REASON FOR PICK: My TV Dominator is on Chicago at 8:00 ET. Given the Bulls history (they'd previously fired two coaches over Xmas) and due to a couple of trying recent losses, including having blown a 35 point lead vs. Sacramento, Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro had reason to be worried about his job over Christmas. Del Negro's job still isn't exactly secure but the fact that he lasted through Christmas is a minor vote of confidence. Either way, this is a good spot for his team to bounce back with a badly needed victory. Even after Monday's meltdown, the Bulls are still 8-6 at home. Now they'll face a Hornets team which can't win outside of New Orleans - the Hornets have the worst road record (2-11) in the entire Western Conference. The Bulls had their way with the Hornets last season. They won 107-93 at New Orleans last February. That was followed by a 97-79 romp at Chicago on 3/14. Listed as 2 point dogs, the Bulls led by 14 at halftime and cruised to the easy win. More of the same here with the Hornets road woes continuing for another day. *9 Chicago
REASON FOR PICK: The Suns enter tonight's game in Oakland on a six-game road losing streak while the Warriors will take an overall seven-game losing streak into the contest. The Suns ended a two-game home losing streak with a dominating 124-93 Christmas night win over the Clippers, as seven players scored in double digits and the Suns made 12-of-24 three-pointers. However, the Suns are 0-6 away from home since a 113-94 win at Toronto on November 29. After losing the first three games of their current road slide by an average of 21.3 PPG, the Suns have lost the most recent three games by a total of just 10 points. The injury-riddled Warriors are 1-5-1 ATS in their seven-game slide and used just seven players in their most recent game, a 108-102 loss at New Orleans on Wednesday. Center Biedrins (11.9-11.2 last year) is expected back for this game and that's great news for the Warriors. Azubuike and Bell may not play at all the rest of the season plus Moore, Turiaf and Wright all remain sidelined. However, the Warriors are getting excellent play from their backcourt, featuring Ellis (25.0-4.3-5.0), Morrow (12.1), rookie Curry (12.1-4.8 APG) and Watson (8.9). The frontcourt is 'thin' but Maggette (17.0-5.6) has been healthy, Randolph (11.4-6.5) has been consistent and Radmanovic (7.0-4.9) has been serviceable. The Suns welcomed sixth-man Barbosa (12 points) back last night and with good reason. Phoenix was 4-8 in the 12 games he missed, while with last night's win, moved them to 14-3 with him available. All five Phoenix starters average in double figures, led by Stoudemire (20.5-8.7) and Nash (18.1-11.3 APG). The Suns are the league's highest scoring team (109.0 PPG) and its best shooting one (49.5% FGs / 42.24% on threes) while the Warriors are allowing a league-high 111.8 PPG and 49.1% on FG attempts. Does that spell doom for Golden St in this game? Maybe, but I'm taking a shot with the Warriors who are well-rested while the Suns are traveling off last night's win and let's NOT forget the team's six-game road losing streak. If Biedrins plays, I really like the Warriors. Take the points.
Game: North Carolina at Pittsburgh Panthers Dec 26 2009 4:30PM
Prediction: North Carolina
Reason: My LEGEND play is on North Carolina at 4:30 ET. The Panthers come in with the better record (9-3) and have the higher (#17) ranking. The Panthers also have the stronger offense. The Tar Heels (8-3) have several important advantages of their own though. They've got the better defense. In fact, they rank sixth in the entire country in total defense (267.8 yards per game), including ninth against the run and 15th through the air. The Tar Heels will also have the support of the home crowd, as Charlotte is just a two-hour drive from Chapel Hill. Perhaps most importantly, the Tar Heels are the team which wants to be here more. Don't get me wrong. UNC would love to be in a bigger bowl. However, the Tar Heels disappointment about being here pales in comparison to Pittsburgh's disappointment. The Panthers had much bigger plans and their dreams were shattered much later in the season. In fact, you may recall that the Panthers were up 31-10 against Cincinnati in their final game of the regular season. A victory there would have given them a share of the Big East title. It wasn't meant to be though. The Bearcats completed a furious second half rally, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 33 seconds left. That still would have only tied the game if the Panthers hadn't botched the convert on their previous touchdown. That's a tough pill to swallow and it will be difficult for Wannestedt's crew to recover when still thinking about what could have been. The Tar Heels have more to play for. Not only are they playing close to home but they lost here last season. That should make Butch Davis' job of motivating his players much easier. The Tar Heels had some trouble putting away weak teams this season. They were at their best against good teams though. They upset the likes of Virginia Tech and Miami, both ranked teams, and were 4-1 ATS against teams with a winning record - all four of them outright wins. They are now 13-4 ATS against winning teams the last three years. With the Panthers are 1-6 SU and ATS their last seven against teams from the ACC, expect the Tar Heels to step up and score the upset. *10 North Carolina
Ness
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