The Portland Trail Blazers are in the midst of their worst struggle of the season, but they have two things in their favor at this juncture: They’re coming off of a near-comeback win against the Miami Heat and they have the Orlando Magic up next—a franchise that wants nothing more than to tank and earn a top pick in the 2014 NBA draft.
A pair of iconic teams that have struggled all season long will clash in an East Coast versus West Coast rivalry game on Tuesday, when the Lakers hosts the Knicks at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The Toronto Raptors will make the trip over to Ohio for a visit with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. Toronto has pulled out of its first losing streak in over a month with wins in two of its last three games, while Cleveland can’t wait for this disappointing season to end. They’ve dropped eight of their last 11 games.
With the NCAA Tournament taking a short hiatus before the Sweet 16 tips off Thursday, all eyes should be on the NIT. On Tuesday, the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles will face off against the Minnesota Golden Gophers with a trip to New York City on the line. The Winner will head to Maddison Square Garden for the Final Four in April.
The Cleveland Indians somehow won 92 games last season and snuck into the playoffs. In fact, they even pushed Detroit for the division title but there is no way they don’t take a step back this year.
After being competitive the previous couple of season the Chicago White Sox fell off the map last year. This was just an all around poor team that had weaknesses in their lineup and a pitching staff that was nowhere near good enough to compensate…it didn’t help that the Indians and Royals suddenly got good either.
The Denver Nuggets will make the trip over to the state of Oklahoma for a date with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. The Nuggets have picked up steam of late as they hope to get to the .500 mark before the season is out, winning five of their last seven games, while the Thunder have shaken off a shaky stretch to win five of their last six games.
An original six matchup headlines a decent Monday night card in the NHL. The Sizzling Boston Bruins return home after a three game road trip riding a 12 game win streak.
Surging Teams Collide – Kings Visit Flyers Monday Night
Two teams climbing their respective Conference standings meet in the City of Brotherly Love on Monday when the LA Kings head East to take on the hottest team in the NHL, the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat have been two of the best teams in the NBA throughout the 2013-14 season, but entering Monday’s faceoff, the two are struggling mightily with the playoffs around the corner.
The Pacers are 35-34-1 ATS with an O/U record of 29-39-2 and the Bulls are 34-36 ATS with an O/U record of 28-42. This season the Bulls are 22-13 at home and the Pacers are 19-5 on the road.
The Wildcats sure didn’t look like No. 1 seed on Friday, but will get the added benefit of playing a Gonzaga squad that also looked like it could improve, when the two tangle in San Diego in a third-round matchup in the West regional on Sunday.
The top-seeded Wichita State Shockers will look to continue their historic run on Sunday when they take on the eighth-seeded Kentucky Wildcats in the third round of the Midwest Regional.
The 14th-seeded Mercer Bears will look to continue their improbable run through the NCAA Tournament when they take on an 11th-seeded Tennessee Volunteers team that looks to continue an improbable run of their own in Raleigh on Sunday.
The 12th-seeded Stephen F. Austin will look to continue their unlikely run when they take on the fourth-seeded UCLA Bruins in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.
The book is closed on the first and second rounds of NCAA Tournament play after some characteristic upsets: #14 seed Mercer over #3 Duke; #12 Stephen F. Austin over #5 Virginia Commonwealth; #12 Harvard over #5 Cincinnati; #12 North Dakota State beating #5 Oklahoma. Some bracket-busters to be sure.
