Art Aronson

This is a 7* on DALLAS

Dallas needs to start moving up the standings now. They are five points behind fourth place Nashville in the Central Division. The key is the Stars have three games in hand compared to the Predators and two in hand compared to the fifth place Blackhawks. So making up the necessary ground seems quite doable. Based on goal differential, you’d think the Stars are capable as well. They have a +9 goal differential whereas Nashville is -7 and Chicago is -16. So really, Dallas has been a better team than those two this year. They fell behind due to early season problems with COVID. Now is the time to start moving up and we like their shot at getting two points tonight as they host one of the two teams below them in the division, Columbus. The Stars just beat the Blue Jackets 4-1 on Thursday. C-bus has lost four in a row, seven of eight and 11 of the last 13. Play on DALLAS

AAA

This is a 10* on the UNDER

The Bulls are in a terrible way right now. Five consecutive losses and they are without top scorer, Zach LaVine (quarantine). It was a 126-115 home loss last night to Memphis as Chicago gave up 69 points in a disastrous second half. They haven’t covered the spread in any of the five losses either as only one of the games was decided by fewer than nine points. The Bulls get to stay at home tonight as they face Cleveland. While this looks like a favorable matchup for the hosts, we think it’s more conducive to an Under. Cleveland is the lowest scoring team in the league at 103.9 points/game and they drop below 100 points/game (99.8) on the road. Chicago isn’t doing much better of late, averaging only 104.9 points/game during the five-game skid. Without LaVine, the Bulls aren’t getting much offense besides the recently acquired Nikola Vucevic and Coby White, who went for 27 points Friday. The other three starters combined for just 18 points! These teams were in action against one another last month. The final score was 103-94 (Cleveland!) and that was the fourth time in the last five meetings here in Chicago that the Under cashed. Make it five of six. Play on UNDER

AAA

This is a 10* on TEXAS

The Rangers were beaten 5-2 by the Orioles last night, but we look for them to even this series up at a game apiece Saturday night. There’s a huge edge in starting pitching tonight as Dane Dunning goes against Dean Kremer. Dunning, the Rangers starter, has looked great thus far. He’s allowed just one run in two starts (it came on a home run) and only five hits as well. He was a hard luck loser the last time out as Texas fell 1-0 to Tampa Bay. But Dunning can expect his offense to put some runs on the board here against Baltimore’s Kremer, who has only managed to make it three innings in each of his two starts to this point. He’s given up seven runs. A pitcher with a 0.78 WHIP facing a pitcher with a 2.33 WHIP sounds like a real mismatch to us. Baltimore is 5-2 on the road so far, not something you’d expect from a team that’s expected to be really bad this season. So fade them accordingly moving forward, including tonight as we don’t see them as likely to win two in a row here. Especially with the starting pitching matchup so obviously not in their favor. Play on TEXAS

AAA