**PREFERRED M.A.C. Championship
CENTRAL MICHIGAN over OHIO by 27 (Friday)
What more fitting way for Dan LeFvour’s M.A.C. career to end than with a dom- inating blowout to cap an unbeaten run for the Chippewas through conference play. And the pieces are in place to make it happen easily. Frank Solich’s Bobcats typify his style of play in that they are fundamentally sound and opportunistic, but it got stretched to an extreme this season. They closed on a 3-0 run to get to this game despite being out-gained through those 1`2 quarters, and lowly Ball State and Miami O. were the only conference opponents that they beat in the box score. They even trailed North Texas in first downs and total offense in that overtime escape on the road. They did make plays, with nine TD’s from the defense and spe- cial teams, but they needed many of those just to win games, and not break them open. Atypical for a Solich team is that they do not run very well, and the offense rates in the bottom 20 nationally in yardage gained. The problem for them here is that Central is not going to give anything away – with excellent run/pass balance and LeFevour’s savvy leadership there were only 12 turnovers all season. Also note that twice in the last three weeks the Chippewas had misleading scoreboards because they had things well in command, leading Toledo 56-14 in the fourth quarter of a 56-28 final, and it was 38-10 into the final stanza last week before that 45-31 final. That helps to set this line lower than it should be. C.M.U. 40-13.
*Washington over Toronto by 2
Toronto on the road is not a preference, but the Wizards entered December having lost nine of their last 12. Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler were at odds over how to play in Flip Saunders’ offensive system and Mike Miller was expected to be sidelined at least another couple of weeks with a torn calf muscle. WASHINGTON 108-106. *Atlanta over New York by 14
The Hawks had the best pointspread mark in the league after 16 games going 12-4 ATS, while the Knicks ranked 28th in defense. ATLANTA 108-94.
***BEST BET
*Oklahoma City over Boston by 8
The Thunder is one of the more improved teams in the league this season. They were above .500 through their first 15 games. Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook are all young talents coming into their own. Rookie guard James Harden has looked good, too. The Celtics had failed to cover in nine of their last 11 games through Nov. 28. They were at San Antonio last night. This is their fourth road con- test is six days. That’s a lot for any team, especially one whose three key players are older veterans Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. OKLA CITY 101-93.
*Cleveland over Chicago by 10
No rest for the weary. This marks Chicago’s seventh road matchup in its last eight games. Derrick Rose hasn’t been nearly as explosive as he was during his rookie season. The Bulls’ rotation has been down a man with athletic Tyrus Thomas out. LeBron James is having another big year ranking in the top three in scoring and leading his team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. CLEVELAND 102-92.
Dallas over *Memphis by 4
The Grizzlies could be a live ‘dog if the Mavericks continue to play without Josh Howard and Erick Dampier. Dallas has a big home game on tap Saturday against Atlanta, Jason Terry’s former club. This is Memphis’ first home game in nearly two weeks. DALLAS 107-103.
*Detroit over Milwaukee by 5
Much depends on the status of Richard Hamilton, Ben Gordon and Tayshaun Prince. Without them, the Pistons lack scoring, leadership and depth. There isn’t enough scor- ing when Ben Wallace and Jonas Jerebko are in the lineup together for Detroit. The Bucks went 7-2 without Michael Redd. Now Redd is back, but is that a good thing? Perhaps not. DETROIT 98-93.
*New Orleans over Minnesota by 7
Darren Collision has been doing a decent job filling in for Chris Paul. Minnesota is just 1-9 ATS as an underdog through Nov. 28, but we hesitate to lay any decent-sized number with the Hornets unless Paul is back playing. NEW ORLEANS 94-87. Charlotte over *New Jersey by 2
Even with Devin Harris healthy, it’s hard to back the Nets against any team. The Nets make the Bobcats look like Golden State with their total lack of offense. The Nets entered the latter part of November ranked last in scoring averaging 85.1 points. Things are real bad when Chris Douglas-Roberts is one of your top players. CHAR- LOTTE 86-84.
***BEST BET
*Utah over Indiana by 17
After a slow start, the Jazz are playing better. They beat the Spurs in San Antonio two weeks ago. The Jazz entered the end of November ranked among the top five teams in field goal percentage, while the Pacers among the 10 worst clubs in shooting percent- age. Look for Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams to take advantage. Jerry Sloan will have plenty of time to prepare his troops since Utah played Monday. UTAH 115-98.
*Los Angeles Lakers over Miami by 11
The Heat was 1-7 ATS through Nov. 28. This is Miami’s third road game in four nights. The Lakers have been idle since Tuesday. LA LAKERS 103-92.
Colorado over Oregon State* by 3
The Buffs have some athletes and have flashed improvement under Bzdelik, while OSU's well-publicized exceeding of expectations last season have served to put them on the opposing radar. COLORADO, 71-68.
Winning Points 12/4
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