See spot. See spot bet: This week's best spot bets
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| Ben Burns - 12/24/2014 10:03 AM |
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Spot bets are classic handicapping practices that have proven
profitable no matter what sport you're betting. Whether it's a team
looking past this week's opponent, one coming off a hard-fought victory,
or a rough patch of schedule, bettors can find value picking their
spots. Expert Ben Burns points out his favorites:
Letdown spot Nothing says you're among the NBA's elite franchises like a spot on the Dec. 25 schedule. The Thunder have been a part of the Christmas Day festivities for some time now and 2014 is no exception. Oklahoma City has a massive showdown with reigning NBA champion San Antonio on Xmas Day, and can make a massive statement about its place in the West now that the team is back to full strength. The Thunder don't get much of a break over the holiday, leaving San Antonio on Christmas Day Eve to host the Charlotte Hornets Dec. 26. Oklahoma City won't have much time to recover from the showdown with the Spurs or focus on Charlotte, with Christmas chewing up most of the players' down time. The Hornets are playing some solid ball before the break with three straight wins heading into Tuesday's date with Milwaukee and will have plenty of time off before facing OKC. Charlotte has found its form offensively, scoring an average of more than 107 points per game in its last four - an 11-point increase on its season scoring average. Lookahead spot The Anaheim Ducks have five full days off over the holiday break after knocking off rival San Jose 3-2 in a shootout Monday night. The Ducks, who are tops in the Pacific standings at 23-8-2-3, run into a tough spot against the Arizona Coyotes Saturday - not only working off some holiday rust but also looking ahead to Sunday's date with the Vancouver Canucks. Vancouver is hot on Anaheim's heels in the Western Conference. The Canucks took back-to-back wins into the holiday hiatus, including a 7-1 thrashing of the Coyotes. Arizona has lost two in a row heading into Tuesday's game with Edmonton but has played the Ducks tough this season. The Coyotes took the first meeting in Anaheim 3-2 in a shootout and lost 2-1 inside the Honda Center on No. 23. Schedule spot The Fresno State Bulldogs never thought a losing record would earn them a trip to paradise. But, at 6-7, the Bulldogs were awarded a spot in the Hawaii Bowl, set as a 2.5-point underdog to Rice in Honolulu on Christmas Eve. Fresno State is the only bowl team with a losing record on the year, falling to Boise State in the season finale. And heading into this matchup, the athletics department seems a little more concerned with the bottom line that the betting line. The Bulldogs reportedly were $190,000 in the hole the last time they traveled to the Hawaii Bowl, losing 43-10 to SMU on Dec. 24 2012. The NCAA has said to up its support to a cool $1 million for this year's bowl party, which consists of 235 - players, coaches, assistants, wives and support members and immediate family. Regardless of how Fresno State fares on the field, the Bulldogs are already up heading to Hawaii. |
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