Matt Fargo

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES LAKERS for our NBA Saturday Enforcer. We won with Denver on Thursday as it blew out the Blazers but we will be fading the Nuggets on Saturday in a much tougher spot. They improved to 21-19 overall including 10-7 at home which is solid yet unspectacular and they remain in sixth place in the Western Conference, one game ahead of the Lakers and just two games out of ninth place. The offensive outburst we saw Thursday was unique as they scored 140 points on 63 percent shooting and we will not see that again as Denver is ranked No. 23 in scoring offense.  Following four straight wins, the Lakers have lost two straight games including a bad loss at Sacramento on Wednesday by nine points as a four-point favorite. That dropped Los Angeles to 7-10 on the road and it has struggled this season despite playing the easiest schedule in the league and a big reason for that is that the Lakers have played 25 games at home compared to the 17 games on the road. Since Anthony Davis went down with a knee injury, the Lakers are 5-6 and as mentioned, they are a game behind Denver and just one game clear of Minnesota to fall out of the playoff picture entirely. They have gone just 4-10 against the number when facing winning teams but that damage has mostly come at home where they are 2-7 ATS. Their six wins against teams ranked No. 23 or better are the second fewest in that group and the team having the fewest with five is Denver. Here we play against home favorites off a win by 10 points or more over a division rival, with a winning percentage of between .450 and .550 on the season. This situation is 36-11 ATS (76.6 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (535) Los Angeles Lakers

This is a play on the NEVADA WOLF PACK as part of our CBB Saturday Afternoon Triple Play. Air Force hung with Colorado St., which was undefeated coming in, as it lost by eight points as a 21-point underdog. The problem is that game was on January 4th so the Falcons have not played a game in 11 days and being offensively challenged already, this is a problem. They return home where they defeated Utah St. in their last home game as a 13-point underdog to improve to 5-0 here but the other four wins were against garbage. Adding to the offensive woes is their 66 percent clip from the free throw line, No. 314 in the nation. Air Force is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 games after covering 2 of their last 3 against the spread. Nevada had a similar situation where it was off for 11 days and when it finally got back on the court, it was blown out at home against Boise St. by 15 points. This is a very veteran team that will bounce back against an inferior opponent as the Wolf Pack need a strong start in MWC action as it is sitting on a 7-6 record. They are 0-3 on the road but three teams are a combined 39-9 and while Air Force has a winning record, playing a schedule ranked No 316 has helped. Nevada is 10-0 ATS in its last 10 games after having lost two of their last three games. Here, we play on road teams off an upset loss by 15 points or more as a favorite, with all five starters returning from last season. This situation is 62-29 ATS (68.1 percent) since 1997. 9* (719) Nevada Wolf Pack

This is a play on the WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS as part of our CBB Saturday Afternoon Triple Play. Virginia is coming off a narrow two-point win over Virginia Tech following a blowout loss against North Carolina in its previous game. The Cavaliers are now 4-2 in the ACC and while the defense remains its mainstay, the offense has struggled for the most part as they are ranked No. 327 in scoring offense at 62.7 ppg. They are going to face a challenge here and while they will slow it down like usual, they have faced two of the top four offenses in the ACC and were lit up for 69 and 74 points. Virginia is 8-23 ATS in its last 31 games off a close home win by three points or less. Wake Forest is part of that high-scoring group as it is No. 2 in the ACC in scoring offense at 79.1 ppg which is good for No. 36 in the country. The Demon Deacons are 13-4 overall which includes a 3-3 record in the conference and those three losses came against three of the top teams in the ACC in Miami, Duke and Louisville. They are 1-2 on the road with that lone win coming against the Hokies by 19 points. The Demon Deacons are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 road games against teams with a winning home record. Here we play against teams in the second half of the season allowing 63 or fewer ppg and after scoring 55 points or less going up against an teams allowing between 67 and 74. This situation is 56-21 ATS (72.7 percent) over the last five seasons. 9* (717) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

This is a play on the EAST CAROLINA PIRATES as part of our CBB Saturday Afternoon Triple Play. East Carolina heads home following a pair of losses on the road at Temple and Cincinnati and the Pirates are a perfect 9-0 on their home floor. They have won some close games here and they are catching a great number to try and improve to 4-0 ATS against teams with a winning record. East Carolina has been solid on offense, averaging 73.7 ppg and its perimeter shooting has led the way as the Pirates are hitting 37.3 percent from long range which is No. 39 in the country. The Pirates are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games following an ATS win. Memphis is coming off a loss at UCF which snapped a three-game winning streak and the Tigers are now 3-2 in the AAC. They have played well at home but have struggled on the road where they are 1-4 and on the season, home teams are 11-2 in Memphis games. They too have a solid offense as they are averaging three points more per game than the Pirates but they are a bad free throw shooting team and that could come into play late in the game especially on the road where they are shooting just 67 percent. The Tigers are 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall. Here, we play against favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points in the second half of the season averaging 17.5 or more turnovers per game going up against teams forcing 14.5 or fewer turnovers per game. This situation is 90-49 ATS (64.7 percent) since 1997. 9* (690) East Carolina Pirates

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This is a play on the CINCINNATI BENGALS for our NFL Saturday Game of the Month. The Raiders pulled off the unthinkable as it finished the season with four straight wins and all of those played a part in knocking those teams out of the playoffs. This included a huge road win at Indianapolis to stay alive and then a home underdog win over the Chargers to get into the postseason. The season could have been a lot worse as four of their 10 wins came in overtime while another three came by four points or less. On the flip side, of the seven Las Vegas losses, six were by seven points or more and overall, the Raiders were outscored by 17 ppg in those defeats. Las Vegas is middle of the pack in total offense and defense and in the bottom half in scoring offense and scoring defense and have a challenge here. Raiders are 3-11 ATS in their last 14 games after allowing more than 30 points in their previous game. The Bengals secured the AFC North title with a thrilling win over the Chiefs in Week 17 before resting their starters last week to get ready for their first playoff game since 2015. They will be seeking their first playoff win since 1990 as Cincinnati has gone 0-8 in its last eight postseason games. This team has the makeup to make a run as they won five of their last seven games prior to that Cleveland game, with one of those losses coming in overtime. The offense is clicking and the defense finished No. 9 in the league in quarterback pressures while they should be able to take away the Raiders running game as they finished No. 5 in rushing defense. The Bengals are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games after allowing more than 150 yards rushing in their previous game. Here, we play against teams off an upset win over a division rival as a home underdog, with a winning record on the season. This situation is 85-36 ATS (70.2 percent) since 1983. 10* (142) Cincinnati Bengals