Art Aronson – AAA Sports NBA Picks & Plays

This is a 7* on BOSTON

New division rivals face off here with Boston taking on New Jersey. It certainly appears as if the oddsmakers opened this line way too low as we’ve already seen the Bruins “shoot up” to a much higher price. They’re still worth the investment even at the current price. This is a team that’s made the playoffs 11 of the last 13 seasons and is a perennial Cup contender. New Jersey has missed the playoffs seven of the last eight years and while there’s some promise here, the Devils simply aren’t on the Bruins level … yet. Boston allowed the fewest goals in the league last season. There were some losses along the blue line that may impact the number of goals allowed, but you should still expect the B’s to rank among the league leaders in that department as long as goalie Tuukka Rask is still around. The Devils started last season very poorly, losing 22 of their first 31 games, so they can’t be trusted. Boston has won 26 of the previous 33 meetings. Play on BOSTON

AAA

This is a 10* on EDMONTON

The NHL’s seven Canadian teams have all been grouped into one division for the 2020-21 season. This is a rematch from last night when Vancouver shocked Edmonton 5-3 as a +130 underdog. Blame for the loss can squarely be placed on the Oilers’ defensive breakdowns, something not lost on coach Dave Tippett. "Poor puck play and poor reads led to grade-A chances against. Give enough of them and they're going to capitalize," a seething Tippett said. "If we want to be a better team, a harder team to play against, those have to come out of our game." Look for those issues to be “shored up” tonight as Edmonton looks to bounce back and avoid what would be an embarrassing start to the season. They did come back to tie the game twice last night despite getting only one point from McDavid and Draisaitl - combined. The Canucks played without JT Miller, who led them in goals and points last season. Edmonton is 5-1 L6 after allowing 5+ goals the previous game. Vancouver is 1-5 the L6 times they’ve been in the second game of a back to back. Play on EDMONTON

AAA

This is a 10* on GONZAGA

Gonzaga’s exploits need little introduction at this point as the #1 team in the country has won its 12 games by an average of nearly 23 points. They lead the country in scoring, averaging a ridiculous 96.1 points/game. The latest victim is going to be Pepperdine, who visits Spokane tonight. The Waves are simply not up to this task as they haven’t even played since Christmas and their last two games have been losses by 28 (to Cal State Bakersfield) and by 12 (to Cal Santa Barbara). Those losses were both at home. In fact, this is going to be just their second road game of the season. Gonzaga just hung 116 points on Portland its last time out. The only reason they did not cover is because they were asked to lay 32.5 points! (They won by 28). Pepperdine actually covered both meetings last season, but as you’d expect it’s Gonzaga that’s dominated the rivalry. The Zags have beaten Pepperdine 39 straight times going back to 2002 and haven’t lost at them at home since 1998! The straight up result is obviously in little doubt tonight, so it comes down to whether or not Mark Few’s team can cover the number. We think they will as a team that loses by 28 at home to Cal State Bakersfield is up against it here. Play on GONZAGA

AAA

This is a 10* on GOLDEN STATE

Denver was looking at a possible third consecutive win on Tuesday when they faced Brooklyn. Things started off well enough as the Nuggets jumped out to an 18-point lead in that game. But they blew it and ended up losing 122-116, thereby denying them a winning record. They’ve yet to be over .500 at any point this season, a disappointment after finishing 2nd and 3rd in the Western Conference each of the previous two seasons. Tonight, they’ll play host to the Warriors, who are a game over .500 as they look to rebound from a dismal 2019-20 campaign. Golden State also lost Tuesday, 104-95 to Indiana, as they too squandered a halftime lead. But only one of these teams can bounce back tonight in the second game of the TNT doubleheader. We’re siding with the Warriors, mainly due to the fact Denver is just 3-6 ATS as a favorite so far. Defensively, Golden State has been better than Denver this season and we see Steph Curry possibly “going off” here after being held to 20 points or fewer in three of the last four games. Play on GOLDEN STATE

AAA

This is a 10* on ARSENAL

Arsenal might only be 11th in the table, but there’s no denying the fact that they are one of the hotter teams in the entire Premier League right now. Thursday, they’ll be looking to make it four wins in a row for the first time since 2018. They’ve actually won four straight across all competitions when you include Saturday’s FA Cup win against Newcastle. They haven’t conceded in any of the last three. Up next for the Gunners is a date with Crystal Palace, which should be another three points as CP is below them in the standings. It was a five-match winless run in the Premier League for CP before defeating last place Sheffield United their last time out. They are also out of the FA Cup after a 1-0 loss to Wolverhampton last weekend. There have been some surprise victories this season, but not here against a side in such top form. Play on ARSENAL