Brandon's 55 Percenters

My Wednesday evening picks went well, going 4-1 overall. This weekend has fewer games as the college season wraps up and the NFL lost three games to Thanksgiving Day. Therefore, there are only four football picks for the weekend, although I do have two bonus NBA picks for tonight. Let’s do it!

Mavs -3.5 over PACERS

The German pseudo mullet and friends came through for me on Wednesday, so I’ll hope they can do the same in this one. The Mavs are clearly the better team and Danny Granger is still questionable for the Pacers. Even if he plays, this team is not spectacular and I expect the Mavs to find a way to win, relatively easily.

Knicks / NUGGETS Under 219

Vegas keeps pumping up Knicks Over / Unders because of their pace, despite the fact that this team cannot put the ball in the hoop. I expect the Nugs and Birdman to fly tonight and I am slightly worried that they may score 120+ on their own. With that said, I still think this under is a fifty five percenter. The Knicks are the gift that keeps on giving!

To the football...

North Carolina -5.5 over NORTH CAROLINA ST

These two teams are not even and this line should not be less than a touchdown. North Carolina State’s defense has been atrocious in the ACC, allowing over 4.5 yard per carry and 64% completions in conference play. Factor in that they are playing other mediocre ACC teams and defense like that is astoundingly bad. Give me the Tar Heels, even laying the points.

Arizona -3 over ARIZONA ST

Here, I am taking another road team in a rivalry game. Like UNC/NC St, these two teams just aren’t this even. Arizona could have been a Rose Bowl team if they would have hung on against Oregon while Arizona St has had an extremely disappointing season at 4-7. Despite the emotional let down that Arizona is bound to face after the crushing loss to Oregon, I think they win this one by more than a field goal.

Virginia Tech -15 over VIRGINIA

Let’s finish out the road teams in rivalry games! This one is not as close of a line, but it still isn’t big enough. Virginia’s anemic offense will struggle to score a point against this Aggie defense. I don’t think Virginia Tech is going to score a ridiculous amount of points, but enough to cover this spread. With the pick cleared up, may I ask what the hell an Aggie is? It is an awful word to say, I’ve never heard it used in regular speech yet several teams across the country are proud to be Aggies. (Hold on, I’m going to look it up...) Alright, it is a slang for a student enrolled in an agricultural school. I thought it was a terrible name before, but now I’m speechless. Really, your mascot is named after a slang term for students enrolled at your type of school? How do people at those schools stand for that? How uncreative can you be? I thought Stanford’s Cardinal (No, not Cardinals, Cardinal is a tree) was the worst mascot for the longest time. But without a doubt, Aggie has surpassed it. I better move on before I get legitimately angry.

Panthers / JETS over 41.5

This over is my only NFL play for the weekend. Both of these team’s defenses have been slowing falling apart and both QB’s are good for a Pick 6 every week. I really like betting the over in a battle between Delhomme and the Sanchise. It sounds so absolutely ridiculous that it has to work out. But seriously, neither of these teams can stop each other’s run games and there should be a decent amount of points scored here. Let’s make this the Bet of the Week and ride shotgun with Jake the Snake.

All Time of ADPTP: 9-5 (.643)
Last Week: 9-5 (.643)
Bet of the Week: 1-0 (1.000)

Brandon's 55 Percenters

Welcome back to the fifty five percenters. Through my first batch of games, I am doing exactly as I laid out, hitting 55% of my picks. I’ll have my usual football weekend fifty five percenters on Friday, but I have a few bonus NBA bets for tonight and one for the NFL slate tomorrow. Here are the picks...

Clippers +6 over PACERS

I know, betting on the Clippers and evil moron Mike Dunleavy is generally frowned upon in any intelligent circles, but this one seems easy. The Clips get Eric Gordon back, who I hated at Indiana, but is a nice young player nonetheless. The Pacers are missing Danny Granger, who is unequivocally their best player. The Pacers don’t blow people out with Granger, so I’ll take the Clips with the points tonight.

Mavericks +4 over ROCKETS

This battle of the Texas teams has been back and forth over the last few years, although Dallas destroyed Houston in these two teams first matchup this year. Mix that with Dirk Nowitzki’s fantastic German pseudo-mullet and I don’t see them losing this game by more than a possession. I’ll take the points and expect a close game.

Nets / TRAIL BLAZERS Under 181.5

This Nets team is beyond atrocious, although with Devin Harris back they may be slightly better. The Blazers with Greg Oden and his two different length legs play consistently good defense. The key stat in any NBA over/under is the pace at which the two teams play, which can be found in their shots per game and free throws per game. I’ll probably write a full article on this at some point, but for now, it will suffice just to tell you that both of these teams prefer a slow pace and will likely play at one tonight.

Knicks / KINGS Under 216

This Over / Under is insanely high. Yes both of these teams like a fast pace. BUT THEIR PLAYERS SUCK! I trust that one of these two teams will have an off shooting night, which is usually 7 nights a week for the Knicks, and keep us under the total. Let me warn you though, even if you bet on this game, shield your eyes. It won’t be pretty to watch.

Packers / LIONS Under 47.5

This one is not predicated on the Packers offense, which should shine. It is based on Daunte Culpepper getting the start and a questionable Calvin Johnson. This Packer team has shown consistently all year that they will pack it in and force the run when they get a comfortable lead. I expect the same to happen on Thanksgiving, especially when this Lions offense will be in the incompetent hands of Daunte Culpepper. I think McCarthy will want to end this game as quickly as possible and get his players out healthy, without excess plays being run. Oh, and did I mention that Daunte “I’m on a roll, unless you count actual results” Culpepper should be lining up behind center for Detroit?

All Time on ADPTP: 5-4 (.556)
Last Week’s Record: 5-4 (.556)
Bet of the Week Record: 1-0 (1.000)

Al Davis Plus the Points 11.23 Podcast

Jake's NFL Spread Picks Record : 10-5
Brandon's NFL Spread Picks Record : 8-7

Today's podcast runs the gamut from our picks review, hangovers, Packers, NFL week in review, college football talk, NBA talk and even an email from a listener. Enjoy!