Handicapper Art Aronson of AAA Sports Plays Free Picks & Best Bets

This is a 9* on COLORADO -1.5

Colorado hasn’t always had luck on their side this year, but they are a good team and should roll Monday against Detroit. After a four-game losing streak that included two overtime losses, the Avalanche didn’t need any luck in wins over San Jose (4-0) and St. Louis (5-3). The latter we were on and made it our Game of the Month. The Avs scored five goals on only 18 shots, three of them coming in a decisive second period. They’ve scored 33 more goals than what they’ve allowed this season. You might be surprised to hear that’s the best goal differential in the Western Conference and tied for third best in the entire NHL. Detroit, as you probably know, is the worst team in the league. They have a -85 goal differential and their 28 points are 13 fewer than every other team. A current four-game losing streak has seen the Red Wings get outscored 19-5. They’re coming off a 4-1 loss at home to Florida. Unfortunately, the news gets worse as the Wings are 4-22 when off a home loss by three or more goals. This will be an easy, multi-goal win by the home team. Play COLORADO -1.5

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This is a 10* on RICE

North Texas is humming along with a 5-1 Conference USA record. They’ve won five straight games, covering the spread in all of them. That gives them a 13-4 ATS record overall and they are 6-1 ATS as a favorite. But it’s a big spread Monday, larger than what the Mean Green are accustomed to laying. They escaped Louisiana Tech with a 51-50 win on Saturday, a game where they were a six-point underdog. They won at the buzzer and it was their first win in Ruston since 1952! Fading North Texas in this spot seems pretty straightforward as there’s a letdown factor after pulling an upset like that. With Rice, there’s no letdown as they have lost six of seven and are desperate to pick up a victory. The Owls probably won’t win this game, their third on the road in the last five days, but keeping it close is something we like them to do. They are 5-0 ATS this season after allowing 80 or more points in their last game. Play on RICE

This is a 10* on HOUSTON

This isn’t the first time that the Rockets have lost three in a row. But it does feel like a season low-point. Monday sees them hosting an Oklahoma City team that beat them on January 9th by 21 points. But that game was in Oklahoma City. While Houston has lost three in a row as favorites and two straight at home, we expect this is the spot where they get back on track. The Thunder are just 2-3 straight up and against the spread since beating the Rockets. This is a third game in four days for them. They’ve been a good bet as a road underdog, but the Thunder are statistically below average on the road. Expect a very motivated effort from the home side in this one. Play on HOUSTON

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