If this game was an NFL betting matchup, it would be the New York Jets against the San Diego Chargers: a strong defense looks to shut down a high-powered offense. That will be the scene in Charlotte on Saturday, when the stingy Bobcats host the run-and-gun Phoenix Suns.

Suns vs Bobcats odds – Saturday, January 16, 7:00 PM ET

The Suns had been held under 100 points only five times ahead of Friday’s meeting with Atlanta, and they currently lead the NBA in scoring. Six Suns are averaging at least 10.8 points, led by Amare Stoudamire with 20.9 points. Steve Nash steers the ship with 19.2 points and 11.2 assists, but he’s stepped up his game recently, putting up 24.4 points and 11.2 assists in his last five games. However, the Suns are second-worst in the league in points allowed, and it’s such a mystery as to why Stoudamire, in particular, isn’t a good defensive player. The Suns don’t even seem to care about defense, which is the main reason sportsbook players can’t put much faith in them.

The Bobcats lead the league in points against, and coach Larry Brown has them playing very disciplined. Gerald Wallace and Raymond Felton are both averaging over a steal a game, while Tyson Chandler provides a big body in the middle. This makes up for a lack of scoring on the squad as Wallace leads the way with 17.9 points. This will be the fourth of a six-game  homestand for the Bobcats, who were 14-4 at home before Friday’s visit from San Antonio. Charlotte isn’t a very talented team, but they know their limits and play within them, and it may not parlay into a playoff spot, but at least they’re showing improvement.

Bookmaker odds (bookmaker reviews) should favour the Bobcats at home because of how well they play in Charlotte, but they’ll need a big performance to change their fortunes against the Suns. Phoenix has won nine of their last 10 meetings with the Bobcats, including four of five in Charlotte. Both teams will be playing tough teams the night before, but the Bobcats will have a bit of an edge since they don’t have to travel like Phoenix. Even though Atlanta to Charlotte isn’t that far, it’s still a couple of hours rest that the Suns won’t have.

Sports betting picks: Charlotte

AFC Wild Card Playoffs

Baltimore Ravens @ Indianapolis Colts

5Dimes Odds (5Dimes Reviews): Colts -6.5

NFL Betting Total: 44

People examining the Super Bowl odds will be taking a good look at what they see from the Indianapolis Colts this weekend.

The Colts started the season with 14 straight wins but ended the year with two straight losses. The conversation has been non-stop about head coach Jim Caldwell’s decision to bench his starters instead of pushing for a perfect regular season. Now we’ll see if he truly made the right decision.

The Colts haven’t played in a serious game for about four weeks now and although you might be worried about rust with most teams, the Colts have been in this position many times. With Manning running the show, they are a perennial 10-win team and they are usually resting players down the stretch of the season. You can expect them to be able to crank it up a notch this week in practice and this Saturday at game time.

The Ravens would have loved to have the week off – especially given how many nagging injuries they have. Safety Ed Reed is nicked up, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata is banged up and even quarterback Joe Flacco is nagged by a couple of injuries.

Flacco has hip and leg issues, which may be a real concern for this week. Last week, the Ravens were handed a win and Flacco didn’t have to do much. In that game, he was just four-of-10 for 34 yards an interception. Clearly, not his best day. But this week, the Colts are going to zone in on the Ravens running game and force them to throw the ball – if Flacco isn’t healthy, they aren’t going to win.

The Colts shutdown the Ravens running game in the first meeting as they held them to just 98 rushing yards. The Ravens will need more than that to get the job done on the road.

For the Colts offense, they have some great advantages at wide receiver as the Ravens have put two cornerbacks on injured reserve this year. The Colts have plenty of depth at the position and will exploit that matchup once again.

It’s too much to ask of the Ravens to go on the road two straight weeks and knock off the New England Patriots, then the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts will win comfortably this week.

NFL Betting Picks: Colts -6.5

Los Angeles Lakers @ Portland Trail Blazers

Bookmaker Odds (Bookmaker Review): Lakers -4

The Portland Trail Blazers have closed the gap to one game in the Northwest division and they’ll have a good chance to close it even further on Friday night.

The team their chasing, the Denver Nuggets, will be without Carmelo Anthony as the Cleveland Cavaliers visit. There’s a good chance that the Nuggets will lose without their star forward.

Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers will be at home to the Los Angeles Lakers, who have struggled at the Rose Garden for a long time. The Lakers have lost eight straight games at the Rose Garden and have had some really bad execution problems in Portland – regardless of the talent disparities.

The Blazers should be able to take advantage of their home court once again as they are 13-6 at home while the Lakers are 8-4 on the road.

The Blazers lost their last home game and they should be ready to bounce back after that loss.

Sports Wager Pick: Trail Blazers +4

Sacramento Kings @ Golden State Warriors

Best Sports Lines: Warriors -4.5

The Sacramento Kings have played a number of tight games recently and they’ll expect another one as they head to Golden State on Friday night. Last year, the two teams played four overtimes.

The Kings are in a serious slump of late and they hope a matchup against a team that has just 10 wins this season will get them back on track. The Kings were 9-8 on December 2^nd after a 110-105 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Since that time, they have been sliding out of control.

The Kings have won just five times in their last 17 games and just once in their last seven. A number of those contests were close, but close doesn’t count in the NBA.

The Kings average margin of defeat in their latest six losses is 7.8 points per game.

Meanwhile, the Warriors have been trending upwards – sort of – lately and they’ll hope to keep it that way. They have won three of their last six, which is mediocre for most teams, but considering the Warriors won just seven of their first 21 games, this is a good stretch.

Look for the trends to continue as the Warriors get another home win.

Internet Sports Betting Pick: Warriors -4.5

The Cincinnati Bengals are back in the playoffs and the good news for them is they don’t have to face the Pittsburgh Steelers. The last time they were in the postseason, a lost against the Steelers proved costly as it cost the team their franchise quarterback along with a couple of losing seasons.

While they are back on track, they’ll once again have to face a tough 3-4 defense with blitzing linebackers and an offense that has a young quarterback with a quality running game. Internet gambling cappers know there are a lot of similarities between the Bengals last playoff opponent and this one.

Nonetheless, the Bengals are back at home and after essentially taking a bye week, they should be ready for this contest.

New York Jets @ Cincinnati Bengals

Bookmaker Odds (Bookmaker Reviews): Bengals -2.5

Last Week

The Jets and Bengals squared off in Week 17 and the result was ugly. The Bengals were crushed 37-0 but keep in mind that the game wasn’t as important to both teams.

For the Jets, they needed a win to make the playoffs whereas the Bengals had already punched their ticket and decided not to exert too much of an effort.

The other notable difference was that the contest took place in East Rutherford, New Jersey, whereas this game will take place in Cincinnati.

This Week

We’ll get to see a good matchup of offense versus defense this week as the Jets top-ranked running attack will go up against the Bengals No. 7 rush defense. It should be an interesting clash and the Jets will need to win the battle if they want to win the war.

The Jets still have the short end of the stick when it comes to quarterbacking as their starting will be making his first ever postseason appearance. On the flip side, the Bengals Carson Palmer has been there before and he’s far more experienced as an NFL quarterback.

Sports handicapping experts have to like the Bengals chance in this game. Last week, they were blown out so revenge will be on their minds. Secondly, they’ll be at home for this game, which should make a significant difference.

They are up against a tough defense but they have won five straight games at home and the home fans should fire them up enough to get this win.

NFL Picks: Bengals -2.5

Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos

5Dimes Odds (5Dimes Sportsbook Review): Broncos -13

The Denver Broncos could have been in a far more comfortable position than they are currently. Had they topped the hapless Oakland Raiders at home two weeks ago, the Broncos would have been at 9-7 with a chance at controlling their own destiny this week. Considering the Kansas City Chiefs are in town, controlling their own destiny probably would have been an easy task.

As it stands now, the Broncos have lost two straight games and are now on the outside of the playoffs looking in. For them to qualify, they will need some help.

The Broncos are currently 8-7 and need to win over Kansas City to have a shot at playing another week. While defeating the Chiefs won’t be a difficult task, they’ll need some help from either the Baltimore Ravens or the New York Jets with a loss to get one of the last two AFC Wild Card spots.

The Ravens are playing Oakland while the Jets are hosting the Cincinnati Bengals, who likely won’t be trying too hard.

While the people and the faces have changed, the result is still the same. For a second year in a row Denver has experienced a collapse down the stretch of the season.

Internet Sports Betting Pick: Broncos -13

Baltimore Ravens @ Oakland Raiders

NFL Betting Line: Ravens -10

The Baltimore Ravens are one of two teams in the AFC that control their own destiny. For them, the theory is simple: win and you’re in.

The Ravens may have a tougher time than expected though as they will be playing their second consecutive road game. On top of that, they just played their biggest rival in Pittsburgh and exerted themselves fully. They may have a tough time getting as charged up for this game as they did the previous one.

Oakland is not a good football team and they typically only show up once a month. But they are scrappy at times and if they can avoid turnovers and force the Ravens into a couple, they’ll have a shot to win.

There is nothing on the line for Oakland but there is plenty on the line for Baltimore. But ‘must win’ doesn’t mean ‘will win’. Look for the Raiders to make this one tough on Baltimore.

NFL Picks: Raiders +10

Denver Broncos @ Philadelphia Eagles

Sportsbetting odds: Eagles -7

The Denver Broncos took one on the chin last week as the Oakland Raiders upset them at home. Not only was that a tough loss to take given that you never want to lose to a division rival but it pushed the Broncos down the standings in the AFC playoff picture and opened the door for one of the seven teams that are just one game behind.

The Raiders won the game with second, third and fourth string quarterbacks all getting into the action, which is embarrassing for Denber. Starting quarterback Bruce Gradkowski didn’t play, Charlie Frye was injured in the game, JaMarcus Russell led the comeback but fourth-stringer J.P. Losman even came in for a few plays.

This week, the Broncos will have to shape up quickly as they will be facing a much better team. The Eagles have won five straight games and haven’t scored less than 23 points in six straight contests. During that span, they have averaged 30 points per game.

The Broncos offense has disappeared and clearly Kyle Orton is not the answer at quarterback. Last week, eight of the Broncos 12 drives lasted five plays or less.

The Eagles are hot right now and there is no reason to bet against them.

5Dimes Reviews Pick: Eagles -7

New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts

NFL Lines: Colts -6.5

The New York Jets had a backbreaking loss last week as they allowed the Atlanta Falcons to score a touchdown with less than one minute remaining. Had the Jets won, they could have separated from the slew of 7-7 teams in the AFC but instead, they now need some help from the Broncos or Baltimore Ravens to make the playoffs.

This week, they’ll have to do something that no other team has done this year: defeat the Colts. Indy is a perfect 14-0 but the question is how much will they play their starters?

If the Colts rest Peyton Manning, the Jets will have a great chance to win. If not, they aren’t good enough to win this game.

Considering the Colts will have a bye week in two weeks and will probably rest starters next week as well, expect the starters to play a large share – if not all – of this game.

Sports Wagering Picks: Colts -6.5

It’s Friday, which means its parlay time. Week 15 of the NFL season is in full swing and we’ll see two unbeaten teams in action before we even hit Sunday. Nonetheless, here’s a good looking parlay for three Sunday games:

Houston Texans @ St. Louis Rams

There is no NFL betting line quite yet for the Houston Texans and St. Louis Rams contest but it doesn’t even matter. Honestly, could things be any worse for the Rams?

Not only are they 1-12 and coming off a blowout loss to the Tennessee Titans, they are also down to their third string quarterback, rookie and sixth-round pick Keith Null

If that’s not bad enough, the Rams passed around swine flu through their locker room this week and head coach Steve Spagnuolo was forced to cancel a practice. The known players that are ill are backup quarterback Kyle Boller and center Jason Brown

The Texans shouldn’t have many problems in this game. Not only will the Rams not be able to slow them down, the Texans should be able to dominate this battered team on defense as well

The line in the sportsbook is projected to be around 11 points in favor of Houston

Pick: Texan

Arizona Cardinals @ Detroit Lions

Another game that has “blowout” written all over it is the Arizona Cardinals-Detroit Lions contest. While the Lions have been valiant at times this season, the truth of the matter is that they don’t have the weapons to compete with most NFL teams. Sure, the Cardinals struggled on Monday Night Football in San Francisco and sure, they will be playing on a short week but the Lions defense is one of the weakest in the NFL.

The Cardinals handed the 49ers a win last week by turning it over six times. They’ll be far more cautious with the football.

Further compounding the problems for Detroit is the fact that they’ll be without starting quarterback Matt Stafford and wideout Calvin Johnson is extremely questionable as well

An expert sports handicapping buff knows that the Lions will have a tough time hanging around in this game, which should be a blowout right from kickoff

Pick: Cardinals -12

Minnesota Vikings @ Carolina Panthers

It’s fairly simply sportsbook 101 that you don’t want to be laying huge spreads each week, but this one is a gimme.

The Carolina Panthers only have one way to win football games: run the ball. The Minnesota Vikings have one of the best run defenses and they won’t let the Panthers do anything on the ground

The Panthers will also have to work with backup quarterback Matt Moore under center, which further hampers their team. This is a really bad matchup for Carolina and you can expect Minnesota to completely dominate them.

Pick: Vikings -9

While the diehard sportsbook players are following the PGA’s St. Jude Classic this weekend, most golf bettors are preparing for next week’s U.S. Open at Bethpage Black. Odds have been posted and, while the St. Jude could shift things slightly, we have a pretty good idea of who will succeed at the U.S. Open. Bethpage Black favors long hitters, meaning we can probably count out guys like Zach Johnson, who is having a great year but doesn’t have the length to keep up.

Here are a few names to think about before betting online on the U.S. Open odds next week. Read the rest of this entry »