OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers has a free pick Friday is on the New Jersey Nets (+11.5) at San Antonio.

Rivers reasoning: I’m on a little bit of a fade San Antonio kick and it paid off in the first game after the All-Star break and I’m going to go back to that well today.

Obviously New Jersey is not close to what the Spurs are and may never be. But I do believe that Greg Popovich’ squad is going to run out of gas a bit here as the season starts to wind down and to get around a dozen points, even with the Nets, is enough to give it a go.

I love Deron Williams and I can see him make a splash early on. Throw in a quality big man in Brook Lopez and New Jersey should be at least competitive in most games now. They definitely don’t match up with the big three in Parker, Ginobili and Duncan but it’s not like those guys are kids anymore and aren’t going to play 48 minutes apiece. We’ll see some good but not great players like Neal and Blair and Jefferson in the mix who certainly can hold their own and help lead the Spurs to the victory but Pop’s squad is not 46-10 good and I’ll take my chances with the competent enough Nets to stay within single digits.

This could be a 15 point game at the half, that’s certainly not out of the realm, but in typical NBA fashion we could without a doubt get the back door as Avery Johnson keeps his starters, including Williams, in longer as they try and get some time together and get in a rhythm. All in all the Spurs aren’t as good as their record and I’ll take my chances with the Nets and their new superstar point guard.

Top expert pick on this game: Nets against the spread.

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OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Writer Vegas Matty

It’s the New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers point spread preview. With new addition Carmelo Anthony in tow to go alongside fellow All-Star Amare Stoudemire in the frontcourt, the New York Knicks (29-26) will look to break a nine-game series losing streak against the Cleveland Cavaliers (10-47) on Friday.  Anthony has averaged 36.5 points in his previous two trips to Cleveland and hopes to build on a memorable debut at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday after arriving in a blockbuster trade with Denver.

The former Syracuse star scored a team-high 27 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds in his first game with the Knicks, leading them to a 114-108 win over Milwaukee.  But Anthony was not the team’s only new player who thrived at the Garden, as point guard Chauncey Billups totaled 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds.  New York won its third consecutive game straight-up and will now try to cover three in a row away from home.

The Knicks went all in to get Anthony and Billups, trading four of their starters to the Nuggets late Monday for two All-Stars.  They also got to keep rookie guard Landry Fields, who has shown promise and should be able to learn a lot from the veteran Billups.  The main concern right now is a lack of depth inside since former reserve Ronny Turiaf has become the team’s starting center.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have beaten New York nine straight times, including a 109-102 overtime victory earlier this season without departed star LeBron James.  They have earned seven of their 10 wins at Quicken Loans Arena and got rid of another pair of James’ former teammates on Thursday when they dealt point guard Mo Williams and forward Jamario Moon to the Los Angeles Clippers for point guard Baron Davis and a 2011 first-round draft pick.

Davis probably will not arrive in time to make his first start for Cleveland but could contribute off the bench in relief of Ramon Sessions, who is averaging 19.7 points and 9.2 assists in February as the starter.  The Cavs have covered three of their last four games, starting with a 126-119 overtime win against Davis and the Clippers two weeks ago that broke their NBA-record 26-game losing streak.  He scored 26 points and dished out seven assists in that game.

If past history is any indication, bettors should expect another high-scoring game between these two teams.  The OVER is 9-3 in the last 12 meetings and has cashed in the past five games overall for Cleveland along with 12 of 14.  The Knicks have surprisingly seen their last two road games go UNDER the total along with three of four overall.

Top expert pick on today’s card:  Off another 3-1 last night, The King of Offshore Stevie Vincent has a Level 5 pro basketball side, triggering a nationwide betting bulletin for all gamblers. Stevie is advising all clients to wager their maximum bet on this game, as the angles are so strong. Get this triumphant pick now. Vincent’s winners are up

OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers has a free pick Thursday is on Northwestern (-4.5) hosting Penn State. Matt Rivers, who was the winningest handicapper ever—nobody came close—on a large network of sites is now exclusive part of the Offshore Insiders Network.

Now he has a sports handicapping pick with analysis.

Reasoning: I’m rolling with my Wildcats in revenge today against a good but far from great Penn State squad.

I have liked John Shurna and the Wildcats all season long and have been a bit disappointed overall as they have lost more games than I thought they would. 16-10 isn’t horrible and with a victory here they are 7-9 in the conference, which also isn’t terrible, but I did see a little bit of greener pastures in a breakout type of a season. All in all these ‘Cats are a talented and well-coached squad that is pretty darn good and especially so in Evanston. Shurna can be great and guys like Drew Crawford, Luka Mirkovic and Michael Thompson are very good at times.

The Wildcats have won their last pair and a few weeks back were nipped at home by then undefeated Ohio State by a point limiting the Buckeyes to just 58 points. This team is extremely capable with a fairly high upside as evidenced by that game for sure.

Penn State is similar as they are pretty good themselves but the road is never easy and after blasting the Wildcats last week in the first game I just don’t see them able to repeat that feat or come anywhere close. That game was more of an aberration and a total egg laid by the Wildcats, which will not happen again, no how no way.

All in all Northwestern is the better overall team, they have a score to settle and are on their home court. I’ll take my chances with the homeboys in this spot as everything appears to be weighted in their favor at a cheap enough lay.

Top expert pick on this game: Northwestern from the real Matt Rivers

For more information: An ugly 0-3 Wednesday. There’s nobody more accountable than myself in this business, period. When I lose I am man enough to admit it. It happens. Back on the horse today as I prove once again that I am the best there is, no questions asked.

400,000* NBA Game of the Year from the Windy City involving the Heat and Bulls plus a 300,000* Pac-10 lock with Arizona and USC. Just like on Tuesday, a 2-0 sweep of the board and 700,000* of profit. I need this day badly and will get this day easily! Rivers has premium picks at OffshoreInsiders.com

By OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Writer Vegas Matty

Here is the scores and odds preview of the Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat.

The Chicago Bulls (38-17) may have been caught looking ahead to Thursday’s marquee matchup with the Miami Heat (42-15) on national television.  The Bulls did not turn in a good defensive effort on Wednesday as they suffered a 118-113 loss at Toronto despite having center Joakim Noah back in the lineup after missing 30 games with a thumb injury.

The Raptors shot 58.1 percent from the field in the victory against one of the NBA’s top defensive teams, perhaps giving the Heat (-2) a blueprint to attack a Chicago team returning home and playing back-to-back nights.  Fatigue should not be too much of a factor though considering both teams will each have one game under their belts since the All-Star break.

Rust certainly played a role for Noah in his return after his early excitement enabled him to grab seven of his 10 first-quarter rebounds in the first six minutes of the game.  He finished with a game-high 16 boards but could not prevent Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan from attacking the paint.  Bargnani and DeRozan each scored 24 points and made a combined 18 of 19 free-throw attempts between them.

Derrick Rose continued his push for the MVP award by scoring 19 of his game-high 32 points in the fourth quarter for the Bulls to go along with 10 assists, but it was not enough.  Rose had led his team to wins in 10 of 12 games prior to the All-Star break and saw a string of four straight covers snapped with the setback.  The OVER has also now cashed in the last four games.

Miami got off to a strong start following the break with a 117-97 rout of Sacramento on Tuesday.  The trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh combined for 76 points, 25 rebounds and 11 assists after each of them started for the Eastern Conference All-Stars on Sunday.

Wade had tweaked his ankle in the All-Star Game but showed no ill effects of the injury against the Kings.  However, key reserve Mike Miller (5.9 points per game) will not travel with the team to the Windy City due to an ear infection.  The Heat have not beaten the spread in consecutive games since covering five in a row from January 30 to February 6.

Miami lost the first meeting with the Bulls 99-96 at the United Center back on January 15 without James, who missed the game due to a sprained ankle.  Instead, it was Chicago natives Wade and Rose that went toe-to-toe in an offensive duel before Kyle Korver hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 25.5 seconds remaining.  Rose scored a game-high 34 points while Wade finished with 33.

According to OffshoreInsiders.com Miami is (-2.5) with a total of 192.

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Thunder vs. Spurs Preview (video)

OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers has a pick for Wednesday and it’s on the Oklahoma City Thunder (+7) at San Antonio.

I admit that playing on a back-to-back here with travel against the rested 46-10 Spurs is not going to be an easy task. But with that said I am completely under the belief that we are going to start seeing a tired worn down San Antonio team as these guys are not young and are not going to have nearly the second half like they did in the first.

The Spurs big three of Duncan, Ginobili and Parker are still very good and very capable. There are also other pieces like Blair and Neal and Jefferson that can look really good on any given night. Greg Popovich’ team will compete and be there competing for the title but I am not all in with them and think they are going to start to falter a bit. In other words they are just not 46-10 type good, no how no way.

Oklahoma State did just play at home against the Clippers last night and are the more fatigued team of these two. But when you have a litmus type test like this and have the young and talented personnel like they do I can’t help but grab around seven or so points and take my chances. The legs may be a big tired but playing against the best team in the league in San Antonio provides enough motivation to somewhat counteract that.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are as good as they come and all in all the Thunder are not a team that anybody will want to play come playoff time. These guys are a total x factor of a team that can be great and the next dynasty. That may be a bit much and not even all that relevant here in this one particular game but whenever I can get this much with this team I’m going to make a play on them, end of story.

Top expert pick on this game: Oklahoma City

For more information: It was A perfect 2-0 sweep on Tuesday including a whopping 700,000* of profit as both the 400,000* on Michigan State and 300,000* on Louisville cashed those tickets with total ease. Not bad when the teams you fade combine for 85 total points!

Wow, I am loving a pair of dogs today along with one way, way, way too cheap chalk! I’m talking about teams that are ridiculously undervalued and it is going to show going away. A pair of pups that are about to have a tremendous amount of bite and cover their respective games by the bare minimum of seven points plus a 300,000* chalk that is winning going away in an easy cover. Two pups, one favorite and a full million* of profit are on the table. I’m once again snatching it all. Who else is Rivers betting?

The first leg of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby 2011 early lines have already been posted at SportsBook. Uncle Mo, Dialed in, To Honour and Serve, and the Factor lead the early odds.

How serious is the NFL combine to draftnicks? It can’t be much more serious than it is to bettors. SportsBook has these odds for the combine.

OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers has a winner Tuesday on the Atlanta Hawks (+7.5) at the LA Lakers.

Sure I’ll grab around a touchdown with the boys from Hotlanta. The Hawks are good enough to compete with anybody in this league and that includes the Lakers at Staples. I’m really not all that afraid of Kobe and the struggling big bad Lakers. Things have not been great of late, with the three straight losses, and something is just off right now with Phil Jackson’s squad. Los Angeles has played some really questionable games of late and now after all of the hoopla of the All-Star game including Kobe earning another MVP award I can see a little bit of fatigue along with a letdown from the defending champs.

The Hawks aren’t going to win the championship but they are a tough squad that very well may better the 53-win season from a season ago. Joe Johnson and Al Horford were All-Stars and throw in a guy that plays like an All-Star in Josh Smith plus Jamal Crawford and a few others and I 100% expect the visitors to come after the defending champions. Teams get up for big games like this and therefore I can see the Hawks hanging a little extra giddy up in the tank. This is the Lakers in front of all of the celebrities and stars in LA. What more motivation can a team draw? Maybe playing at Madison Square Garden, maybe, but that is about it.

Kobe and the gang have dropped three in a row and that included the shocking upset loss in Cleveland to end the first half. One could say that the break came at a right time for the champs but I’m not so sure and somewhat believe this team may be just a little bit off and, break or no break, will continue to be a little bit off.

Top expert pick on this game: Atlanta from Matt Rivers

For more information: It was a terrible call on UTEP on Monday, no excuses. I was as wrong as wrong could be in that thing. It happens. Moving forward and continuing the domination of the Crookie here and now as I Raise that Bar with a 400,000* major release from Minnesota in this semi elimination game between the Spartans and Golden Gophers. Both squads have struggled and one more loss for either could spell doom. Who shows up? One team for sure that I can tell you. Also get a bonus 300,000* from the Big East involving Louisville and Rutgers. 2-0 sweep and another 700,000* of profit, end of story! Rivers redemption comes tonight

Now to the rest of the NBA odds:

The ESPN college basketball schedule has two great games for fans and sports bettors alike: Syracuse at Villanova and Oklahoma State at Kansas.

OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers has the ESPN winner on Syracuse (+4) over Villanova.

It’s kind of funny how neither Villanova nor Syracuse is trustworthy anymore as the last month or so has been extremely mediocre for both so to be honest with you I could see either team win this thing. Going on the road is never easy but Villanova just is not that good right now and to get any points against the scuffling Wildcats is more than fine with me.

The start to the season for Jim Boeheim’s boys was awesome and probably a bit overachieving but the ‘Cuse is a better team than they have been showing in the leaner times of late, that I can promise you. Kris Joseph, Rick Jackson, Scoop Jardine and the rest of the visitors will come to play today and it’s not like they are up against a Villanova team that is rocking and rolling at all.

Jay Wright’s squad has regressed mightily of late and if not for Corey Fisher would truly not even be that good. The Wildcats were just outplayed by a pretty bad DePaul squad and were lucky to win as the dozen-point favorite in overtime. I can’t toot the Orange horn in their last game all that much as they needed overtime at home against Rutgers as the similar chalk but in all honesty these teams pretty much mirror each other right now and all in all this game is a toss up.

‘Nova has failed to cover any of their last four games and have actually lost outright in half of their past eight. The debacle of a defeat at Rutgers did not help this team’s psyche and since then things have gone from bad to worse. Syracuse at least has shown some life after that four game losing streak as they have won four of their last six and appear to be headed in the right direction or at least a little more so than Villanova.

This game is not the lock of my life as it’s a pair of teams that jumped out of the great in fine form and have been very mediocre of late and the always-important home court edge goes to them. But in the end this thing is very 50-50 and to get around a handful is enough for me.

Top expert pick on this game: Syracuse

For more information: Please note that this Central Florida-UTEP game is a day game, 1:00 to be exact so come and get it ASAP.

I’m still feeling great and am ready to rock n roll with another 300,000* winner from El Paso between the Golden Knights and Miners. I’ve banged home four of the last five 300,000* plays and am about to make it five of the last six. I’m talking here about either an outright or a burial meaning a UTEP smacking or a UCF quality upset victory. Ride me baby! Matt Rivers card is up

Here is the complete odds rundown for tonight in college basketball:

Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson top the odds to win the Daytona 500.

The NBA All-Star Game odds has the East -2 with a total of 269.5 and it’s a big day in college basketball betting.

OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers has a winner Sunday on Georgia Tech (+21) at Duke.

Reasoning: This write-up is actually going to be pretty funny because all signs will point to me liking Duke. Georgia Tech is inferior in every single category bar none and it’s not even close. But the problem with this game is that the number is just too much, even for a regressing Georgia Tech team that has next to nothing going for them right now.

Nolan Smith has been awesome and the Dookies overall are heads and shoulders better than the Yellow Jackets, there is zero debate at all there. Paul Hewitt is turning into an underachieving disgrace and without Brian Oliver the boys from Hotlanta are one of the worst teams in the entire ACC right now. I would say that only a dismal Wake Forest team is worse.

Smith, Kyle Singler, the Plumlee brothers, Seth Curry and the rest of Coach K’s squad may be up going away by 20 at the half. After all Virginia Tech last week raced out to the huge lead and pummeled these same Jackets. So if anybody believes that Tech has any sort of a chance to keep this thing close then I would say that they are beyond crazy. With that said though everybody seems to somewhat get up for Duke and I do not believe that this current version of the Blue Devils is truly all that. These guys were outplayed at home last week by a good but nothing more North Carolina team and truly are not as great as the 24-2 overall mark would indicate.

Iman Shumpert has been playing some lights out ball for the Jackets and even though his team stinks they did at least come into this thing off of the victory against Chattanooga and to get three touchdowns plus in-conference, even at Cameron Indoor, is going to prove to be a few too many.

This may not be a fun game to back the dog in because they have no shot whatsoever to even keep it relatively close. We may see a 55-35 laugher at some point but even so this gargantuan number should just still be too much in the end.

Top expert pick on this game: Georgia Tech from the real Matt Rivers of OffshoreInsiders.com

For more information: Some absolutely horrific luck yesterday as the big play on Arizona went from a 12 point second half lead when only laying 2 ½ to a one point victory and non-cover that including a crushing turnover with three seconds remaining on a can’t mess up in-bounds pass. In the end it’s a loss and I’m man enough to admit it and move on. Stuff happens, I’m still the best and will prove it in another 2-0 sweep of the board right now.

Two plays today, a 400,000* winner involving Clemson and Miami plus a 300,000* on Penn State and Wisconsin. Do you doubt me? I hope not for your sake! Click now to purchase

Now to the latest Daytona 500 odds.