Ben Burns Available Picks
May, 11 2008 3:30pm EST
ATS: Utah Jazz -2 (-110)
WIN for +2.73 unit(s)
Los Angeles Lakers at Utah Jazz
I'm playing on UTAH. The Jazz were laying -4 or -5 (depending on when and where one played) for Game 3 here and they won by five. With the popular opinion being that the Lakers can't possibly lose two in a row, we're now getting a significantly lower line on the Jazz, to the point where a SU victory has a very strong chance of also resulting in a pointspread victory. I feel that offers us excellent value with a Jazz team which had the best homecourt record (37-4) in the entire league this season and which is now 40-5 here including playoff games. Note that the Jazz are also a perfect 5-0 SU/ATS the last five times they were listed as home favorites of four points or less. Yes, the Lakers should be more determined than they were for Game 3. However, that doesn't mean that they'll be able to beat a Utah team which is now more confident than ever. The Jazz outshot and outrebounded the Lakers in Game 3, while controlling the paint. As Carlos Boozer, who had 27 points and 20 rebounds on Friday, had to say: "Now we know that we can beat this team. We know what the formula is for winning and we have to duplicate that..." Look for Boozer and co. to do just that, sending things back to LA tied up at 2-2.
Ben Burns Past Picks
NBA Basketball
Los Angeles Lakers @ Boston Celtics Tuesday June 17, 2008 9:00 pm
I'm taking the points with the LAKERS. As you're probably aware, the celtics have covered every game in this series thus far. That has kept tonight's line generously high, despite the fact that the Celtics ... read more
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NBA Basketball
Boston Celtics @ Los Angeles Lakers Sunday June 15, 2008 9:05 pm
I'm playing on the Lakers and Celtics to finish OVER the total. After back to back games which stayed below the number, I believe that we're getting excellent value with the OVER here. On the topic of ... read more
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NBA Basketball
Boston Celtics @ Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday June 10, 2008 9:00 pm
I'm playing on the Lakers and Celtics to finish UNDER the total. I had the 'over' in both games at Boston. In the opening game, the teams had 97 points at the half and 150 heading into the fourth quarter. ... read more
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NBA Basketball
Los Angeles Lakers @ Boston Celtics Sunday June 8, 2008 9:00 pm
I'm playing on the Celtics and Lakers to finish OVER the total. Despite a relatively slow start (44 points in the first quarter) Game 1 was still on pace to finish OVER the total before the teams combined ... read more
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NBA Basketball
Los Angeles Lakers @ Boston Celtics Sunday June 8, 2008 9:00 pm
I'm playing on the LA LAKERS. As you know, the Celtics took Game 1. Despite a poor shooting performance from Kobe and generally getting out-hustled overall, the Lakers were able to keep things close almost ... read more
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NBA Basketball
Los Angeles Lakers @ Boston Celtics Thursday June 5, 2008 9:00 pm
I'm taking the points with the LA LAKERS. Home teams were dominant through the first two rounds of the playoffs. However, road teams began to catch up last round and the Celtics were beaten by ... read more
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NBA Basketball
Los Angeles Lakers @ Boston Celtics Thursday June 5, 2008 9:00 pm
I'm playing on the Lakers and Celtics OVER the number. I'm well aware that the Celtics possess a great defense. I also respect the Lakers' defensive skills. That being said, I don't believe that ... read more
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NBA Basketball
Boston Celtics @ Detroit Pistons Friday May 30, 2008 8:30 pm
I'm playing on Boston and Detroit to finish UNDER the number. These teams exploded for 208 points in Game 5. Considering that these were the two best defenses in the league this season, that type of "explosion" ... read more
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NBA Basketball
Boston Celtics @ Detroit Pistons Friday May 30, 2008 8:30 pm
I'm taking the points with BOSTON. I won with the Pistons in each of the last two games. However, I now believe that the "value" now lies with the visiting Celtics. While the Celtics home/road ... read more
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NBA Basketball
San Antonio Spurs @ Los Angeles Lakers Thursday May 29, 2008 9:00 pm
I'm laying the points with the LA LAKERS. I have a great deal of respect for the defending champions and they've been very good to me throughout these playoffs. That being said, I feel that their season ... read more
Ben Burns Bio and Picks | Articles By Ben Burns