Sean Murphy

My selection is on Pittsburgh over Tampa Bay at 7:05 pm et on Wednesday.

While I understand this is a revenge spot for the Lightning after the Penguins prevailed 4-2 in Tampa last week, I still think Pittsburgh is in better position to respond here following consecutive losses against the Flyers. Note that the Pens have owned this series in South Florida lately, taking each of the last four meetings at Amalie Arena. Tampa Bay snapped a four-game losing streak with a dominant 4-0 win over Dallas two nights ago. The Bolts are just 16-22 in their last 38 games when seeking revenge for a loss in which their opponent scored four goals or more. Take Pittsburgh (8*).

My selection is on Pittsburgh minus the points over West Virginia at 9 pm et on Wednesday.

Pitt should be fuming off consecutive home losses against Missouri and Clemson. While those were two tough games, you have to imagine the Panthers figured they could at least earn a split (or better). That wasn't the case so now they hit the road looking to get back on track against West Virginia on Wednesday. The Mountaineers are in a bit of a reset year with no returning starters from last year's team. It's a much different story for Pitt, which has been slowly rebuilding under head coach Jeff Capel and last season went 24-12, eventually bowing out as an 11-seed in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. West Virginia is off to a 3-4 start in the first year of the post-Bob Huggins era under the guidance of new head coach Josh Eilert. After eking out a win over Bellarmine (by four points), the Mountaineers fell by six against St. John's last time out as their four-game homestand continued. This is a matchup the Panthers have likely had circled after dropping an ugly 81-56 decision at home against West Virginia last season. The Mountaineers were road favorites in that game but the shoe is on the other foot this time around and I expect to see a different result. Take Pittsburgh (8*).

Wednesday NBA Free play. My selection is on Orlando plus the points over Cleveland at 7:10 pm et on Wednesday.

It's not often we can get a price like this with the Magic anymore as the 'genie is out of the bottle' so to speak. Off a SU loss in Brooklyn and back-to-back ATS defeats, we'll confidently back Orlando to bounce back here as it returns to the floor against Cleveland on Wednesday. The Cavs have been up and down so far this season but do check in with a winning record at 11-9. They're just 5-6 at home, where they've actually been outscored by just north of 2.0 points per contest. Note that Orlando is 31-15 ATS in its last 46 games when priced as an underdog of between 3.5 and 9.5 points. Meanwhile, Cleveland is 14-25 ATS in its last 39 contests after winning two of its last three games, as is the case here. Take Orlando.

My selection is on Philadelphia minus the points over Washington at 7:10 pm et on Wednesday.

The 76ers are coming off consecutive losses but essentially played with their 'B' squad last time out against Boston (and still managed to cover the spread). Here, we should see Philadelphia back at full strength (or close to it) following a four-day layoff. To say Wizards opponents have been stuffing the boxscore would be an understatement. They've allowed 43 or more made field goals in 10 straight games with three opponents knocking down more than 50 field goals over that stretch. I worry about their offense in this particular spot against an elite 76ers defense (and a rested one at that). Note that Washington scored 120 or more points in each of its last three games but all of those came on the road. Interestingly, the Wiz have averaged just 112.9 points per game at home this season, nearly four points per game below their season scoring average. Philadelphia has held its last three opponents to 83 or fewer field goal attempts with only one of those foes managing to break 40 made field goals. On the road this season, the Sixers have employed a smothering defense, yielding just 40-of-85 shooting on average. Even in a game where Philadelphia didn't bring the proper level of defensive intensity against the Wizards back on November 6th (it allowed Washington to make good on 49-of-96 field goal attempts) it will won by 18 points. Take Philadelphia (8*).

My selection is on the 'over' between Carolina and Edmonton at 9:35 pm et on Wednesday.

The Hurricanes will likely be in a foul mood as they head to Edmonton following Monday's lifeless 2-1 defeat in Winnipeg. Make no mistake, the Canes can score as they average 3.4 goals per game on the season. In a game where both teams have question marks between the pipes (neither has a goaltender on the roster with a save percentage .900 or higher this season), I'm anticipating plenty of offense. The Oilers have been scoring at will, finding the back of the net 21 times during their current four-game winning streak. Like the Canes, they're also averaging 3.4 goals per game this season. Keep in mind, this has been a high-scoring series with three meetings going back to the start of last season producing 10, 9 and 9 total goals. Take the over (8*).