Sports Handicapper Jack Jones's Picks & Predictions

Jack’s Free Pick Thursday: New Orleans Pelicans +4 

The New Orleans Pelicans have won two in a row and are starting to get a lot healthier.  Injuries were a big reason for their slow start, but they now have each of their top three scorers in Brandon Ingram, Jrue Holiday and JJ Redick back in the lineup. 

The Phoenix Suns got off to a fast start this season, but injuries are starting to hamper them now and they’ve lost three of their last four coming in with their only win at home against the Atlanta Hawks.  The Suns will be without both Ricky Rubio (12.5 PPG, 8.1 APG) and Aron Baynes (14.5 PPG), who were their two big offseason acquisitions and the catalysts to the turnaround thus far this season. 

Home-court advantage has meant very little for the Suns in this series.  The Pelicans are 5-1 SU & 5-1 ATS in their last six trips to Phoenix with their only loss coming in overtime.  New Orleans is 8-2 SU & 7-3 ATS in its last 10 meetings with the Suns.  The Pelicans are 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall. 

Phoenix is 2-12 ATS off a loss to a division opponent over the last two seasons.  The Suns are 5-16 ATS after trailing in their previous game by 15 points or more at halftime over the last two years.  Bet the Pelicans Thursday.

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No. 1 Ranked Basketball Capper All-Time! Check the long-term results and you’ll see that Jack Jones has put together a MASSIVE 2,262-1,959 Hoops Run since 2012 that has seen his $1,000/game players cash in a WHOPPING $162,790! You can look, but you won’t find better! FIVE Top-5 Basketball Finishes L8 Years! (#1 2012-13, #3 2013-14, #4 2017-18, #4 2011-12, #5 2015-16)

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15* CBB Thursday Undervalued Underdog on Toledo +8 

The Toledo Rockets are among the favorites to win the MAC this season and for good reason.  Toledo head coach Td Kowalcyk enters his 10th season with the program, and the Rockets are a perennial contender.  They are coming off a 25-8 season and a first-place finish in the MAC West. 

Now the Rockets return three starters in Marreon Jackson (11.7 PPG, 4.2 APG last year), Luke Knapke (10.5 PPG, 6.6 RPG) and William Jackson (8.5 PPG, 8.8 RPG).  The Rockets are off to a 3-1 start this season with their only loss coming on the road to Valparaiso in their opener by 2 points.  They have blowout wins over Marshall (by 26), Robert Morris (by 14) and Howard (by 44). 

Notre Dame is coming off a disastrous 14-19 season.  The Fighting Irish returned five starters this year, but they don’t have much talent.  That’s clear when you consider despite being 4-1 SU they are just 1-4 ATS this season.  They only beat Marshall by 10 as 19-point home favorites and Presbyterian by 10 as 26.5-point home favorites in their last two games coming in.  Toledo won at Marshall by 26 to give them a common opponent and a big reason they can stay within 8 points here. 

Notre Dame is 0-7 ATS off two consecutive home wins by 10 points or more over the last three seasons.  The Fighting Irish are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 vs. MAC opponents.  The Rockets are 11-3 ATS in road games off an ATS win over the last three seasons.  Take Toledo Thursday. 

15* Blazers/Bucks TNT ANNIHILATOR on Milwaukee -12 

The Milwaukee Bucks are back at it again this season challenging to be the best team in the NBA in the regular season.  They are 9-1 in their last 10 games overall with five of those wins coming by double-digits and seven of them by 8 points or more.  They are blowing teams in out on a regular basis, which is why I don’t mind laying this number with them Thursday. 

That’s especially the case when you consider they are up against a banged-up Blazers team that will be playing without Damian Lillard tonight.  They were already without Just Nurkic and Zach Collins, and they could be without both Hassan Whiteside and Anfernee Simons, who are both questionable. 

The Blazers have been a real dumpster fire of late, going 2-8 SU & 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall with five losses by 8 points or more.  Their last two games were really dreadful as they lost by 24 at Houston and by 11 at New Orleans.  And they just recently lost Lillard to injury prior to that Pelicans game, so they were playing poorly with him, and now they’ll be even worse without his 28.6 points and 7.1 assists per game. 

The Bucks are 8-1 ATS in their last nine after allowing more than 125 points in their previous game.  The Blazers are 1-5 ATS in their last six road games.  Portland is 0-4-2 ATS in its last six vs. a team with a winning % above .600.  The Bucks are 5-1 SU & 4-1-1 ATS in their last six meetings with the Blazers, including a 143-100 home win last year.  Roll with the Bucks Thursday. 

15* NC State/Georgia Tech ESPN ANNIHILATOR on NC State +2 

The NC State Wolfpack sit at 4-6 on the season.  They have a lot more to play for tonight as they still have a chance to make a bowl game if they win out.  And with a game on deck at home against rival UNC, they have a legitimate chance to win their final two games of the season.  Wrong team favored here. 

Yes, NC State is just 1-5 SU & 1-5 ATS in its last six games overall.  But that’s why we are getting great value on the Wolfpack as underdogs to the worst team in the ACC in Georgia Tech tonight.  And keep in mind those games were closer than the final scores.  NC State outgained three of its six opponents during this 1-5 skid, including outgaining Louisville by 51 yards last week in a 20-34 loss. 

Georgia Tech is every bit as bad as its 2-8 SU & 2-7-1 ATS record would indicate.  The Yellow Jackets have been outgained in nine of their 10 games this season with the only exception being outgaining a bad Duke team by 6 yards.  It’s a Georgia Tech team getting outgained by 121.7 yards per game on the season.  To compare, NC State is still outgaining opponents by 6.3 yards per game on the season. 

Plays on road underdogs (NC State) - after allowing 31 points or more in three straight games against an opponent that’s off a loss by 17 points or more are 64-27 (70.3%) ATS over the last 10 seasons.  Georgia Tech is coming off a 45-0 home loss to Virginia Tech while getting held to just 134 total yards.  Yet the Yellow Jackets are favored this week.  Give me a break.  Georgia Tech is 0-7 ATS in its last seven home games.  The road team is 5-0-1 ATS in the last six meetings.  Take NC State Thursday. 

20* Colts/Texans AFC South No-Brainer on Indianapolis +3.5 

The Indianapolis Colts are 6-2 this season in games started and finished by Jacoby Brissett this season.  They lost the only two games he didn’t play the entire way to the Steelers and Dolphins.  But they got him back last week, and the Colts promptly crushed the Jaguars 33-13 at home. 

Brissett wasn’t asked to do much because the Colts ran all over the Jaguars for 264 rushing yards.  That’s bad news for the Texans, which just gave up 263 rushing yards to the Ravens last week.  The Texans lost that game 7-41 and were outgained by 259 yards.  This is a team that I just don’t trust now now because they lost J.J. Watt to a season-ending injury and their offensive and defensive lines are terrible. 

Yes, the Texans have the flash with Watson and his receivers, but the Colts have the substance.  The Colts can sustain success because they have one of the league’s best offensive lines and also one of the best defenses in the NFL.  The Colts are 11th in total defense at 325.6 yards per game while the Texans are 25th at 374.4 yards per game allowed.  And keep in mind the Colts were banged up on D for much of the season but are as healthy as they’ve been now.  And the Texans are banged up on D now. 

The Colts own the Texans, going 5-1 SU & 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings.  Indianapolis is 6-1 SU & 6-0-1 ATS in its last seven trips to Houston.  The Texans are 0-7 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last three seasons.  The Colts are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 vs. a team with a winning record.  Indianapolis is 6-0 ATS in its last six vs. AFC South opponents.  Houston is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 vs. a team with a winning record overall.  Bet the Colts Thursday. 

20* CBB Thursday No-Doubt Rout on UConn -3.5 

The UConn Huskies are in Year 2 under Dan Hurley.  I expect them to be one of the most improved teams in the country.  They are off to a 2-1 start this season with an impressive upset win over Florida.  They returned four key players who all averaged at least 8.4 points per game last year. 

Christian Vital (19.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG) is a senior guard who is among the AAC’s best players.  Josh Carlton (13.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG) was the AAC’s most improved player last year and is taking that next step.  Alterique Gilbert (12.7 PPG) is finally healthy after battling shoulder injuries his entire career.  Tyler Polley (12.7 PPG) is a sweet stroke and is shooting 47.1% from 3-point range after making 38% last year. 

Buffalo is a team I’m looking to fade in the early going.  They are coming off their most wins in program history, and as a result they lost head coach Nate Oats to Alabama.  Jim Whitesell is in his first season and the Bulls have to replace five crucial seniors, including CJ Massinburg (18.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG last year) and Jeremy Harris (14.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG).  They don’t return a single double-digit scorer from last year’s team. 

We saw a sign of things to come in Buffalo’s opener when it was upset 63-68 at home by Dartmouth as an 11.5-point favorite.  And their two wins came against Nazareth and Harvard, so this will be a big step up in class facing UConn tonight. 

UConn is 17-5 ATS when playing only its 2nd game in a week over the last two seasons.  The Huskies are 35-17 ATS in their last 52 games off a close win by 3 points or less.  The Huskies will have gained a ton of confidence with that upset win over Florida, and it will carry over to this matchup with Buffalo tonight.  Bet UConn Thursday.