AMERICA’S LINE

Ecks & Bacon

Las Vegas - After doing my NBA research, there’s a game that looks like a solid investment, and it's the Magic +9 over the Warriors.

Already hear the noise. How DARE YOU go against the mighty Golden State juggernaut Eck. Yet another sign that you are losing your mind. Orlando will not even make the playoffs, while GSW will probably be defending its title in June. So, why bother?

Well the Magic have covered eight of the last 10, and heading into last night's matchup at Miami, the Splash Brothers had covered just one of the last five. And GSW has covered only one of the last four in back-to-back games. Not looking for any REAL Magic, or suggesting an outright upset, but expect Orlando to hang around long enough to keep the final margin between four and seven points. Gimme half a Benjamin on the Magic.

Gonna go to the meet tonight, and for the first time since the very first week of the new year, we have to give back an envelope, and it contains two Benjamins plus the $20 juice. Still up comfortably for the year, so really can't complain.

EckSTATic: For your wagering pleasure, here are your spread stats of the day. Gonna look at the Big East matchup between St. Johns and DePaul. Neither team is going anywhere, and outside of Queens and Chicago, no one probably cares. But the spread stats are very interesting. The Red Storm come in with just one win in the last 18 games (6%) straight up. But against the spread, Chris Mullins crew has covered five of the last seven (71%). Go figure. The Blue Demons from Chitown have won just three of the last 18 overall (17%), and are almost as awful against the spread, covering just two of the last 11 (18%).