Streak for the Cash Picks-January 19

My mini 3 game winning streak went down at the buzzer as DePaul hit 9 threes and Georgetown won by just 8. It was a coin-flip prop, but I thought the Hoyas would be able to pull away but the missed their FT’s and couldn’t cover the prop for me. I was able to bounce back with a win in the late prop with Colorado State’s winning margin beating Boise State’s 3PM.

So I start today on a W1 with these picks planned:

Josh Smith (5) and Ivan Johnson (44) are two of the Hawks trying to fill the gap left from the loss of Al Horford. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

4:00-Real Madrid win or draw: Home team getting the draw is always a good pick. The odds on this rivalry showdown are about even, but with the prop Madrid becomes the pick. Barca has dominated recent matchups, but Real is in first in La Liga. This is the first of the two-legs in the Copa del Ray with the second leg a week from today in Barcelona. Madrid needs at least a draw here, and I’ll pick them to get it.

8:05-Atlanta Hawks: Fear not, Portland, I’m staying away from your Blazers. I’ve picked them 3 times this month and gone 0-3 so I’ll stay away from Aldridge, Felton, and the Batum boys. Instead I’ll take the red hot Josh Smith and Joe Johnson to carry the Hawks at home over Portland. Jamal Crawford returns to Atlanta in this one, so his production is even more of a wild card than normal, but I still feel confident enough in the way that the Hawks are playing that they feel like the best pick of the night to me even as they figure out their cover for the injured Al Horford.

10:40-Blake Griffin-LAC: I’d pick Dallas to win this game, but Griffin to win this prop. It’s another coin-flip prop, so I’ll sit this out if I’m W3 or more.

current streak: W1

record for the month: 31-23