Sports Handicapper ASA's Picks & Predictions

#1/2 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* OVER 6.5 Goals - Columbus Blue Jackets at Washington Capitals, Tuesday at 7 PM ET - We like the over here regardless of the starting goalies. But we'll start there by mentioning that the Blue Jackets are expected to start Daniil Tarasov and he has lost 8 of his last 9 starts and is 3-11-1 with a 3.77 GAA this season and is off a start in which he allowed 5 goals. The Capitals are expected to start Charlie Lindgren and he has allowed 4 goals in each of his last two starts. Washington is still mathematically alive but they realize their odds on a wild card spot are slim. The Blue Jackets have already been eliminated from post-season contention. Considering the situation, this game is likely to play out rather wide-open with plenty of open ice. Overall, Washington has seen plenty of that lately too as the Capitals last 4 games have totaled at least 7 goals. Also, the last 11 Caps games have averaged 8 goals. The Blue Jackets also have been trending to overs because their defense is so bad and their goaltending has been subpar. Columbus has lost 8 of 11 games and scored an average of 3.3 goals during this stretch but also allowed an average of 4.8 goals per game. As you can see from these numbers, just like Washington, the Jackets last 11 games averaging 8 goals. You can see why we fully expect to see at least 7 goals in this one! Also, we are aware of the Kuznetsov injury situation for the Capitals but even if he is not back for tonight's game he has been having a very quiet month and yet the Capitals still scoring very well. Also, Washington is getting a boost with the imminent return of John Carslon even though he may not be back until Thursday. Morale is up for the Caps these days. Over is our play here.

ASA Top Play on 10* UNDER 236.5 Oklahoma City Thunder @ LA Clippers, 10:40 PM ET - When these two teams met earlier this season they produced total points of 202 and 228. Our analytics suggest another game in the mid 220’s. When it comes to defense there aren’t many teams playing better than the Clippers, who are allowing 1.118-points per possession in their last five games. One of the three other teams that rate better than the Clippers in that 5-game stretch is the Thunder. OKC is 1st in the NBA in points per possession allowed in the last five games at 1.062PPP. LA is the home team here and they will dictate tempo or pace which should be slow. The Clippers are the 7th slowest paced team in the NBA this season. The Thunder average 121.1PPG at home which is the second highest average in the league. But on the road that average dips to 114.1PPG. The Clippers are the 4th lowest scoring team in the league when playing at home at 111.4PPG, but also give up just 109.8PPG. 12 of the last sixteen meetings on this court between these two teams has stayed Under the number.

ASA top play on 10* UNDER 134.5 Wisconsin @ Oregon, 9 PM ET - The Ducks are dealing with injuries with several starters missing both NIT games thus far. Reports are they will have All-Pac 12 starting center N’Faly Dante back for this game against Wisconsin and potentially Jermaine Couisnard. Those are important pieces for a Ducks team that was 53rd in defensive efficiency this season allowing just .979PPP. Oregon held opponents to 66.7PPG on the season on 41.7% shooting. The Ducks just faced UCF who is very similar to Wisconsin when it come to pace of play as the Knights averaged 64.8 possessions per game which was 307th in the nation. This Badger team is even slower yet, ranking 342nd at 63.5 and it takes them on average 19.6 seconds per possession to get a shot up (348th). Wisconsin also knows a little something about defense ranking 27th in the country in DEFF allowing just .950-points per possession. The Badgers were a very poor shooting team on the season at 41.7% (317th) and scored just 65.2PPG. Bucky is coming off a game at home where they shot 54% overall which is unlikely to happen again, especially on the road. Oregon has an adjusted tempo of 66.7 which ranks them 205th so they prefer a slower pace also. The bet here is UNDER.