Joseph D'Amico
Tom Stryker
A professional handicapper at Team Stryker Sports since 1984, Tom Stryker offers you 25 years of experience.
Dave Price
Dave Price's Priceless Picks have proven to be worth their price from the first day he broke into the handicapping industry.
Rocky Atkinson
My Handicapping and Betting Philosophy: I use my own unique power ratings for each sport along with trend analysis, stats and line value.
Mark Franco
Mark Franco helped start Vegas Insider in 1997 and worked under some of the most well respected handicappers in the Nation.
TOP 10 NBA POWER RANKINGS by Tony Karpinski
1-San Antonio Spurs (35-6); The Spurs have been just playing all around excellent basketball, from defense to offense, they cover it all. Manu Ginobli has been a rock this season.
2- Boston Celtics (31-9); So strong on the defensive side of the game, holding opponents to only a mere 92 a night, without Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O’Neal, and starting center, Kendrick Perkins. Still putting teams away night in and night out.
3- Miami Heat (30-12); After a shaky start, the Heat have become a dynamite team, finding leadership in LeBron James. The team, that many of us felt were too small or not physical enough, is now rebounding the ball superbly.
4- Los Angeles Lakers (31-12); Phil Jackson has the Lakers looking like they are back on track, any team with Kobe Bryant on it, should be competitive every night, it’s the other guys that need to keep focused.
5- Orlando Magic (26-15); Dwight Howard has brought his low post offensive game to a better level, still giving the Magic 22 pts and 13 rebs night in and night out. Hedo is back in Orlando, scoring 12/game for the Magic, and giving teams defensive matchup problems again.
6- Chicago Bulls (28-13); Playing solid defense, only giving up 94 ppg. The Bulls have arrived as the solid 4th best team in the Eastern conference. Derrick Rose has been fantastic.
7- Dallas Mavericks (26-14); Obviously, losing Dirk Nowitzki for so long hurt the team. As long as he stays healthy, the Mavs are again a dangerous contender in the West. Need to get back to playing good defense.
8- Oklahoma City Thunder (27-14); A young, exciting team that is entertaining to watch, founded off of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, leading the team. On pace for 55+ wins, it’s going to be a fun season to watch unfold.
9- Utah Jazz (27-14); Great teamwork in Utah, led by point guard, Deron Williams and his 9.4 assists a night. Williams leads this team completely from start to finish, Paul Millsap has been rock-solid at the PF spot.
10- Atlanta Hawks (27-15); The Hawks are moving the ball around more this season, with a little less one on one work. The game is played through teamwork, it appears they are ready to take the game to the next step; they play big versus the big teams.
Big Baller of the Week (BBW)
Steve Nash (PG, Phoenix Suns) 20.2 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, 13.2 assists per game, 48% FG shooting for the week. His Suns went 3-1, beating the Blazers, the New Jersey Nets and the Cavs, including his best game of the week vs the New Jersey Nets, putting up 23 pts, including going 11-11 on the line, also snagging 7 boards and 16 dimes.
Top performers of the week
Scoring; LeBron James (SF, Miami Heat); 44 points in a 107-100 Overtime win vs Portland
Rebounding; Kevin Love, Dwight Howard and Zach Randolph; 20 rebounds in their games during the week.
Assists; Steve Nash (PG, Phoenix Suns); 17 assists in a win vs Cleveland 108-100
Steals; Trevor Ariza / Alonzo Gee; 6 steals in each of their respective games.
Blocks; Samuel Dalembert, Marcus Camby Amare Stoudemire and JaVale McGee; 6 blocks in their games.
X-factor- tri bomber of the week
Nick Young; (SG, Washington Wizards) Nick knocked down a smoldering 52% of his deep balls he put up in the week. Knocking em down from down town with superb efficiency, including a 7-10 three point bomb-fest vs the Sacramento Kings, as he dropped 43 in a 136-133 win.
