a good spot at home against Brooklyn, but the Knicks played an absolutely dreadful game and now they face a much tougher matchup on the second end of a back-to-back. Things will not go well for them, and this looks like a possible blowout. The Hornets are one of the better ATS teams out there at 15-10 ATS, and they are very under the radar so as long as they don’t get their win total up too high but keep covering numbers, they can keep their betting value all season long barring major injuries.

The Bucks have been just average on the road this season at 4-5 on the year. We thought that this line should be above 7, so we think there is some great value with what looks like the best team in the NBA during the first part of the season. The Bucks won the last matchup very early in the season, but they are not in the best form right now as they have covered in only one of their last seven games. This one looks like a real mismatch and we expect the home team to win comfortably.

4 Unit Play. Take #841 Arizona over Alabama (1p.m., Sunday, December 9 ESPN) This line keeps going up and I do not believe it is warranted. Arizona is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games against SEC teams. 67% of the money is coming in on the underdog and it would not surprise me if Arizona wins this game straight-up.

4 Unit Play. Take #860 Gonzaga over Tennessee (3p.m., Sunday, December 9 ESPN) Just do not trust Tennessee as much as I trust Gonzaga. This will not be a blowout but expect Gonzaga to pull away late and win this game by 7-9 points. Tennessee is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games following a victory in their previous game. Gonzaga is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games.

4 Unit Play. Take #862 Grand Canyon over Nevada (5:30p.m., Sunday, December 9 ESPN U) This is a short turnaround for the Wolf Pack and a defacto home game for Grand Canyon. The line is been coming down and we will follow that trend after going against Nevada on Friday.

7 Unit Play. Take #124 San Francisco 49ers +4 over Denver Broncos (4:05p.m., Sunday, December 9 CBS) TOP NFL PLAY OF THE WEEK The Broncos have made a rally of late winning three straight games to take some pressure off of Head Coach Vance Joseph. But I just do not trust them to win four straight games with three of those four games coming on the road. Losing Chris Harris Jr and Emmanuel Sanders will be too much for this team to overcome within a week. The Broncos are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games played during Week 14 of the regular season. The 49ers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games played in December. Denver does not have an explosive offense that can attack this San Francisco defense and if Nick Mullens can take care of the football, they should win this game straight-up.

4 Unit Play. Take #105 Baltimore Ravens over Kansas City Chiefs (1p.m., Sunday, December 9 CBS) The Chiefs were not that impressive against the Raiders last Sunday and now they play a much better team in the Ravens with another big spread. QB Lamar Jackson has not put up great stats but he has inspired this team with three straight wins and we will jump on the bandwagon. The road team has covered 6 of the last 8 meetings. Kansas City will have their explosive moments, but I believe Baltimore will be able to take this down to the wire and easily cover the spread.

4 Unit Play. Take #117 New England Patriots over Miami Dolphins (1p.m., Sunday, December 9 CBS) The Patriots are a tough team to beat come November – December. Miami has played well at home this year, but New England cannot afford to take them lightly if they hope to secure a first round bye this season. The Patriots have been playing much better on defense and if their offense can repeat their past performances from years past this will be the team to beat in the AFC come January. New England has covered the spread in 5 straight divisional games. Miami is 6-15 ATS in their last 21 games in December.

4 Unit Play. Take #121 New York Giants over Washington Redskins (1p.m., Sunday, December 9 FOX) The Giants get to face a back-up quarterback for the second straight week but this time it will be Mark Sanchez who was just signed a couple of weeks ago after Alex Smith went down. New York dominated Chicago for most of the game last Sunday before the Bears made a late rally to send it into overtime. If the Giants can stop the run, they should win this game by double digits. Washington is 6-6 and that is truly amazing consider their 52-man roster is terrible. I could see them not winning another game all season. New York is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 road games. Washington is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 divisional games. The will be a big public play but I still see the Giants winning this game easily.

10 Unit Play. Take #129 Philadelphia Eagles over Dallas Cowboys (1:25p.m., Sunday, December 9 FOX) Everyone has just given the Cowboys the NFC East and disregarded the defending Super Bowl Champions. We will gladly take the points in this game and look for Philadelphia to come out strong in this must win game for them. The Eagles are 15-5 ATS in their last 20 road divisional games when they are an underdog. The Cowboys are 9-18 ATS in their last 27 home divisional games when they are a favorite. The road team has covered the spread in 11 of the last 14 match-ups. 

Free Play from Doc’s Sports. Take #115 New York Jets over Buffalo Bills (1p.m., Sunday, December 9 CBS) Buffalo does not warrant to be favored by this many points against any of the 32 teams in the league. Both teams are terrible, and the Jets played their worst game of the season in the first meetings against the Bills in East Rutherford, NJ. This is a divisional game and pride will set in for the Jets and expect a much better effort on Sunday. Buffalo is 4-9 ATS in their last 13 divisional games. New York is 15-6 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 23 games played during the month of December. Do not miss Doc’s Sports Weekend Football and College Basketball card. Monster run in all sports and now is the time to jump on board with a veteran handicapper with 47 years of handicapping experience.