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PRO BASKETBALL -- March 7

DALLAS at HOUSTON -- "Irresistible force" versus "Immovable Object". The Mavs have one of the NBA's most potent offenses, averaging 104 ppg, while Houston is the NBA's stingiest defense, yielding just 40% shooting and 86 points per contest. Lately, though, Dallas has gotten the better of this matchup, winning and covering the last six meetings, all of them by nine points or more. Houston not the "go-with" team lately, dropping seven of last eight against the spread. That, to an extent, negates Dallas' 8-21 ATS mark on the road. THE PLAY: DALLAS ***

MEMPHIS at GOLDEN STATE -- Sure, not having Lorenzen Wright in the lineup can hurt against the Golden State front, but the Grizzlies still have the guys who can fill up the hoop, and Memphis has been unusually good playing the second of back-to-back games, going 11-3-1 ATS in that role. Warriors are not going in a favorable direction right now - 2-6 SU and 1-7 ATS in last eight outings. And recent wins at San Antonio and Portland certainly an indication that Memphis won't be awed by Golden State's 18-11 spread record in Oakland. THE PLAY: MEMPHIS ***

NEW JERSEY at LA LAKERS -- After that long winning streak and covering just about everything, the Nets have had a problem scoring points; for example, just 152 in the last two games combined. And they were dominated from beginning to end against the Lakers a week ago, losing by 17, and getting beaten up on the boards. The Lakers are without Kobe Bryant, but they're shooting a lot better lately (almost 49% in the last five). THE PLAY: LA LAKERS ***

BOSTON at MINNESOTA -- Interestingly, Boston brought a five-game ATS streak against Minnesota into this season. But in the only meeting between these two this campaign, the Wolves shot 63% in a 21-point romp at the Fleet Center. That was on December 15. And now Minnesota is more fortified with Hudson, Szczerbiak and Olowokandi back. The Celtics have won four straight games, but those were against Washington, Orlando, and punchless Toronto (twice). THE PLAY: MINNESOTA ***

SACRAMENTO at ORLANDO -- Yes, the Kings are coming from their Saturday game against Miami and will be playing on short rest, but Orlando, even in beating Atlanta on Friday, dropped the game to the number, bringing their home record to 10-21 ATS. And Sacramento won't lack for focus, since they sustained a loss at the American Airlines Arena. THE PLAY: SACRAMENTO **


COLLEGE BASKETBALL -- March 7

FLORIDA at KENTUCKY -- The Wildcats have won and covered five straight in this series, and the Gators shot just 42% against Kentucky last time out. But Florida has demonstrated some offensive potency, even against other quality defensive teams, and you have to take a look at the nature of this series, in which four of the last five meetings have been decided by three points or less. THE PLAY: FLORIDA ***

VIRGINIA at MARYLAND -- When the Cavaliers have been beaten they've REALLY been beaten - nine of the team's ten losses have been by 13 points or more. However, you must expect the momentum Virginia is bringing into this game - recent wins over Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and North Carolina certainly boost their case for NCAA tournament berth. The Terrapins are tournament-seeking too, and got a big win last time out against NC State, but they're still just 5-8 SU in their last 13 games. Must grab points. THE PLAY: VIRGINIA **


ARENA FOOTBALL -- March 7

CHICAGO at PHILADELPHIA -- The Soul has encountered some hard luck - its three losses have come by a total of 15 points. Chicago almost fell victim to a credible performance by Adrian McPherson and Indiana last week, but they found a way to win. And Raymond Philyaw (14 TD's, no INT's) is still one of the more consistent quarterbacks in the league. Chicago's running game also provides an edge. THE PLAY: CHICAGO **











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