Sports Handicapper ASA's Picks & Predictions

English Premier League: #200146 ASA PLAY ON Brentford Money Line (-120) over Sunderland, Wednesday at 2:30 ET - Two clubs going opposite directions plus we have the revenge angle here.  Brentford lost at Sunderland 2-1 earlier this season and they are out for payback here at home.  Sunderland has been struggling to score goals and has managed only 4 goals in the last 7 matches.  Also, Sunderland is known long-term for struggling more on the road.  The Bees are undefeated in their last 5 Premier League matches and this includes big wins over Everton, Bournemouth and Wolverhampton as Brentford has gone 3-0 with one draw in the last four matches.  The Bees have outscored the opposition by a combined 11-4 over their last 5 Premier League matches and thoug there is the threat of a draw here (which would be a loss for us) the odds are high enough that we are more than comfortable backing the home side to win this match!  We are big on Brentford on the money line in this one.

ASA NBA play on Phoenix Suns -4.5 at Memphis Grizzlies, 8pm ET - The Phoenix Suns (21-15) head to FedExForum as 3.5-point favorites against the Memphis Grizzlies (15-20) in a matchup that favors the visitors due to Memphis' fatigue and injury issues. The Grizzlies are coming off a big upset win over the Spurs last night and we predict a letdown. This will also be their second game in as many nights and third in four days. Memphis has also struggled as a home underdog, posting a 7-12 ATS record since the start of last season. On the flip side, we like the Suns to bounce back from a narrow 97-100 loss in Houston a few nights ago, and they've been excellent in this spot with a 10-4 ATS mark this season when coming off a defeat. In those games, Phoenix has won by an average margin of +6.4 points per game. The Suns will also be motivated for payback after dropping a tight 113-114 decision at home to the Grizzlies on October 29th. Adding to the case for Phoenix: Memphis is dealing with a lengthy injury list that could carry over from their January 6th game, including key absences like Ja Morant (calf contusion, out vs. Spurs), Zach Edey (ankle), Brandon Clarke (calf), and others, severely depleting their backcourt and frontcourt depth. The Suns, meanwhile, boast a balanced attack led by Devin Booker (25.7 PPG) and have gone 7-3 in their last 10 games overall.

#690 ASA PLAY ON VCU -2 over St Louis, Wednesday at 7 PM ET - St Louis is an impressive 13-1 on the season but they’ve faced a very easy schedule to date. The Billikens SOS is 343rd out of 365 teams and they’ve played only 1 true road game this season. They’ve faced only 2 top 100 teams this year beating Santa Clara by 1 and losing vs Stanford by 1 (both on neutral courts). VCU will actually be the highest rated team St Louis has faced this season. Last year VCU was favored by 10.5 at home vs the Billikens and won by 9 and now we’re getting them right around a pick-em at home. The Rams have already played 4 games vs teams inside the top 60 and while those are their 4 losses (11-4 record), 3 of those games went to the wire vs Utah St, NC State and New Mexico (also lost to Vandy). The teams that have beaten VCU this year have a combined record of 47-9 and all have strength of schedules in the top 120 unlike St Louis. If you look at straight stats, STL has some very impressive overall numbers. However, keep in mind they’ve faced a set off offenses that combines to rank 353rd in efficiency and they’ve played only 1 top 100 offense the entire season. The defenses they’ve faced combine to rank 302nd. Now they face a VCU offense thar ranks 30th in efficiency (the best offense STL has faced this year) and a defense that ranks 76th in efficiency. This is a big home game for the Rams who are on the road for 3 of their next 4 games and they are 23-2 at home since the start of last season. VCU joined the Atlantic 10 conference in 2012 and they are a perfect 9-0 SU at home vs St Louis since then. Let’s lay the small number.