Bills vs. Dolphins betting preview and pick – Buffalo's had Miami's number

Two of NFL's best defenses take field

The Bills (5-4 SU and 4-5 ATS) go for their fourth straight win and cover over the Dolphins (5-4 SU and ATS) when the AFC East rivals clash Thursday at Sun Life Stadium (8:25 p.m. ET, CBS).  The Bills won the first meeting this season 29-10 at home in Week 2, easily covering the 1.5-point spread. But Buffalo's biggest offensive contributors that day, EJ Manuel and C.J. Spiller, are no longer in the lineup. Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill is 1-4 lifetime against Buffalo, with a 67.0 passer rating.

That September game was the first time the teams had met with both owning a winning record for the first time since Dec. 3, 2000. Sunday will mark the second time.

Each of these teams thrives on takeaways. They're tied for second in the league with 19 forced turnovers.

The Line: Dolphins -4, Total: 41.5

California vs. USC betting preview and pick – Trojans lay big number at home

California 4-0 ATS on the road

USC has dominated California for over a decade, but can’t afford to be overconfident when the Pac-12 teams meet at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Thursday night (9 p.m. ET, ESPN). USC has won the last 10 meetings between the schools, covering the spread in the last five. Both squads have been off since Nov. 1.  

The Line: USC -14, Total: 72

Line movement: The Trojans opened as 14-point favorites at The Wynn Las Vegas on Sunday, and the line was bet up to -14.5 on Monday.  Some shops moved as high as -15.  For updated spreads and totals from around Las Vegas, visit our live odds page .

Trends that matter: California is 4-0 ATS on the road this year....The OVER is 3-0 in California’s last three road games....USC is 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings between the teams, the last two of which featured point spreads higher than this one.

AccuScore’s NBA pick of the day – Nets at Warriors

Brooklyn getting big number on the road

AccuScore’s computer simulates games 10,000 times to predict their outcome. Throughout the basketball season, we’ll be stacking up these forecasts against Las Vegas money-lines and spreads. When AccuScore gives a team a better chance to win than the money-line odds imply or suggest a high chance of covering the spread, it’s a recommended play.

Following a 113-100 loss to the Spurs, the Warriors will look to get back on track Thursday night as they host the Nets (10:30 p.m. ET, TNT).  Given the two rosters, expect a high number of three-point attempts at Oracle Arena.

While AccuScore has the Warriors as 68.7 percent favorites to win, Brooklyn has a 58.5 percent chance of covering a 9-point spread.  Golden State is a -475 favorite on the money-line, odds that imply a 82.6 percent chance to win.  The number offers little value, but the Nets +9 is worth a play.

The average score after 10,000-plus simulations is 105-99. There is a 52.7 percent chance the total combined score stays UNDER 204.5.

Kentucky opens college basketball season as bigger favorite than anyone can remember

Wildcats attracting huge percentage of futures bets

Kentucky, on paper at least, looks to be well ahead of the rest of the college basketball field as the 2014-15 season begins, and if you think the Wildcats are going to win it all, they can be had for the low, low price of 9-to-5 odds at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. When it comes to betting, of course, a low price is not a good thing.

Odds so low to win a championship are virtually unheard of in Las Vegas, and a wager on Kentucky at this price is not one we’d recommend.

Not even the 2011-12 Kentucky squad with Anthony Davis, which went on to win the national title, started the season with odds so low, according to SuperBook manager Ed Salmons.

Despite the dubious value offered with such a short price, Kentucky has drawn an overwhelming percentage of futures bets at the Westgate.