LeBron James of the Miami Heat recently earned himself yet another notch on the belt of NBA history when he was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the 44th time in his career. Now he’ll take that honor with him into a battle with the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, Nov. 19 on NBA TV.
Struggling Canucks Look to End Skid – Host Panthers Tuesday Night
The Vancouver Canucks will try to right the ship and avoid their first five game losing streak in five years when they host the five-win Florida Panthers.
The seventh-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys will take on the 11th-ranked Memphis Tigers in an early season showdown at the Gallagher-Iba Arena on Tuesday.
The Houston Rockets will host the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at the Toyota Center in search of their third consecutive win, while the Celtics will be looking to halt a three-game losing skid.
Fresh off snapping a five-game losing streak, the Kent Golden Flashes will make the trip out to Athens to take on the Ohio Bobcats at Peden Stadium.
Buffalo is looking to get in and out of this one with a win and healthy to set things up nicely for their showdown for the MAC East title with Bowling Green next weekend.
Original 6 Matchup Highlight NHL Saturday Schedule – Rangers Visit Habs
The New York Rangers head to Montreal Saturday night of play in a building that they have had more than their share of problems in the last few seasons. Montreal shut out the Rangers in both meetings at Bell Center last year and has now won eight straight over the Rangers on home ice.
The Cincinnati Bengals host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday in a showdown between NFC North foes. The Browns had appeared to give up on the season but remain right in the thick of things, while the Bengals were the favorite to run away with the division prior to the year but have stumbled and need a win to maintain their spot atop the standings.
The Chicago Bears will take to the field with their backup quarterback at the helm once again this weekend to take on a struggling Baltimore Ravens squad whose road trouble over the last few seasons have been well-documented.
The New York Jets will make the trip out to Orchard Park on Sunday to take on a reeling Buffalo Bills squad. With Miami stuck in a rut, the second spot in the AFC East is the Jets’ for the taking, and the team will need to begin stringing wins together if they hope to make it to the playoffs.
A depleted Packers team heads to the Big Apple on Sunday to take on the suddenly surging New York Giants who look for their fourth win in a row.
The greatest Welterweight in the history of MMA Georges St. Pierre will return to action Saturday looking to squash the dreams of yet another up and coming young fighter.
UFC 167: St. Pierre vs. Hendricks
Event: UFC 167: St. Pierre vs. Hendricks
Date: November 16, 2013
Time: 10pm ET/7pm PT
Location: Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NevadaMain Bouts (on Pay-Per-View)
Georges St-Pierre (24-2): -280
Johny Hendricks (15-1): +210UFC Odds From Bovada
The greatest Welterweight in the history of MMA Georges St. Pierre will return to action Saturday looking to squash the dreams of yet another up and coming young fighter. Although still relatively green his opponent Johny Hendricks brings an incredible set of skills to the Octagon – a nearly unmatched striking game and one of the more impressive wrestling pedigrees in the Division.
St. Pierre has long been criticized for his inability to finish a fight but he has become the master of taking exactly what his opponent gives him, exploiting it and utterly dominating anywhere the fight happens to go. His athleticism is top tier, his takedowns are nearly unstoppable and his jab is one of the most effective weapons in the sport today. But perhaps St. Pierre’s biggest asset – his brain. As one of the most cerebral fighters in MMA, opponents never know which area of their own game that Georges is going to exploit. Simply put, St. Pierre has absolutely no weaknesses – all he does is win!
Johny Hendricks is a former two-time national wrestling champion – his takedowns, takedown defense and top game are at least equal to that of St. Pierre’s – you can’t say that about many of recent challengers. Perhaps Hendricks’ biggest weapon is his left hand – he has made a living out of turning out the lights with one shot! Hendricks is certainly well rounded and as dangerous in every area of the game as anyone St. Pierre has ever faced.
You have to love what Hendricks brings to the Octagon but you have to love St. Pierre’s penchant fro intense preparation to shine again in this fight. No matter what any of Georges opponents have done – he has had an answer for – I don’t see that changing Saturday. In a wrestling ring, I may lean Johny’s way but in the Octagon I have to go with Georges in every aspect – even wrestling. Georges avoids the difference making left hand and wins yet another decision Saturday night.
Pick: Georges St. Pierre -280
Rashad Evans (18-3-1): -190
Chael Sonnen (28-13-1): +155
In perhaps the most interesting fight on the card Rashad Evans will look to take a step toward a rematch against Jon Jones when he takes on the Mouth of the UFC Chael Sonnen. Is Sonnen on every UFC card or is it just me? Anyway, this fight will be a battle of two excellent wrestlers that need to impose their wills in order to secure victory.
Rashad is the superior athlete in this fight and I think that’s the difference. There is no wrestling edge for either fighter in this bout. And as we’ve seen in the past when the wrestling chops are equal, they tend to cancel each other out. That leaves us to a question of who is the better striker, who has the technique and power in a stand-up war.
The answer to that question is simple to me. A very motivated Rashad takes this fight and remains on the Jon Jones radar. An Evans loss means that he will descend to the world of the “B level fighters” and may never get a title shot again – don’t think he doesn’t know it!
Pick: Rashad Evans -190
Rory MacDonald (15-1): -375
Robbie Lawler (21-9): +275
Rory MacDonald will look to remain relevant in the Welterweight Division Saturday night when he takes on true veteran Robbie Lawler. MacDonald is winner of five straight fights while Lawler has recently seen a resurgence with two straight wins (after losing three of four in Strikeforce).
MacDonald is certainly better in every aspect of MMA at this point of his career – even training partner Georges St. Pierre has anointed him as the future of the division. Lawler will either finish the fight or be finished and in this case, his recklessness costs him.
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MacDonald’s camp is terrific at fight planning and it won’t be difficult to come up with a plan against Lawler. Consider this another stepping stone for MacDonald as he wins in impressive fashion Saturday night.
Pick: Rory MacDonald -375
Josh Koscheck (17-7): -110
Tyron Woodley (11-2): -120
Josh Koschek will look to put an end to a two fight losing streak when he takes on fellow wrestler Tyron Woodley who can make a huge statement with a win here. Koschek has the experience advantage, the edge in the standup and he also has the knowledge that he took Johny Hendricks to a decision last May. Kos seems to be a fading star but I think he has one or two last gasps in him.
Pick: Josh Koschek -110
Tim Elliott (10-3-1): -150
Ali Bagautinov (11-2): +120
Flyweights open the PPV card Saturday when Russian sambo master Ali Bagautinov takes on another prospect and recent Fight of the Night winner Tim Elliot. Elliot is a nice fighter but the UFC brass appears to be pumping the tires of Bagautinov. In a typically exciting Flyweight bout, I think the skills of Bagautinov slightly outweigh those of Elliot in this one.
Pick: Ali Bagautinov +120
Preliminary Bouts (on Fox Sports 1)
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (20-6): -120 vs. Evan Dunham (14-4): -110
Pick: Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone -110
Ed Herman (21-9, 1 NC): +165 vs. Thales Leites (21-4): -210
Pick: Thales Leites -210
Brian Ebersole (50-15-1): +165 vs. Rick Story (15-7): -210
Pick: Brian Ebersole +165
Erik Perez (13-5): -375 vs. Edwin Figueroa (9-3): +275
Pick: Erik Perez -375
Preliminary Bouts (on Facebook)
Jason High (17-4): -300 vs. Anthony Lapsley (21-5, 2 NC): +220
Pick: Jason High -300
Will Campuzano: +325 vs. Sergio Pettis (9-0): -450
Pick: Sergio Pettis -450
Cody Donovan (8-3): +250 vs. Gian Villante (10-4): -350
Pick: Cody Donovan +250
If the Arizona Cardinals were in almost any other division they would probably still be in the playoff race. However, being 5-4 in the NFC West put them in third place, hoping that the San Francisco 49ers slide a just a little further back.
The Dolphins are a team on the brink of disaster, losers of four straight and out the playoff race, Miami will try to garner a little respect when they face the Charger on Sunday.
A pair of playoff contenders vying for the NFC title, square off on Sunday in the Big Easy, as New Orleans host the 49ers.
Break up the Buccaneers right? All they did was get their first win of the season against a team getting torn apart from the inside so obviously they are on the right track now. Perhaps not but it is not like the Falcons are dominating either.
