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Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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02-28-18 | Thunder -5 v. Mavs | Top | 111-110 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 50 m | Show |
The set-up: With all sorts of "tanking" stories surrounding them, the Dallas Mavericks beat the Pacers 109-103 on Monday. The 19-42 Mavs remain at home for Wednesday's game against another playoff-hopeful opponents, the 35-27 Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder bounced back from a 112-80 Saturday loss at Golden State by beating the Orlando Magic 112-105 on Monday. Oklahoma City is among a group of teams clustered between No. 5 and No. 9 in the West (currently own the No. 7 seed) and can't afford a loss to a team at the bottom of the standings. Oklahoma City: OKC got 48 points from its reserves in Monday's win and is hoping that contributions from players other than Russell Westbrook (24.8-9.6-10.4), Paul George (22.3 & 5.5) and Carmelo Anthony (17.0 & 5.9) is something that will continue on a regular basis. "This is the way we have to perform for the rest of the year and throughout the postseason," reserve guard Raymond Felton told reporters. Felton (7.1) led four reserves in double figures with 13 points against the Magic. However, other than starting center Adams (14.0 & 9.1), no other OKC player is averaging even 8.0 PPG. Dallas: Owner Mark Cuban was fined $600,000 by the NBA last week for suggesting on a podcast that it might be best for the franchise if the team continued to lose this season in order to improve its draft prospects but the players are refuted that position. The Mavs don't score much (102.0 PPG ranks 27th) but six players average in double digits, led by Barnes, the team's leading scorer (18.2) and rebounder (6.5) plus rookie PG Dennis Smith Jr. (14.6-3.9-4.8). Dallas is capable of getting plenty of support of its bench. J.J. Barea scored 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 26 minutes on Monday and the Mavericks added to the bench at the trade deadline with Doug McDermott, who is averaging 9.8 PPG in his six games with Dallas, while shooting 51.2% from the floor, including 54.5% on threes. The pick: Surprisingly, the Mavs have taken two of the first three meetings this season, including a 116-113 win at Oklahoma City in the latest matchup back on Dec. 31. The Mavs also beat the Thunder 97-81 earlier this season here at American Airlines Center. However, it should be noted that OKC is a very dangerous (although volatile) team. The Thunder were one of four teams (Golden State, Houston, Toronto were the others) to enter the All Star break ranked in the top-10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Will OKC ever get its act together? That's TBD but in this one, OKC takes care of business. Make the Thunder a 10* play. |
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02-28-18 | Red Wings v. Blues OVER 5 | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -133 | 12 h 20 m | Show |
The set-up: The slumping St. Louis Blues have lost seven straight games (0-6-1) for the first time since 2009-10 after Tuesday’s humbling 8-3 loss at Minnesota and have now fallen out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference with a 34-26-4 record (72 points). The Blues will be back on the ice again tonight when they host the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit checks in at 26-26-10 and with its 62 points, the Red Wings are still alive in the playoff race, sitting seven points behind Columbus for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Detroit: The Red Wings opened a critical five-game road trip Sunday with a 3-2 overtime victory over the fading New York Rangers, as Jimmy Howard turned aside 36 shots. "We’re still there,” Howard told reporters after making his fourth consecutive start for a team which has won two straight and earning a point in three straight. Detroit made one deal at Monday's trade deadline, sending Tomas Tatar to Vegas for first, second and third-round picks as it attempts to clear space for its promising younger players. “I am trying to build a team here that somewhere down the road can compete for the Stanley Cup,” GM Ken Holland told the Detroit Free Press. “It has to be done through the draft. Now there’s more draft picks, more assets.” Center Dylan Larkin has recorded four assists in the last four games to push his team-leading total to 47 points (just nine goals. RW Anthony Martha has a team-high 20 goals. St. Louis: The Blues St. Louis has been outscored 29-10 during their losing skid and have allowed a total of eight first-period goals over their last three contests. Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice in Tuesday’s loss to give him five goals in his last eight games and a team-leading 26 on the season - two more than All-Star Brayden Schenn, who tops the Blues with 56 points. All-Star defenseman Alex Pietrangelo recorded the other tally for St. Louis in his 599th NHL contest to snap a six-game point drought and reach double digits in goals for the second straight season and fourth in his career. The pick: The Blues' downward spiral continued at Minnesota last night and the team now needs to bounce back just 24 hours later at Scottrade Center. The good news is, St. Louis won at Detroit 6-1 back on Dec. 9 and has a seven-game points streak (3-0-4) against the Red Wings. Can the Blues earn a win after allowing 16 goals in their last three outings? If so, they'll have to score. That's the bet. Make the Over a 10* play. |
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02-28-18 | Temple v. Connecticut +2.5 | Top | 66-72 | Win | 100 | 11 h 14 m | Show |
The set-up: It's AAC college hoops from Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Ct. when the 16-12 Temple Owls (8-8 in AAC) visit the 13-16 UConn Huskies (6-10 in AAC). Temple has won eight of its last 11 games and still has an outside shot of playing its way into the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, UConn has lost seven of nine and is closing in on finishing with back-to-back losing seasons for the first time in 31 years. Temple: The Owls rolled to an easy 75-56 win over Central Florida on Sunday but a crushing 21-point home loss to Houston on Feb. 18 will put added emphasis on the American Athletic Conference tourney for Temple. Freshman guard Nate Pierre-Louis (8.0) has endured plenty of highs and lows in his first season, but Temple's sixth man supplied 11 points off the bench Sunday to reach double figures for the sixth time in eight games. 6-8 guard Rose (15.0 & 4.4) leads the team in scoring with fellow guard Alston (13.2) and the 6-10 Enechionyia (10.9 & 6.1) joining him in double figures.The Owls are not a high scoring team, averaging only 70.1 PPG (263rd) on 42.8% shooting (282nd). UConn: The Huskies fell into a 23-point hole midway through the second half of Sunday's 83-79 loss to Memphis, before making a late run behind Jalen Adams, who scored 21 of his 25 points after the break. When these teams met back in Philly last month, the Owls demolished the Huskies in a 28-point romp that marked the start of a UConn tailspin which has seen them lose seven of nine. Adams (18.1-4.2-4.5) was limited to just seven points last month versus Temple. Joining Adams in double digits are fellow guard Vital (15.0 & 5.2) and the 6-8 Larrier (13.8 & 4.5). The pick: Temple is the better team and just could be getting hot at the right time but the Owls are just 4-7 SU on the road and UConn is still capable of 'barking quite loudly' as a home dog against a Temple team which averages a modest 67.1 PPG on the road. Make UConn a 10* play. |
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02-27-18 | Boise State +3 v. San Diego State | Top | 64-72 | Loss | -106 | 15 h 26 m | Show |
The set-up: The 22-6 Boise State Broncos are 12-4 in the MWC and will finish second in the league to 14-2 Nevada. The Broncos will play their second-to-last regular season game tonight at Viejas Arena against the host San Diego State Aztecs who are 17-10, including 9-7 in MWC play. Boise State comes in off back-to-back wins, after losing at Utah State and home to Nevada in its prevuious two. As for SDSU, the Aztecs have won their last four games. Boise State: The Broncos took out Colorado State last Wednesday, led by 6-7 guard Chandler Hutchison's 27 points. Hutchinson leads the etam in scoring (19.9), rebounding (7.60 and assists (3.5). He's joined in double digits by guard Jessup (11.6 & 4.9)a nd the 6-9 Sengfelder (11.5 & 6.5). Boise averages 78.4 PPG (69th) and allows 67.7 PPG (62nd). San Diego State: The Aztecs score 77.5 PPG (81st) and allow 68.0 PPG (65th). They have no player like Hutchinson, a legitimate POY candidate in the MWC, but do have seven players averaging between 7.7 and 12.7 PPG. That group is led by the 6-10 Pope (12.7 & 7.1) and PG Watson (12.5 & 3.9 APG). The pick: San Diego State has been playing pretty well lately and is 11-2 SU & 9-2 A TS at home. Note that Boise just edged SDSU 83-80 back in Boise, so this is by no means an easy "W." However, the Broncos are currently on Joe Lundardi’s "Next Four Out List" and have no margin of error down the stretch if they hope to earn an at-large bid (assuming Nevada wins MWC tourney). After consecutive shaky outings, Boise has allowed just 106 points in back-to-back wins, scoring at least 76 in both games. Make Boise State an 8* play. |
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02-27-18 | Flames v. Stars -145 | Top | 0-2 | Win | 100 | 13 h 50 m | Show |
The set-up: The 35-23-4 Dallas Stars are currently holding down the No. 1 wildcard playoff slot in the Western Conference with 74 points and the 32-22-9 Calgary Flames are one point behind them with 73. Neither team felt compelled to make a major move at Monday's trade deadline and Dallas will continue its five-game homestand (began it with a Saturday loss to Winnipeg) with tonight's game against the Flames. The Stars are 21-10-1 at home but the Flames are a strong road team, checking in at 18-8-5 away from home this season. Calgary: The Flames did make a pair of minor moves at the deadline, acquiring center Nick Shore from Ottawa and claiming forward Chris Stewart from Minnesota. Shore barely got time to get settled in Ottawa, playing in only six games after he was part of a four-player deal with Los Angeles but he is strong on the penalty kill. Stewart provides a physical presence and has scored at least 15 goals five times, including a career-best 28 in 2009-10. Calgary has won two straight games, including a 5-1 win over Colorado on Saturday at home. I noted Calgary's strong road record at the top and the team's excellent play will be tested here, as the Flames begin a stretch of five of their next six games away from home. Dallas: Tyler Seguin has scored eight times in February after netting one goal and setting up another in Saturday's 5-3 home loss to Winnipeg. Seguin leads the Stars with 31 goals and is second with 54 points , two behind Alexander Radulov, who has scored in back-to-back games to give him 23 goals. Goalie Kari Lehtonen was yanked Saturday after yielding four second-period goals and Bishop (24-20-4, 2.53 GAA & .915 SP) could be in goal tonight The pick: Then again, Lehtonen improved to 12-7-2 against Calgary with a 30-save performance in Calgary back on Oct. 27 (Dallas won 2-1). Either way, I'll stick with Dallas. The Stars have won both meetings this season versus Calgary, including a 6-4 home win on Nov. 24, when Seguin registered a hat trick in the come-from-behind victory. Make Dallas a 10* play. |
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02-27-18 | 76ers -1 v. Heat | Top | 101-102 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 51 m | Show |
The set-up: The 32-26 Philadelphia 76ers are the East's No. 7 seed and the 31-29 Miami Heat are the conference's No. 8 seed. The teams meet tonight in Miami and while Philly leads Miami by just two games, the Sixers have been on quite a roll with the Heat seemingly headed in the opposite direction. Philly lost at Washington on Sunday but that defeat snapped a seven-game winning streak (club's longest since 2009). As for Miami, the Heat beat the sad-sack Grizzlies 115-89 but entered that game having had dropped eight of their previous nine Philadelphia: Sunday's loss marked the start of a stretch of seven of eight on the road for Philadelphia, which is gunning for homecourt advantage in the playoffs (Sixers are just . two games back of Washington, which owns the No. 4 seed). Joel Embiid (23.9 & 11.2) only recently started playing in back-to-back games and came through a stretch of three games in four nights coming out of the break without a problem. He averaged 27.6 points on 55.6 percent shooting and 12.3 rebounds, serving up three consecutive double-doubles. Embiid and 6-foot-10 rookie PG Ben Simmons (16.7-7.7-7.4), veteran shooting guard JJ Redick (16.6), plus forwards Dario Saric(14.5 & 6.9) and Robert Covington (12.6 & 5.5) comprise a strong starting-five. Philadelphia's bench is now led by SG Marco Belinelli (11.8 PPG in his four games with the team), who is the team's highest scoring reserve and is similar to Redick in that both have more than a decade of NBA experience. Miami: "It's kind of a relief a little bit," said PG Goran Dragic (17.4-4.1-4.9) after the win over the Grizz. "The last 17 games have been close games. Finally, we put together a great game where we were up 20 points. We've started the homestand well. Hopefully we'll continue that Tuesday." Shooting guard Tyler Johnson (11.8) went nine straight games without hitting at least half of his shots before going 4-of-7 in the loss at Philadelphia on Feb. 14. Johnson carried that shooting over the break and is 12-of-22 from the floor in the last two games. Hassan Whiteside (14.2 & 11.9) is a consistent double-double 'machine' but Wade has added little since returning to Miami, averaging 8.6 & 5.0 in five games (team is 2-3). The pick: Beating the Grizzlies is hardly cause for celebration (Memphis is currently on a 10-game slide) and these teams met right before the break when Philly pulled out a 104-102 win at Wells Fargo Center on Valentine’s Day. Miami was just 7-16-3 ATS line as host before break and I do not assume much will change down the stretch, even with the return of Wade. While Miami has slipped from the No. 4 seed to the East's' No. 8 seed, Philly's been "movin' on up" and can 'smell' a possible Game 1 contest at home in the opening round. Make Philly a 10* play. |
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02-27-18 | Hurricanes v. Bruins UNDER 5.5 | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -102 | 11 h 20 m | Show |
The set-up: The 37-15-8 Boston Bruins have 82 points, which leaves them in third-place in the Atlantic Division behind Toronto (84 points) and Tampa Bay (89). However, the Bruins own a 20-point lead over the division's fourth-place team, making them a virtual 'lock' for the playoffs. The Bruins open a six-game homestand against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night, a team going through a rough time on and off the ice. The Hurricanes have lost five straight games to fall to 27-25-10, as their points leaves them 10th in the Eastern Conference. What's more, co-captain Jordan Staal (14 goals / 34 points) left the team to be with his wife following the death of their infant daughter. Carolina: The Hurricanes have scored just six goals during their five-game skid (0-4-1) and the only move the team made Monday was sending Josh Jooris to Pittsburgh for Greg McKegg in a swap of minor-league forwards. It's pretty obvious you are not going to win many games when scoring just one goal. Head coach Bill Peters said he is moving leading goal scorer Sebastian Aho (21), who has one assist during the slide, back to center to fill in for Staal. Staal has already missed two games and was told to take as much time as he needs for a return. Boston: The Bruins traded three players and two draft picks to the New York Rangers in exchange for Rick Nash, who made his Bruins debut in a 4-1 loss at Buffalo on Sunday just hours after the deal was completed. Nash was solid in his first game in seven days, registering a team-high five shots on goal while playing alongside center David Krejci. "It was my first game in a week so I was a bit nervous," Nash said. "It's definitely been a couple of strange days not being able to play. But that's behind us and I'm happy to be a Bruin." The Bruins dropped a controversial 4-3 decision at Toronto on Saturday night when their last-minute claim of goaltender interference was denied. Then they were dumped by the last-place Sabres in Buffalo in Nash's debut Sunday night. The pick: Boston fans will get their first in-person look at Nash, tonight. Expect Boston to bring its "A-game," off back-to-back losses and as for Carolina, the Hurricanes, they simply can't seem to find the back of the net. The Under is an 8* play. |
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02-27-18 | Florida +2.5 v. Alabama | Top | 73-52 | Win | 100 | 11 h 16 m | Show |
The set-up: The Florida Gators and Alabama Crimson Tide meet Tuesday night in SEC action at the Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. Both schools come in having lost six of their last 10, with the Gators checking in at 18-11 (9-7 in SEC) and the Tide at 17-12 (8-8 in SEC). Setting the conference standings, Florida is in a four-way tie for third place, while Alabama is a game behind that group, tied with Missouri for seventh. Florida: The Gators' days of being in the top-25 have long ago disappeared but beating first-place Auburn 72-66 on Saturday boosted their postseason resume, as well as their chances of securing a top-four seed and a double-bye in the upcoming SEC tournament. The Gators had lost three straight before besting the Tigers behind. Florida has heavily relied on its three-point shooting, as the team's top four scorers are all guards who like to shoot from the outside. Jalen Hudson (15.0 & 4.0) and Egor Koulechov (13.7 & 6.7) have been the team’s most consistent scorers and most prolific three-point shooters. PG Chris Chiozza (11.3-4.4-6.2) is the catalyst and leads the team with 54 steals. The Gators Alabama: Many still have the Crimson Tide in the "Big Dance" (I'm not convinced) but they are one of the SEC’s top defensive teams and own one of the nation’s best freshmen in guard Collin Sexton (18.2-3.6-3.5). Fellow freshman John Petty (10.8) and sophomore Dazon Ingram (10.0 & 5.6) give Alabama a trio of talented guards who can match up well with Florida’s strong backcourt. The 6-9 Donta Hall (11.1 & 7.1) works hard inside and feasts on easy baskets in the paint, shooting 74.2 percent. The pick: The Crimson Tide easily handled the Gators in the first meeting of the season, posting a 68-50 road victory back on Feb. 3. However, while Alabama has won two of the last three meetings, Florida has captured 12 of the last 14 and hasn’t lost two straight in the all-time series since 1998. Revenge works. Make Florida a 10* play. |
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02-26-18 | Texas Tech v. West Virginia UNDER 141.5 | Top | 74-84 | Loss | -110 | 15 h 60 m | Show |
The set-up: Texas Tech is watching its season unravel at the worst possible time. The Red Raiders opened Big 12 play 10-3 before losing back-to-back road games against Baylor and Oklahoma State, followed by Saturday's home setback against Kansas, which clinched its 14th straight Big 12 regular-season title. Texas is 22-7 (10-6 in Big 12) and its current ranking of No. 6 in the AP poll will not hold up when the new poll is released Monday afternoon. The Red Raiders will look to end their three-game slide Monday night but will have to do so in a very tough venue, as they will travel to Morgantown to face current No. 21 West Virginia, which is 21-8 (10-6 in Big 12) . Texas Tech: The Red Raiders edged West Virginia 72-71 back in January at Lubbock, with Keenan Evans scoring 20 points and Brandone Francis adding a career-high 17. Evans is the team's top scorer at 17.2 PPG but his last three contests have been awful, as he has shot a collective 3-of-19 for 12 total points while battling a toe injury. 6-5 freshman Zhaire Smith (11.4 & 4.7) was the high man against Kansas with 20 points and has shot at least 50 percent from the floor in six of his last seven outings. The only other Texas Tech player scoring in double digits is Culver (11.2 & 4.2), who is also a 6-5 freshman. Tech's defense has been its strength on the season, allowing 63.5 PPG (9th). West Virginia: The Mountaineers can sympathize with the Red Raiders, as they lost five of six to close out January, after opening the season 15-1. However, West Virginia has rebounded by winning five of seven in Feb, including double-digit wins over Baylor and Iowa State last week. Five players average in double digits (a sixth averages 9.5 PPG), led by Jevon Carter (17.0 & 5.0 & 6.5). He led four starters in double figures with 24 points against Iowa State, while Esa Ahmad (10.3 & 4.7) chipped in 18 points and 11 rebounds and Sagaba Konate (10.5 & 8.0) had 14 points, nine boards and six blocks. Konate has six straight games with multiple blocked shots and has recorded 15 blocks in the last two games alone, while also going 16-of-16 from the foul line over the last seven game. Carter is the first major-college player in NCAA history to record more than 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists and 300 steals, . The pick: I noted Tech's excellent defense above but note that West Vs. allows just 63.8 PPG here at WVU Coliseum. With Evans nowhere near 100 percent, this will be a hard-fought low scoring contest. Make the Under a 10* play.
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02-26-18 | Lakers -1.5 v. Hawks | Top | 123-104 | Win | 100 | 14 h 31 m | Show |
The set-up: The Atlanta Hawks have played just once since the break, losing badly at Indiana by the score of 116-93. It was Atlanta's third consecutive loss and fifth in six games. Atlanta's 18-42 record currently leaves the Hawks last in the Eastern Conference and with a record better than only the 18-43 Suns in the entire NBA. The Hawks will host the Lakers for the only time this season at Philips Arena and will be looking to split the season series after Los Angeles won 132-113 back on Jan. 7 at the Staples Center. The 25-34 Lakers are surely not playoff-bound but this young team has shown improvement this month. The Lakers are undefeated in two games since the All-Star break and check in at 6-3 since Feb. 1.
LA Lakers: The game will be a homecoming for Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who played at the University of Georgia. He coming off his best performance of the year, a season-high 34-point effort that included a career-high eight three-point baskets in a 113-108 win over the Sacramento Kings. Caldwell-Pope (13.5 & 5.0) has scored in double figures in 39 games and had nine 20-plus point performances. Los Angeles is bringing rookie PG Lonzo Ball back slowly from a knee injury and continues to bring Isaiah Thomas off the bench, leaving PF Julius Randle and fellow forward Brandon Ingram to handle the playmaking responsibilities with the first unit. Randle (14.7 & 7.5) ripped off a triple-double in a 124-102 win over Dallas on Friday while Ingram (16.1-5.3-3.8) paced the team with eight assists in a triumph at Sacramento on Saturday. Atlanta: The Hawks never led in Friday's loss to Indiana, committing 13 turnovers in the first half (22 on the game). The bright spot was Isaiah Taylor (he avergags just 4.9 PPG), who scored a career-high 17 points and added six assists and two steals. The Hawks may be without veteran forward Ersan Ilyasova (10.9 & 5.5), as the club is working on a buyout, which would allow him to re-sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. Dennis Schroder was on a roll before the break and had averaged 22 points on 53.2 percent shooting in his last three games but looked rusty on Friday, when he was held to nine points on 3-of-12 from the floor. Still, he's been Atlanta's best player all season, averaging 19.3 PPG and 6.2 APG. The pick: It's a revenge spot for Atlanta but this team has little to play for except the No. 1 position in the draft. The Lakers are a poor defensive team (110.0 PPG allowed ranks 27th) but LA has scored in triple digits for 14 straight games and has averaged 118.5 PPG in going 2-0 since the break. The Hawks do not have the firepower to match LA right now, ranking 23rd in the league in both scoring (103.5 PPG) and FG percentage (45.0%). Make LA a 10* play. |
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02-26-18 | Maple Leafs v. Lightning -164 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 13 h 20 m | Show |
The set-up: The 42-17-3 Tampa Bay Lightning will host the 39-20-5 Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. Tampa Bay leads the Atlantic with points while Toronto is second, trailing the Lightning by four points in the standings with two more games played. The Maple Leafs have made it a three-team battle for the Atlantic Division title with an impressive run and can move closer to the top when they visit the first-place Lightning on Monday. Toronto made a bold step on Sunday by acquiring veteran center Tomas Plekanec from Montreal. The 35-year-old has spent 15 seasons with the Canadiens and has largely played a checking role, neutralizing opponents' top lines (he has a modest six goals and 18 assists this season). Toronto: Plekanec, at least initially, will simply help offset the absence of center Auston Matthews (team-best 28 goals & 50 points, overall), who is headed to injured reserve and likely out for a week as he deals with a shoulder injury. Center Mitch Marner has taken the team's points lead with 51 on 16 goals and 35 assists (has 20 points in the last 17 games). LW James van Riemsdyk (25 goals) is riding a five-game point streak and has scored five goals in the last nine games. The Maple Leafs are 13-2-0 in their last 15 games and have won four in a row after edging Boston 4-3 on Saturday to move one point ahead of the Bruins and climb within four of the Lightning. Tampa Bay: The Lightning had dropped three of four games before a three-game sweep on their road trip last week, getting four goals each in wins at Washington, Ottawa and Montreal. The last came in a shootout Saturday, with goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy making another spectacular behind-the-back save to clinch the win in shootout. The Lightning have the best record in hockey and they're entering a stretch with 10 of their next 11 games at home. Tampa Bay is 20-6-1 this season, among the NHL's best home records. All this despite some shakiness on the blue line. However, Andrei Vasilevskiy has provided outstanding goaltending (league-best 36 wins, .927 save percentage) and Tampa Bay owns several lethal offensive players. Nikita Kucherov leads the league with 82 points (33 goals) and has notched at least one in nine straight games plus centers Steven Stamkos (24 goals & 70 points) and Brayden Point (25 goals and 54 points) continue to impress. Point has scored in four consecutive contests (five goals overall) and recorded a point in seven in a row, while Norris Trophy candidate Victor Hedman (44 points) has collected seven points in his last six games and leads all NHL defensemen with a plus-27 rating.
The pick: The two teams have split two meetings in Toronto already this year and play again in Tampa on March 20. Tampa Bay is rumored to be involved in trade talks, with its focus on improving a defense that has allowed 39 goals in 12 games this month despite posting an 8-4-0 record. We'll see if the Lightning "pull the trigger." Won't (can't) buck the Lightning on home ice, where they average 3.67 GPG. Make Tampa Bay an 8* play. |
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02-25-18 | Canucks v. Coyotes OVER 5.5 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -106 | 14 h 17 m | Show |
The set-up: The Vancouver Canucks showed plenty of promise early on, opening the season14-10-4. However, they have posted only two victories in February (2-7-1) after suffering a 6-3 loss at Vegas on Friday. They continue their three-game road trip Sunday against the Arizona Coyotes, who at 18-33-10 (46 points), own the league's worst record. However, the catch is, the Coyotes are suddenly red-hot, having earned points in seven of their last eight contests (6-1-1). Sunday's game will feature two of the top rookies in the league as Vancouver’s Brock Boeser (27 goals, 51 points) takes on Clayton Keller of Arizona (17, 44) in the first of four matchups between the Pacific Division rivals over the remainder of the season. Vancouver: The Canucks played a strong first period against the Golden Knights but were outscored 4-1 over the final two periods. Boeser has notched an assist in each of his last two games while Thomas Vanek (41 points), who could be on the move before Monday's trade deadline, has recorded three points in his last four contests. Daniel Sedin (39 points) is trying to finish the season strong, registering three goals and four assists over his last six games, while Bo Horvat (31 points) has collected six points in the same span. In net, Jacob Markstrom could make his first start in five games, as Anders Nilsson has allowed 10 goals in his last two starts and 15 over his last four. Arizona: The Coyotes are close to climbing out of the bottom spot in the league. Arizona, which has allowed fewer than two goals in four of its last five victories, receiving a 26-save performance from Antti Raanta in Saturday's 2-0 triumph over Anaheim, to climb within one point of Eastern Conference-worst Buffalo (47). Keller has been kept off the scoresheet in three straight game but the 19-year-old registered three goals and five assists in his previous five contests to rank fourth in the league in points among rookies. Derek Stepan (38 points) also was blanked on Saturday but has recorded eight points in his last nine games and is two shy of 400 for his career. Defenseman Jason Demers and Max Domi, who has registered five points in his last seven games, each scored their fifth goal of the season in the win over Anaheim. The pick: Vancouver ( (23-31-7 with points) is ahead of only the Coyotes in the Pacific Division and has lost four of five and eight of 10 following a 6-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday. Both teams are allowing an average of 3.23 GPG and the Over is a 10* play in this one. |
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02-25-18 | 76ers v. Wizards -2 | Top | 94-109 | Win | 100 | 13 h 47 m | Show |
The set-up: No one is making fun of "The Process," these days. Philly's 116-105 victory over Orlando on Saturday at home gave the 76ers seven straight wins, matching the franchise's longest run since a nine-gamer late in the 2002-03 season. Larry Brown was coaching Allen Iverson on that team, one which was just two years removed from an NBA Finals appearance. These Sixers are 32-25 and while they are the East's No. 7 seed at the moment, they are just 2 1/2 games back of the third-seeded Cavs. Philly will be in Washington tonight to face the 34-25 Wizards, who are 8-3 since losing PG John Wall (19.4 & 9.3) to a knee injury. The Wizards are the No. 4 seed and while they are just one game back of the Cavs (No. 3), they are also just 1 1/2 games ahead of the 76ers (No. 7). Philadelphia: Joel Embiid (23.9 & 11.2) scored 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in Saturday's win as Philadelphia recorded at least 112 points for the fourth time during the winning streak. Rookie Ben Simmons (16.7-7.7-7.4) chipped in 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and he has made 65.4 percent from the floor over a four-game stretch. Veteran shooting guard Marco Bellinelli has produced at least 15 points in two of three games since being acquired by Philadelphia (he's averaging 12.8 PPG). Joining Embiid and Simmons in the starting lineup are SG Redick (16.8), PF Saric (14.6 & 6.9) and SF Covington (12.7 & 5.5). Philly is for real. Washington: The Wizards returned from the break and won 110-103 at Cleveland on Thursday but then flat on their faces the very next night, losing 122-105 at home to the Hornets, a team which is seven games under .500. "We just didn't have energy, focus, no fight back, no nothing," All-Star guard Bradley Beal told reporters after the loss to Charlotte. "They flat out whooped us." Beal scored 33 points in the loss and he has made 9-of-18 from three-point range over his last three games. He leads the team in scoring (23.7) plus Washington also has five others averaging between 8.7 and 14.5 PPG, excluding Wall. The set-up: Dropping that game against the Hornets represented Washington's 10th loss against a team with a losing record. With Philly playing so well and off that ugly (and embarrassing loss), I can't imagine Washington being 'flat' for this one. The home team has won the last six meetings between these two and the Wizards have won seven straight meetings at home over the Sixers. Make Washington a 10* play. |
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02-25-18 | Florida State +3 v. NC State | Top | 72-92 | Loss | -107 | 11 h 41 m | Show |
The set-up: Florida State and North Carolina State each have just three games left before the ACC tourney, as they prepare to clash on Sunday in Raleigh. The 19-8 Seminoles (8-7 in ACC) come in rested with a full week off since beating Pittsburgh 88-75 to extend their winning streak to two and with a No. 25 ranking in the latest AP poll. Meanwhile, the unranked but surprising Wolfpack won their third in a row Tuesday, defeating Boston College 82-66. NC State is 19-9 and at 9-6, one game better than FSU in league play. Florida State: The Seminoles are a strong offensive team (83.0 PPG ranks 23rd) and that's been on display in back-to-back wins over No. 15 Clemson and Pitt. FSU connected on a combined 52.7 percent from the floor and averaged 84.5 points in those two wins. Guard Terance Mann is one of only four players in the ACC leading his team in both scoring (career-high 14.0) and rebounding (5.8) but he only had four points and two rebounds in the win over Pittsburgh after sitting out the entire first half for what Hamilton called a "small indiscretion." PJ Savoy (18 points, 5-for-7 on three-pointers) and MJ Walker (14) combined for 32 points in rare starting roles against Pitt with Mann and Braian Angola (12.7 & 4.0) on the bench. The 6-8 Cofer (13.4 & 5.4) has been the team's most productive frontcourt player but both the 7-4 Koumadje (8.0 & 4.9) and the Kabengele (7.1 & 4.8) are solid contributors. NC State: Guard Allerik Freeman (14.8 & 4.2) has emerged as the go-to guy for the Wolfpack, leading the team in scoring in each game during the current winning streak, including a 20-point outing the last time out against Boston College. Freshman Braxton Beverly (10.0 & 3.9 APG) is a threat from long range and in the last six games has hit 17-of-28 from three-point land while failing to register even a single turnover in 97 minutes the last three contests. The 7-0 Yurtsen (13.6 & 6.8) is the team's best big man and PG Johnson (8.8 & 7.8 APG) is the floor leader. The pick: This is the only scheduled meeting between the teams this season and it's a big one for both. NC State is 7-1 when it has less turnovers than its opponents but the Seminoles have been protecting the ball during the win streak, averaging just three second-half turnovers and a total of three points off of turnovers in the second halves of its last two games. Florida State needs one more victory to record its third straight season with at least 20 and has won its last three meetings with NC State. Make it four in row in the series and four straight 20-win seasons for the Seminoles. Make FSU a 10* play. |
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02-25-18 | Colorado State +17.5 v. Nevada | Top | 83-92 | Win | 100 | 9 h 51 m | Show |
The set-up: The Colorado State Rams are 11-18 overall and just 4-12 in MWC play, as they head to Reno, Nv. to take on the Nevada Wolf Pack. Nevada is 24-5 (13-2 in MWC play) and is ranked No. 20 in the AP poll. The Wolf Pack are clearly the class of the conference and with a win at home on Sunday, can clinch at least a share of the school's second consecutive Mountain West regular-season championship and also would claim the No. 1 seed for the upcoming conference tournament. Colorado State: The Rams are locked into the No. 10 spot for the Mountain West Tournament and will play the seventh place finisher, which could be any of five teams, in the first round on March 7 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The Rams will be without head coach Larry Eustachy (administrative leave) for the sixth straight game and enter having won just one of their last 10 games. The school is reportedly trying to work out an exit strategy for Eustachy and will be playing for their second interim head coach (Jase Herl). Junior guard Prentiss Nixon leads the team in scoring (15.3) but had just nine points in the team's 87-54 home loss to Boise State. Nixon is just 1-of-18 from the floor over the last two games, including 0-of-8 from three-point range, Nevada: The Wolf Pack will be honoring three seniors before the contest in the final home game of the season. Head coach Eric Musselman said there's another reason it could be a special day. "You don't get to cut down nets in your own building very often," Musselman told the Reno Gazette Journal. A victory over the Rams would give Nevada a two-game advantage in the loss column over second-place Boise State (22-6, 12-4) with two games to go, and the Wolf Pack own the tiebreaker by virtue of a regular-season sweep of the Broncos. That said, all is not right with Nevada. The Wolf Pack are down to seven scholarship players after starting PG Larry Drew (8.1 & 4.3 APG) was lost for the season with a torn Achilles last week. Senior guard Kendall Stephens (13.8 PPG and a 45.2 percent shooter from three-point range) had a career-high 30 points, including seven three-pointers, in Wednesday's 80-67 win over San Jose State but injured his shooting thumb late in the game. Word is, he will play with a splint the rest of the year." Three other players are averaging double figures including Mountain West Player of the Year candidate Caleb Martin (19.2 & 5.1), reigning MW tourney MVP Jordan Caroline (17.0 & 8.7) and Cody Martin (13.5 & 6.4), twin brother of Caleb. The pick: The Rams may be banged up more mentally than physically and the 87-54 loss to Boise was the team's worst in nine years! Sure, Nevada can clinch the MWC's No. 1 seed with a win here but is there really any reason to blow out the sad-sack Rams? Take the YUGE points and make CSU an 8* play. |
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02-25-18 | Pelicans v. Bucks OVER 222.5 | Top | 123-121 | Win | 100 | 8 h 47 m | Show |
The set-up: The Milwaukee Bucks were eager to make a statement in their first game back from the All Star break and thy did just that, beating the Eastern Conference-leading Raptors 122-119 in OT at Toronto on Friday. The 33-25 Bucks currently sit in the No. 6 spot in the East as they welcome the 32-26 New Orleans Pelicans to the brafdledy Center on Sunday. The Pelicans are trying to make their own move in the tightly-packed West and come into this contest the winners of four straight, after beating the Miami Heat 124-123 in OT at New Orleans on Friday. New Orleans: Anthony Davis (27.7 & 10.9) had 45 points, 17 rebounds, five blocks and five steals against the Heat, the kind of performance that is becoming commonplace for the for the 24-year-old superstar. Davis is averaging 42.3 points and 14.8 rebounds during the four-game winning streak and is carrying the team in the absence of center DeMarcus Cousins (Achilles). Davis averages on the season. PG Jrue Holiday (18.8 & 5.6 APG) is doing his part as well, averaging 24 points and 9.3 assists over the last four contests. It's also worth noting that Mirotic beginning to become comfortable since the trade (from Chicago) and is averaging 14.7 & 9.1 in seven games. Milwaukee: Like New Orleans, Milwaukee has its own All-Star capable of carrying the team in forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (27.8-8.2-10.4), However, the rest of the roster is coming up with strong performances as well. Antetokounmpo (26 points) was one of three players along with Khris Middleton (21) and Eric Bledsoe (21) to go over 20 points on Friday and the bench is stronger with the addition of Jabari Parker (9.1 PPG in seven games). Then there is the 40-year-old Jason Terry, who had his best game of the season Thursday night, scoring 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting (all three-pointers). The pick: The Pelicans have a slim lead over the Clippers for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot but also sit only two games out of a potential No. 3 seed. New Orleans has been struggling at home but the Pelicans have covered 9 of their last 14 on the road. The Bucks have won 10 of their last 13 games and come into the contest holding the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind the Wizards and Pacers, who hold the fourth and fifth spots, respectively, and only two games back of the Cavaliers, who sit third in the East. In the first meeting between the two teams this season, New Orleans earned a 115-108 home win over Milwaukee back on Dec. 13. Look for another high scoring game. Make the Over an 8* play. |
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02-24-18 | Ducks -145 v. Coyotes | Top | 0-2 | Loss | -145 | 13 h 47 m | Show |
The set-up: The Anaheim Ducks shut out Dallas 2-0 on Wednesday, giving the team a season-high fourth straight victory. The win moved the 31-20-11 Ducks into third place in the Pacific Division, as they get set to visit the improving Arizona Coyotes on Saturday. Yes, Arizona owns the NHL's worst record at 17-33-10 but the Coyotes had been riding a season-high four-game winning streak and were 5-0-1 in their previous six games before Calgary handed the team a 5-2 loss on Thursday. Anaheim: Backup goaltender Ryan Miller ahas been one of the keys during the Ducks' recent surge. Miller (8-4-5, 2.46 GAA & .925 SP) relieved Gibson for the third period of Monday's 2-0 victory at Vegas on Monday, stopping 20 shots, as Anaheim hasn't allowed a goal in 121 minutes, 51 seconds. Miller stopped 41 shots during his 42nd NHL shutout in the Ducks' 2-0 win over the Stars on Wednesday. Rickard Rakell (team highs of 22 goals, 48 points) has been kept off the scoresheet in three of his last four games but recorded three goals and two assists versus the Coyotes this season. Ryan Getzlaf (38 points in 38 games) scored his first goal in eight games Wednesday and has three points in his last two contests. Arizona: Rookie Clayton Keller (team highs of 17 goals, 44 points) has been kept off the scoresheet over the last two games, after recording three goals and five assists in his previous five contests. Derek Stepan (38 points), who shares the team lead in assists (27) with Keller, has two goals and six assists in his last eight games. Kevin Connauton scored Thursday, giving him five goals in 10 February games, while fellow defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson (NHL-worst minus-37) has five assists in his last three contests. The pick: The Ducks won the first two of four meetings this season, 5-4 in the season opener for both teams on Oct. 5 and 5-2 on Dec. 31 (both games were played in Anaheim). That gives Anaheim seven wins in its last eight meetings with Arizona. Considering Arizona is just 3-9-5 versus Pacific foes, I don't see much changing from the results of the first two meetings between these teams. Make Anaheim an 8* play. |
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02-24-18 | Celtics -4.5 v. Knicks | Top | 121-112 | Win | 100 | 12 h 25 m | Show |
The set-up: The Boston Celtics limped into the All-Star break off an 0-3 homestand while falling out of first place in the Eastern Conference (Toronto held a two-game lead at the break). However, they emerged from the break looking more like the team that led the Eastern Conference for the bulk of the first half of the season. Boston snapped its three-game skid with a 110-98 victory over the Pistons on Thursday, pulling within a game of first-place Toronto in the East. The Knicks had dropped eight straight games before the break but snapped the team's slide with a 120-113 victory at Orlando on Thursday. Trey Burke came off the bench to post a season-high 26 points to go along with six assists as New York tied its season high for scoring, first accomplished against Phoenix in the eighth game of the season. Boston: Rookie Daniel Theis (averaging a modest 5.2 PPG on the season) paced a balanced attack with a career-high 19 points in Thursday's win. Kyrie Irving (24.6 & 5.1 APG) produced 18 points and Jayson Tatum (13.5 & 5.1) added 15. Boston's bench outscored Detroit's by a whopping 65-21 margin, as Theis was one of four reserves to score at least 11 points, including Marcus Smart (12 points) in his return from a hand laceration. The break allowed Smart to heal a bit more and the PG, who cut his hand punching a framed picture in January, provides some much-needed defense, as well as being capable of scoring in double digits (10.1). NY Knicks: Burke, who is averaging just 8.7 PPG in 14 games for the Knicks, was 12-for-22 from the floor in 30 minutes, displaying an aggressive approach that could yield some positive results for a team playing the stretch run without leading scorer Kristaps Porzingis (22.7 & 6.6). Another positive came in the play of Tim Hardaway Jr. (16.9 & 4.1), who broke out of a long slump with 37 points in the final game before the break before chipping in 23 against the Magic. Hardaway is now 23-for-43 (53.5%) from the floor in his two-game surge, after going 24-for-93 (25.8%) over his previous seven contests. The pick: New York was just 1-7 ATS during its eight-game slide (no one better say "tank," these days) and I'm not sure a win over the equally hapless Magic means much of anything. Meanwhile, the Celtics are fully engaged in an effort to earn back the East's top record and Boston's19-8 SU & 18-9 ATS road record makes them a 10* play in this one. |
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02-24-18 | Appalachian State v. Arkansas-Little Rock +2 | Top | 69-67 | Push | 0 | 11 h 2 m | Show |
The set-up: I'm zeroing in on a meaningless game in the Sun Belt Conference on Saturday, as the 12-17 Appalachian State Mountaineers (7-9 in SBC play) play the 6-22 Little Rock Trojans (3-12 in SBC) tonight at the Jack Stephens Center. Appalachian State: The Mountaineers fought back from a 56-45 deficit with 8:45 left to force overtime, this past Thursday but fell 82-79 in OT to the Arkansas State Red Wolves. The Mountaineers average a so-so 76.3 PPG (100th) but shoot poorly, converting on just 43.5% from the floor (239th). A pair of guards are the team's lone double digit scorers, featuring junior Shabazz (19.2) and freshman Forrest (13.3). The 6-8 Johnson is the team's leading rebounder at 8.5 RPG (adds 7.2 pPG). Little Rock: The Trojans are in the SBC basement and are coming off 65-60 Thursday loss to the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. Little Rock never held the lead at any time in the game, although the Trojans did fight back some in the second half. Sophomore guard Andre Jones (12.3) is the team's lone double digit scorer, as no other player averages more than 7.5 PPG. That means it should be no surprise that the Trojans' average of 64.0 PPG ranks 341st in the nation. The pick: So why Little Rock? Appalachian State has nothing much to play for either and how can one lay ANY amount of points with a team that is just 3-11 SU on the road. The first time around (in Boone, N.C.), the Trojans played the Mountaineers tough, losing just 72-67 in OT. This time around (at home), the Trojans walk off with a rare "W." Make Little Rock a 10* play. |
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02-24-18 | Magic v. 76ers OVER 217 | Top | 105-116 | Win | 100 | 10 h 51 m | Show |
The set-up: Philadelphia's first game back from the break almost turned ugly, as the 76ers squandered an 18-point lead against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, before managing to pull out a 116-115 victory. The 76ers now own a six-game winning streak (the team's longest since a six-game run during the 2011-2012 season ) and at 31-25, hold down the East's No. 7 playoff seed. They host the 18-40 Orlando Magic on Saturday, looking for a seventh consecutive win. The Magic returned from the break and lost 12-0-113 at home against the NY Knicks, dropping them 22 games under .500. The loss was the fourth straight for Orlando, which is 7-23 on the road and kicks off a stretch with seven of 10 away from home on Saturday. Orlando: Despite the home loss to the Knicks, Orlando did get healthier over the break, as center Nikola Vucevic (hand) and power forward Aaron Gordon (hip) returned from lengthy absences. Vucevic (17.4 & 9.2) scored 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting in 24 minutes but Gordon (18.2 & 8.3) struggled to nine points on 3-of-9 while committing three turnovers in 25 minutes. Orlando made 11 of its first 12 shots en route to a 41-31 first-quarter lead vs New York But the Knicks rallied to win, 120-113, snapping an eight-game losing streak. Evan Fournier (17.4) had 25 points to lead the Magic on Thursday. However, all in all, the return of Gordon and Vucevic is VERY good news. Philadelphia: The 76er trailed the Bulls 115-1114 with 5.9 seconds left but Joel Embiid stole Darnell Valentine's inbounds pass and passed to Ben Simmons, who was fouled by Darnell Valentine. Simmons, who entered the game shooting just 56.5 percent from the free-throw line, saw his first foul shot dance on the rim before falling but swished the second. Chicago's Bobby Portis and Valentine then came up empty on point-blank shots in the closing seconds. Embiid (23.8 & 11.2) and Simmons (16.7-7.8-7.4) combined for 62 points on 24-of-35 shooting in Thursday's win, including teaming up for the biggest play of the game.SG Redick (16.7), PF Saric (14.6 & 6.9) and SF Covington (12.7 & 5.6) give Philly a quality starting-five. The pick: Orlando is back at full strength with return of Vucevic and Gordon, which will help significantly against Philly's youthful but powerful frontcourt.The Sixers are 18-9 SU & ATS at home, while the Magic are just 7-23 SU on the road. However, this is a pretty 'heavy' pointspread for Philly. I'd rather play the over, as the Magic allow 111.6 PPG on the road plus getting Vucevic and Gordon back will be a real bonus on the offensive end for Orlando. The Over is an 8* play. |
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02-24-18 | Kansas +2 v. Texas Tech | Top | 74-72 | Win | 100 | 9 h 58 m | Show |
The set-up: For the better part of the last month, Texas Tech has stood atop the Big 12, arguably the deepest conference in the nation, only to have an ill-timed toe injury to the team's leading scorer and playmaker Keenan Evans have the Red Raiders on the verge of giving up control of the Big 12 to Kansas. Evans is unlikely to be anywhere close to 100 percent on Saturday, when No. 6 Texas Tech hosts No. 8 Kansas in Lubbock. The 22-6 Jayhawks (11-4 in Big 12) have won 13 straight Big 12 regular-season championships, which makes big games in late February nothing new. Meanwhile, Texas Tech finds itself in uncharted territory. The 22-6 Red Raiders (10-5) in Big 12) have never won a Big 12 title in men's basketball and they're just three seasons removed from a 3-15 mark in conference play. Kansas: Devonte' Graham's (17.6 & 7.2 APG) 10-game streak in which he played every minute of every game came to an end Monday but not before he lifted his scoring average in conference action to 19 points per game - second in the Big 12) with 23 points in 35 minutes of action. The 7-0 Udoka Azubuike (14.0 & 7.1) leads the country in field-goal percentage (77.1), but was limited to 18 minutes due to foul trouble. However, he went 5-for-6 from the floor to improve to 25-for-28 (89.3%) over his last four outings. Kansas is averaging 82.2 PPG (38th) on 47.4% shooting (46th). Texas Tech: The Red Raiders fell a full game back in Wednesday's 79-71 defeat at Oklahoma State, as Evans scored only two points and one of the nation's top defenses (63.1 PPG ranks 8th) gave up its second-highest scoring output of the season, along with a season-high 52.2-percent mark from the floor. With Evans (17.6) limited in each of the last two contests, Zhaire Smith (11.1) has stepped up his play, leading the team in scoring each time while averaging 16.5 points on 66.7 percent shooting. Fellow freshman guard Jarrett Culver (10.9) snapped out of a three-game shooting slump during which he went 8-for-34 from the floor, finishing with 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting and six rebounds. Senior guard Justin Gray (5.3), who is the only Red Raider to start all 28 games this season, has also filled some of the offensive void left behind by Evans over the last two games, providing 23 points while also corralling 13 rebounds. The pick: Kansas and UCLA are the only two programs to win 13 straight conference championships in NCAA Division I men's basketball history but with a win on Saturday, the Jayhawks will clinch at least a share of the school's 14th straight conference title and set an NCAA record. Texas Tech has won 17 straight at home and defeated Kansas 85-73 in Lawrence on Jan. 2. However, Kansas once again finds itself in familiar territory, on teh verge of clinching yet another Big 12 title. With "revenge" also on its side, Kansas is an 8* play. |
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02-24-18 | Notre Dame v. Wake Forest | Top | 76-71 | Win | 100 | 8 h 33 m | Show |
The set-up: It's ACC hoops from Winston-Salem as the 16-12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-9 in the ACC) visit the 11-17 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-12 in ACC). Notre Dame has alternated wins and losses in each of its last four games, following a crushing 77-74 home loss to Miami in its last outing. Trailing by seven at the break, the Fighting Irish used an early second-half surge to give them a 62-57 lead, but Miami used a 13-0 run late in the game, delivering a severe blow to ND's already slim tournament chances. It has been a struggle for most of the season for Wake Forest (see record above) but the Demon Deacons have won two of three, after Wednesday's 63-57 victory over Pittsburgh. Notre Dame: A promising season for Notre Dame has been derailed by injuries as the team has lost 28 combined man games from three of its top six players; ACC Preseason Player of the Year Bonzie Colson (14), senior guard Matt Farrell (5) and freshman forward D.J. Harvey (9). The Irish were also without starter Rex Pflueger in the Miami game after he injured his back Feb. 17 but the junior guard is expected to return the lineup against Wake Forest. Sophomore guard T.J. Gibbs (15.8 PPG & 5.5 APG) has had a breakout season in wake of all the injuries and has hit double-digits in scoring in 16 straight games, while Farrell has been red-hot since returning to the lineup Feb. 3, averaging 20.8 points per game in six contests (is averaging 17.0 PPG & 5.5 APG on the season). Wake Forest: Guards Crawford (16.9 & 5.0 APG) and Woods (12.6) plus the 7-1 Moore (11.7 & 9.5) are Wake's lone three double digit scorers. Crawford's 14-point performance in the win over Pitt marked the 27th time in 28 games that he has reached double-digits. Junior center Doral Moore stuffed the stat sheet against the Panthers with 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, narrowly missing his fifth straight double-double and having his double-digit rebounding streak snapped at 10 games. The Demon Deacons played some of their best defense of the year Wednesday as Pitt's 57 points were the lowest for a Wake opponent in conference play this season. The pick: Notre Dame's NCAA hopes are likely all but 'dead,' but Wake Forest is 3-11 ATS in its last 14 games overall, while Notre Dame is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings between these two schools. Make Notre Dame an 8* play. |
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02-24-18 | Marquette -3.5 v. DePaul | Top | 62-70 | Loss | -105 | 5 h 44 m | Show |
The set-up: It's Big East college hoops from WinTrust Arena in Chicago as the 16-11 Marquette Golden Eagles (7-8 in Big East) take on the host 10-17 DePaul Blue Demons (3-12 in Big East). Marquette is off an 85-73 win over St. John's in its last outing, giving the team three wins in its last four. DePaul suffered a 93-62 loss to Villanova in its last outing, falling for the sixth time in its last seven games (remain in the Big East basement). Marquette knocked off DePaul 70-52 last month in Milwaukee. Marquette: The Golden Eagles rely on a three-headed scoring attack from the backcourt, as guards Markus Howard (21.3), Andrew Rowsey (19.5 & 4.5 APG) and Sam Hauser (14.6 & 5.9 combine for more than 55 points per game. The problem here could be, Howard injured his hip against Creighton and missed the St. John's game. The sophomore guard could also sit out Saturday's contest, which would put more pressure on Rowsey, who is averaging 22.3 points and 7.3 assists over his last four games, and Hauser, who is 14-of-21 from three-point range over that span. DePaul: The Blue Demons are just playing out the string (again!), The team's 31-point loss to Villanova made it three straight losses and six of seven. A seemingly disinterested (or incapable) DePaul squad attempted only one foul shot and turned it over 20 times. 6-6 guard. Max Strus (17.0 & 5.5) scored 21 points and 6-11 center Marin Maric (14.0 & 6.3) chipped in 12 but the bench didn't give the Blue Demons much help, combining for eight points on 4-of-16 shooting. The pick: Some feel as if Marquette still has a shot at earning an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament but the team would need to win out in the regular season and then make some noise in the Big East tourney for that to happen. That means a win here is a MUST! The Golden Eagles are quietly one of the most consistent offensive teams in the nation, having scored at least 70 points in every game since Dec. 2. Marquette averages 82,2 PPG (38th) on 47.4% shooting (46th) and teh Blue Demons s don't have the talent or will to compete. Make Marquette an 8* play |
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02-23-18 | Mavs v. Lakers -3.5 | Top | 102-124 | Win | 100 | 15 h 7 m | Show |
The set-up: Who would have expected that the Dallas Mavericks, who at 18-40 (14th place in the Western Conference), would be the league's biggest attention-grabber coming out of the All Star break. And, for all the wrong reasons. Sports Illustrated published a report on a culture of misogyny within the Dallas organization on Tuesday night and then owner Mark Cuban was fined $600,000 for publicly endorsing tanking on the "House Call with Dr. J" podcast. The Mavericks return to the court Friday night and get focused on basketball when they visit Staples Center to face the 23-34 LA Lakers. The Lakers could have been accused of tanking last season but are surely trying to win this season while developing the younger players on the roster the rest of the way, looking forward to this summer's free agent class. They are expected get rookie PG Lonzo Ball back from a knee injury on Friday but one wonders if that is good or bad news. Dallas: "Players never play to lose," 20-year veteran Dirk Nowitzki told reporters. "It might happen, but you don't play for it. I still love to compete. That's one big reason why I'm still out there. I'll never stand for losing on purpose. It's just not who I am." Losing has been a way of life for the Mavs this season. They started by dropping nine of their first 10 games and 14 of 16 before showing some improvement with an 8-8 record in December, including a season-high four-game win streak from Dec. 26 to Dec. 31. However, the Mavericks began another free fall in January and they're 5-15 in 2018. Only the Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns have worst records of 18-41. The bright spots have been leading scorer (18.3) and rebounder (6.6) Harrison Barnes and rookie PG Dennis Smith Jr. (14.8-3.9-4.9). LA Lakers: The offense is humming right along but Los Angeles broke down at the defensive end while integrating PG Isaiah Thomas, who was acquired at the trade deadline from Cleveland, into the rotation. LA is 0-3 with Thomas, scoring 117.0 PPG but allowing 129.3 PPG! Getting Thomas and Ball on the floor together will be a challenge for the coaching staff. Ball is averaging 10.2-7.1-7.1 (how many rookies have put up that kind of a line?) but his shooting is off-the-charts, ugly (35.6% overall, including 30.3% on threes). Ingram (16.2 & 5.2) is now the team's leading scorer, rookie Kuzma (15.7 & 5.9) is arguably the 'steal' of the 2017 draft and Randle (14.7 & 7.4) has begun to look like a solid game-in and game-out performer (he's averaging 21.4 points on 62 percent shooting over the last five games). |
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02-23-18 | Clippers v. Suns +4.5 | Top | 128-117 | Loss | -105 | 14 h 37 m | Show |
The set-up: The LA Clippers returned from the All Star break and lost 130-127 at Golden State, as Steph Curry scored 44 points in leading the Warriors to win in which the Clippers allowed Golden State to shoot 62.7 percent from the floor. The 30-27 Clippers now sit 9th in the West, one game out of the final playoff spot. The Clippers travel off last night's loss to Phoenix, where they'll take on the 18-41 Suns, who are tied with the Atlanta Hawks for the league's worst record, having dropped seven straight games and 15 of their last 17. LA Clippers: The Clippers not only allowed the Warriors to shoot over 60 percent for the game but also allowed more than 30 points in every quarter. The good news is, Los Angeles has played excellent defense against the Suns this year, allowing an average of 91.5 PPG in two victories by margins of 42 and 13 points. Tobias Harris, who was acquired from the Detroit Pistons as part of the Blake Griffin deal, is fitting in nicely with the Los Angeles attack. Harris scored 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting against the Warriors for his third 20-point outing in seven games with the team (17.9 & 6.7 with LA). Standout guard Lou Williams had 21 points and tied his career high of 12 assists against the Warriors and he has recorded 10 or more assists four times this season after reaching that figure once over his first 12 NBA campaigns. Williams is averaging career-highs in both scoring (23.1) and assists (5.4). Phoenix: The Suns' next loss will clinch their fourth straight losing campaign. Devin Booker dazzled while winning the NBA three-point shooting contest last weekend,and he also enters the post-break portion of the season with a streak of 60 make free throws. Booker is averaging 24.2 PPG, while connecting on 38.3% of his threes and 89% of his FTs. Something to be closely observed down the stretch is how well recently acquired PG Elfrid Payton (from Orlando) meshes with Booker, as the club has experienced issues at the position since dealing Eric Bledsoe to the Milwaukee Bucks in early November. It should be noted that Payton had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in the Suns' 107-97 loss at Utah before the break, his third game with the Suns and first with Booker at off guard. It was his first triple-double of the season and ninth of his career. Payton is averaging 20.3-8.3-8.7 in three games with Phoenix. The pick: The Clippers have won 15 of the last 17 meetings with the Suns, including the last seven in a row. Sure, Phoenix has nothing to play for over the final 23 games but Devin Booker doesn't see the stretch as a lost cause. "Build on for next year, trying to get some momentum that will carry over to the summer, that will carry over to the next season," Booker told reporters. I like the Booker and Payton backcourt combo for the Suns and I'm not even a little convinced that the Clippers will do much down the stretch. On the second of a back-to-back, I'll go against the Clipps and 'bark' with the home dog. Make Phoenix a 10* play. |
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02-23-18 | Ohio State v. Indiana OVER 137 | Top | 80-78 | Win | 100 | 12 h 21 m | Show |
The set-up The Ohio State Buckeyes were picked to finish 11th in the preseason Big Ten poll. However, first-year head coach Chris Holtmann (via Butler) saw his team end a two-game skid with a 79-52 victory against Rutgers on Tuesday. Ohio State now has a chance to grab a share of their first conference title since 2012 if they are able to beat the Indiana Hoosiers tonight and No.2 Michigan State falls to Wisconsin on Sunday. Ohio State was just 17-15 last season (7-11 in Big Ten) but the Buckeyes are currently No. 16 in the AP poll with a 23-7 record (14-3 in Big Ten). Ohio State cruised past Indiana 71-56 in the first meeting back on Jan. 30 in Columbus and cnow have a chance to sweep the season series for the first time since 2010-11. Indiana's chances of earning a postseason bid took a big hit following a 66-57 setback to Nebraska on Tuesday. The Hoosiers had won four consecutive games, including two straight at home by double digits, before being held to their lowest point total in nearly a month. The Hoosiers are 16-13 overall, including 9-8 in the Big Ten. A victory here would give them 10 conference wins for the first time since the 2015-16 season. Ohio State: The Buckeyes own a strong frontcourt led by the 6-7 Bates-Diop (19.0 & 8.7). He's joined up front by SF Tate (12.6 & 6.2) and 6-9 freshman Wesson (11.0 & 5.2), with PG Jackson (12.4-3.8-3.9) running the show in the backcourt. C.J. Jackson led the way with 18 points in the bounce-back win vs. Rutgers,while Kaleb Wesson added 14 on 6-of-7 shooting. Guard Kam Williams (7.9) scored 13 points in his final collegiate home game while fellow senior Jae'Sean Tate contributed nine points and 10 rebounds. Big Ten Player of the Year candidate Keita Bates-Diop was held to six points on 3-of-11 shooting against the Scarlet Knights and is a troubling 12-of-39 (30.8%) from the floor over his last three games. The Buckeyes are an efficient offensive team (48.8% shooting ranks 23rd) and a strong defensive one, allowing 66.2 PPG (39th) on 41.5% shooting (48th). Indiana: The Hoosiers also have a first-year head coach in Archie Miller (via Dayton) and he knows he will need his team to be extremely dialed in to play a team that is trying to win a league championship. Justin Smith (just 6.2 PPG on the season) continued his stellar play down the stretch as he scored 16 points and pulled down eight rebounds vs. Nebraska, but the Hoosiers were undone by 19 turnovers. Senior guard Robert Johnson added 16 points and six rebounds against the Cornhuskers. while 6-8 junior Juwan Morgan had13 points and nine boards. Morgan (16.5 & 7.3) and Johnson (14.0 & 4.6) are the only two Hoosiers in double digits on the season. The Hoosiers average a modest 71.8 PPG, which ranks 236th. The pick: Ohio State is sniffing a Big Ten regular season title but the Buckeyes come in having lost their last two road games by an average margin of 17.5 PPG. Indiana will have a "packed house" for this bitter rival and would like nothing more than to play spoiler, plus 10 league wins would be a nice bonus for Miller in his first season in the Big Ten. Indiana has won four of the last five home meetings with Ohio State and while I'm not 100% behind the Hoosiers, I do see a high scoring game, which gives me a 10* play on the Over. |
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02-23-18 | Wild -140 v. Rangers | Top | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 12 h 36 m | Show |
The set-up: The 33-20-7 Minnesota Wild attempt to complete a perfect three-game road trip when they visit the fading 27-29-5 New York Rangers on Friday at Madison Square Garden. The Wild opened their trip with a 5-3 win against the New York Islanders on Monday, before rallying from an early two-goal deficit to knock off New Jersey 4-2 last night. Minnesota improved to 5-1-2 in its last eight contests and currently holds down the first of two wild card spots in the West with 73 points. Meanwhile, the Rangers have dropped nine of their last 11 including five in a row, after suffering a 3-1 loss at Montreal on Thursday. The Rangers have 59 points, six out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Minnesota: Eric Staal recorded his 900th career point in last night's win and leads the team with 54 points. He has registered eight goals and nine assists in his last 15 games. Mikael Granlund reached 30 assists for the fifth straight season Thursday and is second on the team with 45 points, two more than Jason Zucker, who has scored a career-high 25 goals. Defenseman Matt Dumba matched a career high of 34 points with an assits vs. New Jersey. Backup goalie Alex Stalock delivered a sterling 38-save performance last night but Devan Dubnyk will start Friday. Dubnyk made 32 saves in Minnesota's 3-2 home victory over the New York Rangers back on Feb. 13 and is 9-2-3 in his last 14 starts, since allowing six goals at Colorado on Jan. 6. NY Rangers: Michael Grabner was a healthy scratch against the Canadiens and the Rangers announced after the game that they had traded their leading goal scorer to New Jersey after the game. Rick Nash was also a healthy scratch against Montreal, as trade talk involving the former Maurice Richard Trophy winner has been intensifying. Head coach Alain Vigneault told reporters he would sit again versus Minnesota. What's going on here? Kevin Hayes has scored in back-to-back games and accumulated four goals and four assists over his last seven contests. The pick: Both teams played their backup goalies last night, so it figures to Devan Dubnyk opposing Henrik Lundqvist in the second game of the teams' back-to-back sets. Dubnyk beat the Islanders to open the trip and owns a 5-1-2 record with a .925 save percentage this month. As for Lundqvist, just 23-21-4 on the season, he was rested Thursday after surrendering 12 goals over his last two starts. Lundqvist has lost four straight regulation games and is 2-8-1 with a 4.24 GAA and a .881 save percentage in his last 10 games. Make Minnesota an 8* play. |
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02-23-18 | Wright State -5.5 v. IUPU-Indianapolis | Top | 56-66 | Loss | -118 | 4 h 32 m | Show |
The set-up: After a rare down season in 2014-15 when the Raiders won just 11 games, Wright Stare checks in at 21-8 so far in 2017-18, following seasons of 22 and 20 wins. The Raiders have won 14 of their last 17 games, after a 72-65 home win over Cleveland State on Monday. Wright State is 13-3 in Horizon play ((tied for first with Northern Kentucky) and will finish its regular season with road games at IUPUI tonight and then at UIC on Sunday. The Jaguars have won three of their last four but are just 10-17 overall (7-9 in Horizon play). Wright State: Grant Benzinger had 20 points in Monday's win and leads the team in scoring at 14.5 PPG. Love, a 6-9 freshman, adds 12.6 PPG and a team-high 9.6 RPG plus five others get regular minutes while averaging between 5.1 and 10.1 PPG. Head coach Scott Nagy is in his second season and Wright State plays very solid defense, allowing 65.7 PPG (29th) while holding opponents to 41.6% shooting (53rd). IUPUI: The Jaguars beat Oakland on Monday but as noted above, are going nowhere this season. Brennan is a 6-6 forward who leads the team in scoring at 12.8 PPG and a pair of guards join him in double digits, They are Patterson (10.9) and Henderson (11.7). Offense is not a strength for this team, which averages 69.3 PPG (283rd). The pick: The Jaguars will have their work cut out for them scoring much against Wright State. In the season's first meeting, the Raiders took an eight-point decision, holding the Jaguars to 52 points on 35.3 % shooting. Wright State is 6-2 ATS in its last six road games and moves one game closer to capturing the Horixzon's regular season title with a comfortable win in this one. Make Wright State an 8* play. |
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02-22-18 | Arizona State v. Oregon -3 | Top | 68-75 | Win | 100 | 16 h 40 m | Show |
The set-up: The Arizona State Sun Devils will look to rebound after having their three-game winning streak was snapped in a 77-70 loss at home to Arizona in their last outing. ASU opened the season unranked but rose as high as No. 3 in the AP poll after beginning the season 12-0 in non-conference play. However, the Sun Devils lost their Pac 12 opener Dec. 30 at Arizona and currently check in at 19-7, including 7-7 in Pac 12 games (team is no longer ranked). ASU travels to Eugene, Oregon Thursday night for a contest with the 17-10 Oregon Ducks (also 7-7 in Pac 12 play), who will also be looking to bounce back from back-to-back losses, including an 86-78 setback at the hands of UCLA in their last outing. Arizona State: Tra Holder led ASU with 20 points in the loss to Arizona, something he's done all season. He leads the etam in scoring at 19.3 PPG. Fellow guards Evans (16.8) and Justice (12.4) are also in double digits but Arizona State has gone without meaningful offensive support from its forwards most of this season. The exception has been 6-8 freshman White (11.6 & 7.40. Head coach Bobby Hurley has moved 6-9 freshman Vitaliy Shibel into the starting lineup in place of 6-7 sophomore Mickey Mitchell since the team last faced Oregon but Shibel has been even less effective, combining for two points in 46 minutes over the past five games. Oregon: The Ducks lost four starters off last year's 33-win team which made it all the way to the Final 4. PG Payton Pritchard is the lone returning starter and he's been getting better as the season winds down. He is averaging 17.8 points over the past four games to inch his scoring average up to a team-high 14.9 PPG (also lead the team with 4.9 APG). Then there is 6-7 senior forward MiKyle McIntosh (10.6 & 6.3), who just had his best week of the season, combining for 42 points on 17-for-28 shooting in the losses to USC and UCLA. 6-7 freshman Troy Brown averages 11.9 & 6.9 and guard Elijah Brown, 12.8 PPG. The pick: Arizona State is sinking since league play began. The Sun Devils are 3-10-2 ATS in their last 15 conference matchups, while the Ducks are 27-13 ATS in their last 40 conference games. Oregon comes in off four straight comfortable wins and covers at home and it's putting it mildly to say Oregon is a good home team. The Ducks are 123-16 at Matthew Knight Arena since its home court opened in 2011. With Oregon off back-to-back losses USC and UCLA, let me note that the Ducks haven't lost three in a row since dropping five straight in January 2014. Make Oregon a 10* play. |
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02-22-18 | Southern Miss v. Texas-San Antonio -5.5 | Top | 56-64 | Win | 100 | 12 h 20 m | Show |
We have some C-USA action Thursday night as the Southern Miss Golden Eagles take on the UTSA Roadrunners at the Convocation Center in San Antonio, Texas. The Golden Eagles limp in having after lost five of their last seven after an 87-69 loss to UAB in their last outing. That leaves Southern Miss 13-15 overall, including 6-9 in C-USA play. As for UTSA, the Roadrunners have won five of their last six following a 97-89 overtime win over Charlotte the last time out. UTSA now sits 15-12 overall, including 8-6 in C-USA play. Southern Miss: The Golden Eagles own an excellent guard duo in leading-scorer Edwards (15.8 & 6.1) and PG Griffin (15.0-4.1-6.0). A third guard is Magee (12.2) is also in double digits plus he also leads the team in rebounding (6.1 per). That's because Southern Miss gets no real frontcourt help, as no "big man" averages as much as 5.5 PPG. The not so-Golden Eagles average 71.9 PPG and allow 72.4 PPG, which indicates why the team is two games under .500. UTSA: The Roadrunners average 80.1 PPG (2nd) and own some fairly decent balance. Guard Jackson (19.2) leads the team in scoring and reserves Wallace (11.4) and Lyle (10.1) come off the bench in the backcourt to provide some scoring punch. The 6-8 Allen (8.4 & 5.1) and the 6-6 Frohnen (7.0 & 6.,8) are solid frontcourt players. The pick: The home team is 7-0-1 ATS in the last eight meetings between these two teams and Southern Miss is averaging only 62.5 PPG on the road. The home team is an 8* play in this one. |
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02-22-18 | Nets +7.5 v. Hornets | Top | 96-111 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 26 m | Show |
The set-up: The NBA All Star break is over and Thursday serves up a six-game schedule. The 19-40 Brooklyn Nets will be in Charlotte to take on the 23-33 Hornets, which is not exactly a marquee matchup. Brooklyn limped into the break with losses in seven straight and is just one game ahead of the last-place Atlanta Hawks in the East. Meanwhile, Charlotte is 5 1/2 games out of the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference with 25 games left in the regular season. The Hornets will play 21 of their last 25 games against East teams and get three of their first four out of the break at home, where they own a modest 15-15 record. The teams have yet to meet this season. Brooklyn: Head coach Kenny Atkinson has told reporters that his team need to return to play with a chip on its shoulder but one wonders, what makes him think that is going to happen. With just 23 games left until 'vacation time,' it's unlikely we'll see anything different from the Nets in this final stretch. Brooklyn did not have an All-Star but made its mark on the weekend when PG Spencer Dinwiddie won the Skills Challenge. Dinwiddie (13.6 & 6.7 APG) is a breakout player in an otherwise down season for the Nets and is logging big minutes due to Jeremy Lin's season-ending knee injury and D'Angelo Russell's knee troubles. Speaking of Russell,the team's leading scorer at 15.7 PPG, he is expected to make his first start for the Nets since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in November. He has played 13 games as a reserve under a minutes restriction since returning from his two-month absence. He averaged 18.3 points in 28.7 minutes in his last three games before the break. That, coupled with the additional week off, has gotten him deemed ready to resume the starting role he had to begin the season. Charlotte: The Hornets went into the break healthy and got an extended rest for everyone but point guard Kemba Walker, who was a member of the winning Team LeBron in Los Angeles on Sunday. Walker came into the season as the undisputed floor leader in Charlotte and fought through trade rumors while putting together another All-Star campaign. He's averaging 22.9 points and 5.8 assists. Walker plays two solid SGs in the backcourt, Lamb (13.5 & 4.4) and Batum (12.0-4.3-4.7). There is also center Dwight Howard (15.8 & 12.6) but in what has become the norm, this big man rarely makes his team better, The pick: Eleven of the Hornets' next 18 games are against teams with losing records, but the club went into the break with four losses in its last five games, not exactly a momentum-builder. What's more, while the Hornets won last year's season series 3-1, all four games featured tight finishes. The total margin of victory in the four games was 17 points. Sure, the Hornets have beaten the Nets in seven of t last eight meetings but the Nets have covered SIX in a row and eight of the last nine in this series. Maybe surprisingly to some, Brooklyn is 14-7 ATS a road dog of four-plus points. Make the Nets a 10* play. |
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02-22-18 | Islanders v. Maple Leafs UNDER 6.5 | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 25 m | Show |
The set-up: The NY Islanders will be at Air Canada Centre on Thursday to take on the host Toronto Maple Leafs. New York surrendered three goals in a 4:12 stretch en route to a 5-3 loss to Minnesota at home this past Monday, leaving them 29-26-6 (64 points leaves them outside of the postseason picture). The Islanders lost seven of their last 11 outings heading into a span of three straight on the road and seven of eight overall. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs have won 11 of their past 13 games overall, to reach 37-20-5 on the season, purring them solidly inside the playoff cut line with 79 points. NY Islanders: New York is 4-6-1 since the All-Star break and sits one point removed from a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference after losing on Monday to the Wild. Anders Lee scored versus the Wild to reach the 30-goal plateau for the second straight season and move within four of his career-high total (hes got points on the season). Captain John Tavares also has 30 goals and a team-best 64 points to remain above a point-per-game average, despite being limited to just two in his last five contests. Goaltender Thomas Greiss earned his first shutout of the season Friday night but suffered a lower-body injury late in the game against Minnesota. He finished the game but he was put on injured reserve and Christopher Gibson was called up from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League. Jaroslav Halak will get the start, tonight. Toronto: The Maple Leafs aim to continue their torrid stretch and repeat a dominating performance in their last encounter versus the Islanders, a 5-0 rout of the visiting Islanders back on Jan. 31. Leo Komarov, the team's alternate captain, hasn't mirrored the success of his team during a 13-game stretch, scoring just one goal and setting up one other while playing on the fourth line. However, C Auston Matthews has eight goals and eight assists in his past 15 games, including one of each in the first meeting with New York. He leads the team with 27 goals and 49 points. Goalie Frederik Anderson turned aside all 40 shots he faced in Tuesday's 1-0 victory over Florida, marking his fifth shutout of the season. The pick: New York's Halak has made most of the starts in goal for the Islanders since late November and owns an 8-3-3 career mark versus the Maple Leafs. Toronto's Anderson is 30-16-4 (2.66 GGA & .923 SP) on the season and in that 5-0 shutout of the Islanders back on Jan. 31, made 28 saves. Make teh Under a 10* play. |
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02-21-18 | UCF v. Tulsa UNDER 129.5 | Top | 61-70 | Loss | -110 | 14 h 19 m | Show |
The set-up: It's an AAC matchup tonight in Tulsa (Don W. Reynolds Center) when the 17-9 Central Florida Knights (8-6 in AAC) take on the host Tulsa Golden Hurricane, who are 16-10 overall, including 9-5 in AAC play. UCF has won three in a row but Tulsa has won five straight, as the Golden Hurricane lead the Knights by a game in the league standings. Both are hoping to secure a top four finish in the AAC (which earns a first-round bye in the tourney) and a win by UCF would mean the two schools would be tied for fourth place (a win by UCF would also give the Knights the tiebreaker between the two). Central Florida: UCF’s success has been in large part due to its suffocating defense, which allows just 60.3 points a game, third-best in the nation. That's no surprise as UCH was expected to be a defensive stalwart because of the presence of 7-6 center Tacko Fall. However, even with Fall out for the season since mid-January, the Knights have been sterling on the defensive end, as on teh season, opponents are shooting just 38.6% against them (4th). Guard BJ Taylor has been the leader of the offense for coach Johnny Dawkins, despite missing 16 games with a foot injury after the season opener. He's now averaging 14.0 PPG (through 10 games) and is the team's top-scoring option now. The 6-9 Davis (11.7 & 8.9) has even more pressure on him now, with the loss of Fall. Tulsa: The 6-8 Etou leads Tulsa in scoring (15.3) and rebounding (7.9) and is joined by two other double digit scorers in PG Taplin (12.1-3.8-4.3) and SF Jeffries (10.0 & 5.1). However, two more players just miss, guard Henderson (9.9) and the 6-8 Igbanu (9.2 & 5.2. )Head coach Frank Haith's squad has sported a balanced attack (five players averaging between 9.2 & 15.3 PPG) and one of the things that he likes most about his team this season is the grit his players are showing as the regular season comes down the stretch. The pick: This is a big game for both teams and expect a low-scoring one. UCF plays great D (see above) plus has real trouble scoring, averaging only 63.0 PPG (346th). Make the Under an 8* play. |
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02-21-18 | Senators v. Blackhawks -160 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 13 h 24 m | Show |
The set-up:The Senators and Blackhawks are two of the NHL's most disappointing teams in 2017-18. The Senators took the Penguins to seven games in the Eastern Conference finals last season but are well out of playoff contention this season, at 21-28-9. As for the Blackhawks, they had a Western Conference-best 109 points last season but like Ottawa, Chicago is a playoff afterthought this season, at 25-27-8. Tonight's matchup features Ottawa at Chicago and both clubs are sitting 13 points out of the final playoff spot in their respective conferences. Ottawa: The Senators ended January on a six-game slide but had won six of nine this month before dropping a 5-2 decision at Nashville on Monday night. Ottawa is one of about a half-dozen teams with a worse point total than the Blackhawks and the Senators have 10 losses in their last 16 games. They are very likely to miss the playoffs only one season after reaching the Eastern Conference finals and coming within one goal of reaching the Stanley Cup finals. Forward Ryan Dzingel, who missed the past two games due to personal reasons, returned to practice Tuesday and will be back in the lineup against the Blackhawks. Mark Stone has six points in five games since returning from injury and leads the team with 19 goals and 50 points. Defenseman Karlsson, the team's top player last postseason, has a modest 46 points in 53 games, after posting 71 points last season and 82 the season before. Chicago: The Blackhawks unleashed some of their frustrations by mauling Metropolitan-leading Washington 7-1 on Saturday but followed that up with a listless 3-1 home loss to Los Angeles 48 hours later, falling to a pathetic 1-8-1 in February. It appears Chicago is poised to be a seller before Monday's NHL trade deadline. The Blackhawks are on track to miss the postseason for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign. Forward Anthony Duclair, acquired earlier this season from Arizona, has been a healthy scratch for three of the past four games but will be back in the lineup to face the Senators. Patrick Kane played in his 800th game Monday and leads the team in goals (22) and points (55). The pick: Sure, Chicago is a mess but the Senators own the fewest road wins in the league at 7-17-4, getting outscored 3.43-to-2.18 GPG away from home. Winning in Chicago is a rare occurrence for the Senators, who put an end to a seven-game, 15-year drought in the Windy City with a 4-3 victory back in December 2016 but they were steamrolled by the Blackhawks 8-2 on Jan. 9. Make Chicago a 10* play. |
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02-21-18 | Michigan +3 v. Penn State | Top | 72-63 | Win | 100 | 12 h 19 m | Show |
The set-up: 22-7 Michigan (11-5 in Big Ten) will visit Happy Valley tonight to take on 19-10 Penn State (9-7 in Big Ten). Michigan is No. 17 in the latest AP poll and hopes to overtake Nebraska (12-5) in the race for fourth place to earn a double bye in the Big Ten Tournament. Penn State has played itself into at least being in the conversation for an NCAA Tournament berth because of a strong second half and has an opportunity to earn what would assuredly be a resume-boosting win here at home: Penn State: The Nittany Lions' four-game winning streak came to an end as they dropped a 76-73 decision to Purdue on Sunday. The Nittany Lions were doomed by some late misses from the free-throw line in their search for another signature win to add to their NCAA Tournament resume. Sophomore guard Tony Carr was named the Big Ten Player of the Week for the first time in his collegiate career after averaging 24.5 points, five rebounds and four assists against Ohio State and Purdue. Carr (19.6 & 4.6) led the way with 19 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists in the loss to the Boilermakers while fellow guard Shep Garner (10.6) buried five 3-pointers en route to 17 points to finish in double figures for the 13th time this season. The 6-8 Stevens (15.1 & 6.2), the 6-9 Watkins (12.5 & 9.2) and guard Reaves (10.7 & 4.7) give Penn State five double digit scorers. The pick: Penn State has morphed into one of the Big Ten's better teams in the second half of the season and returns home here, where they have won four straight games. The Nittany Lions hope to move on the right side of the bubble by knocking off Michigan but the Wolverines have won the last six meetings with the Nittany Lions (Penn State's last win over Michigan came back on Feb. 27, 2013), as well as 11 of the last 12. Michigan can still catch Nebraska for the No. 4 seed plus it also wants to enhance its RPI in order to get an even better seed for the NCAA Tournament. Make Michigan a 10* play. |
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02-20-18 | St. Louis v. Dayton -5 | Top | 50-53 | Loss | -105 | 14 h 19 m | Show |
The set-up: Archie Miller led Dayton to four straight NCAA appearances, winning 102 games in that span (never less than 24 in any season). However, he left for the Indiana job. The Flyers brought in former alum Anthony Grant (played under Don Donoher), who has had success of his own on the bench, coaching VCU and Alabama (he was also an assistant under Billy Donovan at Florida and most recently in the NBA with OKC). However, the loss of four starters has taken its toll, as Dayton is just 12-14 (6-8 in A-10). The Flyers will welcome the 15-12 Saint Louis Billikens (8-6 in A-10) Tuesday nigh to the UD Arena. St. Louis hadn't won more than 12 games in any of the previous three seasons (win totals of 11, 11 and 12, respectively) but led by four returning starters in Travis Ford's second season at the school, the Billikens have a chance to secure a top-four finish in the Atlantic-10 for the postseason tourney. St. Louis: The Billikens are making run at just that (currently alone in fourth-place), having won four of their last five games. St. Louis is not a good offensive team, averaging just 66.8 PPG (315th) on 42.2% shooting (302nd). A trio of guards score in double digits, Bess (13.1 & 7.4), Goodwin (11.5-7.5-4.0) and Roby (11.1). The best frontcourt player is teh 6-7 French (8.8 & 6.9) but note the rebounding numbers for guards Bess and Goodwin, who also leads the team in assists. The Billkens' deliberate style of play leads to them also allowing a modest 65.6 PPG (30th). Dayton: The Flyers have lost four of five following an 85-67 defeat at George Mason and the team's lone role down the stretch (and in the A-10 tourney) will be that of spoiler. The duo of 6-7 forward Cunningham (16.4 & 8.6) plus guard Darrell Davis (16.2 & 4.3) provide Dayton with a solid 1-2 punch. Those two are supported by a trio of guards chipping in between 8.3 and 10.5 PPG. Dayton averages 73.9 PPG and allows 73.8 PPG, so it's not difficult to see why the Flyers are a 12-14 team on the season. The pick: The Billikens won the first meeting 76-65 back at St. Louis in late January but winning on the road here won't come easily, even against a struggling Dayton team. The Flyers have always been a "tough out" at home and even in a season in which the team is two games under .500, Dayton is 10-4 SU at home, owning four wins in its last five league home games (only loss to powerhouse Rhode Island). St. Louis is no Rhode Island. Spoiler alert! Make Dayton a 10* play. |
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02-20-18 | Kings v. Jets -165 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -165 | 13 h 24 m | Show |
The set-up: The Winnipeg Jets conclude what's been a 'marathon' of a homestand when they welcome the LA Kings to Bell MTS Place on Tuesday night. Winnipeg has gone 6-2-1 so far and currently owns a 35-15-9 record, with the team's 79 points putting them in a first-place tie in the Central Division with Nashville. Meanwhile, the 32-22-5 LA Kings are involved in a tight battle for one of the final two spots in the Pacific Division, behind the first-place Vegas Golden Knights. They are also very much alive as a wild card in the Western Conference The Kings conclude their seven-game road trip tonight, coming off a a 3-1 victory at Chicago on Monday, leaving them 3-3-0 on the trek, so far. LA Kings: The Kings jumped up from below the playoff line to third place in the Pacific Division with Monday's win. Defenseman Dion Phaneuf was one of the key contributors last night, as he scored his second goal in three games since being acquired from Ottawa, where he netted just three goals in 53 contests. Captain Anze Kopitar leads the team in goals (25) and points (63), despite being kept off the scoresheet Monday for only the fourth time in his last 20 games. Torrey Mitchell and Andy Andreoff joined Phaneuf in the goal column Monday after the trio entered the contest with a combined total of nine tallies on the season. Winnipeg: The Jets are tied with Nashville for the Central Division lead but have played one more game. They cruised to a 7-2 triumph over Florida on Sunday, as rookie Kyle Connor scored twice to become the third member of the team to hit the 20-goal mark this season (21). Mark Scheifele was named the NHL's Third Star of the Week on Monday after registering three goals and four assists in three games. He missed 16 contests with an upper-body injury before returning Feb. 9 but is tied with Patrik Laine (team-high 27 goals) for second on the team in scoring with 46 points. Blake Wheeler, who tops the club with 67 points, is coming off back-to-back three-point performances and has recorded two goals and seven assists during the five-game streak he carries into Tuesday's game. The pick: It's the end of a long road trip for the Kings and the end of an even longer homestand for the Jets, which clearly gives Winnipeg the edge. No reason to buck Winnipeg at home, where the Jets are 23-5-2, outscoring opponents by about 1 1/2 goals per game (3.83-to-2.37). Make the Jets an 8* play. |
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02-20-18 | Blue Jackets v. Devils OVER 5.5 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -115 | 12 h 24 m | Show |
The set-up: The New Jersey Devils appeared ready to fall off the pace in the Metropolitan Division the past month, as they had sandwiching a pair of four-game skids around winning three straight. However, the 31-20-8 Devils have battled back into contention with four consecutive victories, including three straight wins away from home. Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets are stumbling with three straight losses to fall to 25-25-5. Devils earned a 3-2 OT win Sunday at Carolina, while the Blue Jackets lost 5-2 at home vs. the Penguins, their eighth defeat in the last 10 games (2-6-2). Columbus: Columbus is in a dogfight for a postseason berth and currently sits one point out of eighth place in the East. That after cruising to a spot in the playoffs last season when the team finished with a franchise-record 108 points, the Blue Jackets come to Newark with only two wins in their last 10 games. A constant theme is an inability to score despite a plethora of scoring chances. The Blue Jackets had 36 shots or more in eight straight games -- with 49 or more in four of those games -- yet struggle mightily to score and win recently. Captain Nick Foligno will be sidelined for one to two weeks with what's believed to be a knee injury suffered in Sunday's loss. Foligno (just 26 points in 59 games) went through some lean times earlier in the season with a 12-game point drought and a 10-game stretch in which he collected one assist, but had been coming on since then. New Jersey: Taylor Hall scored the game-winning goal inside the final 30 seconds of overtime Sunday and has collected a point in 18 straight appearances dating to Jan. 2. He leads the team in goals (24) and points (62). Rookie Nico Hischier (39 points is second-best on the team) is on a pretty decent tear of his own, scoring a goal in each of the past four games to earn the NHL First Star of the Week. New Jersey swept two road games this past weekend, riding Eddie Lack's career-high 48 saves to a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday before beating the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in overtime on Sunday. Those wins lifted the team's record in one-goal games to an impressive 16-4-8. The pick: While the Blue Jackets have seen last year's success fade (see above), the Devils, who finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with 70 points last season, have already matched that total in 59 games. New Jersey already has three more victories than last season and currently holds a playoff spot in the East. However, one of Columbus' recent victories was a 6-1 thrashing of the Devils on Feb. 10 at Nationwide Arena. Columbus has had a plethora of scoring chances but has struggled to convert those chances (see above for a reminder). That could very well change here and that means it's a 10* play on the Over. |
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02-20-18 | The Citadel +20.5 v. East Tennessee State | Top | 84-82 | Win | 100 | 12 h 19 m | Show |
The set-up: It's Southern Conference action tonight from Johnson City, Tn. when the East Tennessee State Buccaneers host The Citadel Bulldogs. ETSU won the SoCon's regular season and postseason titles last year, then lost to Florida in the NCAAs, finishing with 27 wins. The Buccaneers are 23-5 this season, including 14-1 in league play, giving them a two-game cushion. The Bulldogs were just 12-21 last season (4-14 in SoCon) and check in this season at 9-18, including 4-11 in league play. The Citadel: The Bulldogs enter on a four-game slide, after a 75-71 loss to VMI. The 6-7 Najdawi kept the The Citadel close with 23 & 14. He leads the team in scoring at 15.2 PPG. Guard Frierson (13.8) added 20 points. Despite shooting 42.0% as a team (307th), The Citadel is averaging 84.2 PPG (16th). The problem is, the Bulldogs are allowing 89.6 PPG (350th) on 48.7% shooting (337th). East Tennessee State: The Buccaneers are the SoCon's dominant team and bounced back from their first conference loss (at UNC-Greensboro) to down Western Carolina 72-61. This team hasn't much missed a beat, despite losing four starters from last year's team. The lone returning starter is guard Desonta Bradford, who leads the team in scoring (15.2), rebounding (5.9) and assists (3.5). The only other double digit scorer is fellow guard McCloud (11.7). Defense has been the key for ETSU, holding opponents to 65.4 PPG (26th) on 39.9% shooting (12th). The pick:This is a game between the league's best team and one of its "have-nots." However, the road team is 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings and The Citadel is 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings between the schools. Take the big points and make The Citadel an 8* play. |
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02-19-18 | Ducks v. Golden Knights -171 | Top | 2-0 | Loss | -171 | 24 h 37 m | Show |
The set-up: The expansion Vegas Golden Knights have been the "feel-good" story of the 2017-18 season so far and the 39-15-4 Golden Knights now have 82 points, good enough to sit atop the NHL. They can stay there if they can complete a four-game sweep of the season series against the visiting Anaheim Ducks on Monday. The Golden Knights rolled to a 6-3 victory over Montreal on Saturday and own a comfortable lead in the Pacific Division, as the second-place Sharks have 72 points. The 29-20-1 Ducks come in off a 3-2 shootout victory at Minnesota and are playing for postseason lives. The Ducks moved into third place in the Pacific Division (69 points) with that win over the Wild and into a virtual tie for the second wild-card spot with Minnesota (also 69 points), although the 31-20-7 Wild have two games in hand. Vegas: William Karlsson (team-high 30 goals) and Reilly Smith come into Monday’s contest riding seven-game point streaks and are tied for third on the team with 51 points overall. Jonathan Marchessault leads the way with 58 points (21 goals), including four in his last two games. David Perron (14 goals) has registered seven of his 53 points in his last six contests. Defenseman Nate Schmidt also has been on a roll of late with eight points (two goals, six assists) in his last eight games, while Ryan Carpenter has scored in three consecutive contests and five of his last seven. The pick: A 3-0 start to the season, an eight-game win streak and most wins in a season by an expansion team (34), are among the records the Golden Knights have broken. And, it's still only mid-February. Vegas is an NHL-best 22-4-2 at home, outscoring the opposition 103-64 (that's a 3.64-to-2.25 GPG margin!). What's more, the Golden Knights have outscored the Ducks 11-6 in the three previous meetings (all wins) this season. Make Vegas an 8* play. |
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02-19-18 | Oklahoma v. Kansas OVER 167 | Top | 74-104 | Win | 100 | 23 h 36 m | Show |
The set-up: The Kansas Jayhawks edged West Virginia at home on Saturday and when Baylor knocked off the Texas Tech later that night, drew even with the Red Raiders atop the Big 12 standings at 10-4. No. 13 Kansas (21-6) will visit No. 7 Texas Tech (22-5) next weekend but must first take care of business tonight when slumping No. 23 Oklahoma and Trae Young come calling. The Sooners rallied for an 85-80 victory back on Jan. 23 in Norman against the Jayhawks but Oklahoma has lost six of seven since (including five in a row) to fall to 16-10 (6-8 in Big 12). Oklahoma is currently ranked No. 23 but will undoubtedly fall out of the new AP poll which comes out this afternoon. Oklahoma: The Sooners dropped their fifth straight game on Saturday in a 76-66 home loss to Texas. They shot a season-low 30.8 percent, as Young continued his struggles. He scored 26 points but shot 7-of-21 from the floor and is 18-for-58 (31.0%) over his last three games, including 4-of-27 (14.8%) from behind the arc. Young snapped a streak of 20 consecutive missed three-pointers on Saturday and while he remains the nation's leader in scoring (29.0) and assist (9.2), he is averaging 23.6 points per game during the losing skid, while his shooting percentages remain abysmal. Oklahoma has two other double digit scorers this year, junior guard Christian James (12.3 & 4.8) and 6-9 freshman Brady Manek (11.0 & 5.7) but James was held to 11 points against Texas (after scoring at least 20 in his previous two games) and Manek connected on just 3-of-13 after entering the game shooting 61.7 percent from the floor at home on the season. Kansas: The Jayhawks closed out the Mountaineers with a 19-3 run as Udoka Azubuike scored 21 points and Devonte' Graham contributed 15 points. The victory put Kansas in a position to challenge for a 14th consecutive regular-season championship. "It keeps us in a position to play for something," Kansas head coach Bill Self told reporters afterward. "It was big for our guys' confidence, probably." The 7-foot Azubuike (14.1 & 7.0) made 7-of-8 shots from the floor against West Virginia to lift his shooting percentage to 76.9%. Lagerald Vick (12.8) has now scored 29 points in his last two games, after after reaching double figures in four of his previous 12 contests. Joining the 7-0 Azubuike and guard Vick in the starting lineup are three more of guards, led by the team's best player, Graham (17.4-4.1-7.2). Mykchailiuk (15.3 & 4.0) and Newman (12.0 & 5.12) round out Self's 'Iron-Five." The pick: The Sooners were ranked in the top five just a month ago but their current slump has them sliding onto the NCAA "bubble." Oklahoma has lost 16 straight at Kansas dating to a 1993 win in the Big Eight under Billy Tubbs, so it would be hard to expect them to win here, especially since Kansas is in "revenge mode" and needs to take some momentum into its visit to Lubbock this coming Saturday. Then again, it's also hard to see Oklahoma NOT getting up for Kansas. Oklahoma opened 11-1 to the over this season, then saw six of its next seven go under. However, four the its last six games are back on an over trend. The Sooners are the nation's top-scoring team (87.5 PPG) but allow a whopping 82.0 PPG, ranking 337th. With Kansas averaging 81.6 PPG, the Over is the 10* play in this one. |
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02-18-18 | Stanford v. California +6.5 | Top | 77-73 | Win | 100 | 13 h 55 m | Show |
The set-up: Johnny Dawkins led Stanford to two NIT titles in his tenure at the school but he was not hired to win NIT championships. He was let go after the 2015-16 season and replaced by Jerod Haase. The Cardinal would have welcomed an NIT invite in Haase's first year at Stanford (2016-17 season), as the Cardinal finished just 14-17 (6-12 in Pac 12). Stanford is just 13-13 on the season so far this year but despite losing five of its past seven, Stanford remains just one game out of second place in the Pac-12 standings at 7-6 The Cardinal take to the road to tonight for a game at Haas Pavilion against the 8-18 Cal Bears, who are just 2-11 in Pac 12 play. Cal has a first-year head coach in Wyking Jones and the team's 23 and 21-win seasons of the past two year seem 'light years' ago! Stanford: The Cardinal have lost two straight, the most recent being a 64-56 loss at Colorado where a 20 point first half set the tone. Guard Dorian Pickens (14.1) paced the Stanford attack with 18 points. PG Daejon Davis (10.6-4.3-4.8) gave the Cardinal 12 points and four pulls on 5-16 while leading scorer and rebounder, the 6-8 Reid Travis (19.0 & 7.7) added 10 points and six rebounds. The 6-9 Humphrey (10.4 & 7.40 is the team's fourth double digit scorer. California: The Golden Bears have been struggling on both ends of the floor and that trend continued in a 77-43 loss at Utah as a 13- point road dog. Cal never found their offense and the defense didn’t help with the team getting out-shot 54.9%-30.2%. Guard Darius McNeill (11.7) was the only Cal player to reach double digits (just barely with exactly 10 points!) at Utah. However, three other Golden Bears are averaging in double digits on the season. Guard Coleman (15.6) is the team's top scorer, joined by the 6-7 Sueing (13.5 & 5.3) and the 6-11 Lee (12.2 & 7.6) in teh frontcourt. Overall though, Cal doesn't score enough (69.3 PPG ranks 284th) and allows too many points (78.2 PPG ranks 307th). The pick: Oddly enough, one of Cal's two Pac 12 wins came in a 77-74 win up in Maples Pavilion. However, not much has gone right for Golden Bears since, who’ve subsequently won SU just once (at Haas Pavilion vs. Oregon State). Sure, Stanford is the better team and Cal is the Pac 12's worst team, but Stanford has lost its last two games at Haas Pavilion by an average of 13.5 points.Take the home dog, as I believe Cal just may get its first regular-season sweep of Stanford since 2009-10. Make Cal a 10* play. |
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02-18-18 | Stars v. Sharks OVER 5.5 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 102 | 13 h 50 m | Show |
The set-up; The Dallas Stars have edged their way up the Central Division standings with six wins in the past seven contests and at 34-20-4 on the season, the team's 72 points have them in a third-place tie with St. Louis while owning two games in hand. They open a three-game California trip against the 31-19-8 San Jose Sharks on Sunday night, who have won three of four overall to take over second place in the Pacific Division with 70 points. San Jose knocked off Vancouver 4-1 on Thursday Dallas: The Stars rebounded from a rough performance against Vancouver (lost 6-0) with a 2-1 victory over St. Louis on Friday. "Every game from here on out is going to be of equal importance,” Dallas goalie Ben Bishop told reporters after improving to 3-1-0 in his last four outings. “Obviously it’s nice to beat the team that you’re chasing. But it doesn’t really change anything. Now we go out to the west coast and the game against San Jose is just as important.” Veteran defenseman Marc Methot returned Friday after missing all but one game since Nov. 6 with a knee injury and posted an assist for his 100th career point. Forwards Alexander Radulov and Jamie Benn (four assists, last three games) along with defenseman John Klingberg lead the team with 53 points apiece. Radulov and Benn each have 21 goals, while Klingberg leads the team with 46 assists. Center Tyler Seguin has a team-high 29 goals. San Jose: Reigning Norris Trophy winner Brent Burns has played up front in parts of the past two games, as injuries have depleted the team's forward corps, but was moved to the backend after defenseman Dylan DeMelo was injured in the second period Thursday. Burns has eight of his team-leading 50 points (10 goals) in the last seven contests and Logan Couture (44 points) posted a goal and four assists in the past five games and leads the team with 23 goals on the season. The pick: The Sharks welcome the Stars to SAP Center on Sunday evening for the first time in 2017-18. However, the Sharks will remember their first meeting of the season against the Stars, as San Jose absorbed its worst loss of the season when it fell 6-0 to Dallas on New Year's Eve. That Dallas win on Dec. 31 improved the Stars' record to 6-1-1 in the last eight meetings with the Sharks, However, San Jose is a good home team, going 16-9-3 at SAP Center this season, averaging 3.11 GPG. I say make the Over a 10* play. |
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02-18-18 | Duke -2 v. Clemson | Top | 66-57 | Win | 100 | 6 h 55 m | Show |
The set-up: Virginia has led the way this season in the ACC and the Cavs currently own a conference mark. However, early this afternoon at Littlejohn Coliseum, No. 12 Duke (21-5) and No. 11 Clemson (20-5) will square off with second-place in the ACC on the line (both are 9-4). This is the first and only scheduled meeting of the season between teh two schools Duke and Clemson but with plenty of teams chasing them in the league standings, this becomes a critical matchup for seeding in next month's ACC Tournament. Duke has won two in a row following an uncharacteristic 1-3 stretch while Clemson had won five in a row before falling to Florida State on Wednesday, when the Tigers blew an 18-point lead before losing in overtime. Duke: The Blue Devils have won twice without league scoring and rebounding leader Marcus Bagley III (21.2 & 11.4), as the 6-11 freshman has sat out the team's last two as a precaution with a mild knee strain. His status for this game is uncertain. Senior Grayson Allen picked up the slack against Virginia Tech with 25 points (made 7 of 15 three-pointers), while 6-10 freshman Wendell Carter Jr. registered 13 points and 13 rebounds for his seventh double-double in the last 10 games. Yet another freshman, Gary Trent Jr, went 5-of-9 from the arc against the Hokies and is shooting over 60 percent from three-point range over the last five games. Trent averages 15.2 & 4.6, Allen 15.0-3.5-4.6, Carter 14.4 & 9.5 and PG Duval (another freshman) 11.0 & 5.6 APG for the nation's highest scoring team (88.2 PPG). Clemson: The Tigers can't match Duke's firepower (Clemson averages 75.2 PPG) and not only are the Tigers already without the 6-8 Donte Grantham (14.2 & 6.9), who was lost to an ACL tear, the team likely will likely be without PG Shelton Mitchell (11.8 & 3.8 APG) on Sunday, who suffered a head injury. Marcquise Reed (15.7-4.6-3.4 registered 23 points against Florida State in a strong bounce-back effort after totaling four points in the previous game. Gabe DeVoe (13.4 & 4.6) has been on a tear from 3-point range, draining 25-of-40 (62.5 percent) over the last five games. The Tigers are a quality defensive team, allowing 65.8 PPG (32nd), while holding opponents to 41.6% shooting (53rd). The pick: It's true that Clemson is 13-0 at home this season but no Grantham and likely no Mitchell will make it tough to win here. Sure Clemson owns an excellent D (see above) but Duke not only averages just under 90 PPG, it shoots a blistering 50.4% as a team (9th-best). A game of this magnitude is "nothing new" for Duke, while the same can't be said for Clemson. The Tigers lose again, falling in back-to-back games for the first time this season. Make Duke an 8* play |
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02-17-18 | Marquette +7.5 v. Creighton | Top | 90-86 | Win | 100 | 24 h 40 m | Show |
The set-up: It's a Big East game from CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska, as the 19-7 Creighton Bluejays (8-5 in Big East) host the 14-11 Marquette Golden Eagles (5-8 in Big East). Marquette comes in looking for a big road win but has lost five of its last six overall, after falling 86-78 loss to St. John’s in its last outing. Meanwhile, the Bluejays are looking to gain a measure of consistent play after alternating wins and losses in each of their last five games, including a 94-46 win over subdivision Bemidji State in their most recent outing. However, I should note that Creighton can lock down its third straight 20-win season with a victory in tonight's game. Marquette: Guard Andrew Rowsey (19.4 & 4.2 APG) led Marquette with 34 points on 11 of 26 shooting plus added team-highs of seven rebounds and six assists in the loss to St. John's. Fellow guards Markus Howard (team-high 21.9 PPG) and Sam Hauser (14.2 & 6.0) each added 18 points. That trio is really the core of Marquette's team, certainly on the offensive end. While the Golden Eagles average 81.8 PPG (33rd), no player outside of the three aforementioned guards score more than 7.0 PPG. Marquette shoots 40.2% from the three-point line (16th) and a nation-best 80.0% from the free-throw line. Creighton: Head coach Greg McDermott has won 20 or more games in six of his first seven seasons with the Bluejays (making it seven of eight is a lock!) and he gave his bench a lot of minutes against Bemidji State, resulting in Marcus Foster's streak of seven straight 20-point games coming to an end. Foster is one of five players averaging better than 20 points in Big East games along with Butler's Kelan Martin. Foster leads the team at 20.3 PPG and while Creighton averages 85.4 PPG (7th), the Blue Jays feature just two other double digit scorers. They are reigning Big East Defensive Player of The Year Khyri Thomas (14.5) and the 6-9 Martin Krampelj (11.9 & 8.1). The pick: Creighton has been a solid team at home this season (typical) but the Bluejays have been struggling as of late, going 0-4 ATS prior to their non-lined game with Bemidji State. Marquette is a 'live dog,' as the Golden Eagles can score, shoot well from three (see above) and are the nation's best free-throw shooting team. Watch out for the "backdoor cover!" Make Marquette an 8* play. |
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02-17-18 | Bruins v. Canucks OVER 5.5 | Top | 1-6 | Win | 100 | 23 h 30 m | Show |
The set-up: The 35-12-8 Boston Bruins have won 20 of its last 25 overall (20-2-3) to move within three points of the Lightning (Tampa Bay has 81 points and Boston 78), with three games in hand. Boston begins a rugged stretch when they open a five-game road trip at the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night but playing away from home has not been an issue for the surging Bruins, who have won seven straight on the road as part of a 13-game road point streak (11-0-2 since their last regulation road loss on Dec. 4 at Nashville). The Vancouver Canucks are next-to-last in the Western Conference at 22-30-6 (50 points). Boston: The Bruins are challenging for top spot overall in the NHL and have clearly revived their fortunes after a series of strong draft picks and trades as well as a coaching change. Boston is on a roll, winning eight of its last 10. The latest victory was a 5-2 decision at home over Calgary on Wednesday, when the Bruins overcame a 2-1 deficit with four straight goals. Center David Krejci wants to get his game going again, as he has been held to one point -- a goal -- in his past five games. For most of the season, he has gone no more than two games without generating points. He is looking for his line as a whole, which includes speedy wingers Ryan Spooner and Jake DeBrusk, to produce more offensively. The trio has combined for 80 points this season, but was blanked against Calgary. Patrice Bergeron is closing in on his fourth 30-goal campaign, scoring seven times in seven games this month to boost his team-high total to 27. "Bergeron would fit in with any club," former Boston coach and current Canadian broadcaster Don Cherry said. "When you talk about MVP, it's not the best player, it's the guy who is most valuable to your team and I can't see anybody in the league more valuable than him." Vancouver: The Bruins come town the same week that Canucks general manager Jim Benning, a former Boston executive who helped build the 2011 champion squad, signed a contract extension to mixed reviews. Forward Sven Baertschi collected a pair of assists in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to Florida, but was out of the lineup 24 hours later. “I haven’t been thrilled with his game as of late," head coach Travis Green said of scratching Baertschi. However, Baertschi likely will return to Vancouver's lineup Saturday The pick: The youthful Canucks have lost seven of their past eight games, mixing a lopsided road win over Dallas, which was playing its third game in four days, with one-sided losses and close calls. Vancouver gave up four first-period goals in a 6-3 loss at Boston back on Oct. 19, in the teams' first meeting of the season. Boston goalie Tuukka Rask is 20-1-2 in his last 23 decisions but is just 3-4-1 lifetime against Vancouver. Make the Over a 10* play. |
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02-17-18 | Texas Tech v. Baylor +1 | Top | 57-59 | Win | 100 | 21 h 55 m | Show |
The set-up: The Texas Tech Red Raiders have responded to Chris Beard in his second season at Lubbock. After an 18-14 season last year, Texas Tech is 22-4 (10-3 in Big 12) and ranked No. 7 in the latest AP poll. The Red Raiders have won their past four games by a combined 59 points and their seven-game winning streak has vaulted them to the top of the conference standings. Meanwhile, the Baylor Bears have won four straight to move into a fifth-place tie in the Big 12 (at 6-7), while improving to 16-10 on the season.. Texas Tech: The Red Raiders have used a solid offense (76.7 PPG ranks 101st on 47.0% shooting, which ranks 61st) and the Big 12's best defense (62.7 PPG ranks 8th nationally) to get to where they currently are (Red Raiders are holding opponents to 39.4% shooting, which ranks 8th). Senior guard Keenan Evans leads the Red Raiders with 18.7 PPG. Texas Tech gets a combined 21.5 PPG from freshmen guards Jarrett Culver and Zhaire Smith. 6-9 center Orense Odiase adds just 4.5 PPG but also a team-high 5.0 RPG. He has come on strong in big games, recording 12 points and eight rebounds in an upset of Kansas and a season-high 14 points in Tuesday's win over Oklahoma.
Baylor: The Bears' 4-0 run has also been fueled by defense, holding its opponents to an average of 26 first-half points during the win streak after allowing 44.5 before halftime until that point this season. Senior guard Manu Lecomte leads the Bears with 16.8 points and 3.7 APG but has had more freedom to move without the ball since junior Jake Lindsey (5.1 & 3.3 APG) joined the starting lineup five games ago. The lineup change gives the Bears a strong bench, led by senior forward Terry Maston's 10.0 & 5.8. It has outscored opponents' benches 153-49 in the past five games. 7-0 senior Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. (11 double-doubles) adds 14.5 PPG, a team-best 9.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. |
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02-17-18 | Auburn v. South Carolina +6 | Top | 75-84 | Win | 100 | 17 h 56 m | Show |
The set-up: Bruce Pearl has always been considered an excellent head coach but he's also had his fair share of controversies (if unfamiliar, try Google). After winning just 15 and 11 games in his first two season at Auburn, he led the Tigers to an 18-win season last year and all five starters were back for this season. Many felt Auburn could win 20 games in 2017-18 but few (if any) could have predicted that the Tigers would be 23-3 (11-2 in the SEC) and ranked 10th in the AP poll come mid-Feb. Auburn is off a 76-66 home victory over Kentucky, and will visit Columbia, S.C. on Saturday afternoon to take on the slumping 13-13 Gamecocks, who are 4-9 in SEC play. South Carolina nearly knocked off Tennessee on the road this past Tuesday, erasing a 14-point deficit before falling 70-67 (its sixth consecutive loss). Auburn: The Gamecocks have won two straight meetings with Auburn and three of the last four. Bruce Pearl is aware and told reporters. “We can’t afford to not (get up) or we won’t win. It’s real simple. If you’re big enough, talented enough, deep enough, you can show up sometimes and win.” Pearl is making his guard-oriented lineup work. Bryce Brown leads with 16.6 PPG, plus backcourt mates Mustapha Heron (16.1 & 5.3 rebounds) and Jared Harper (13.5 & 6.0 APG) help push the pace, can score and are pesky at the defensive end. The undersized Desean Murray (10.9 & 7.0) plays much bigger than his 6-3 frame,and fellow forwards, the 6-7 Anfernee McLemore (7.7 & 5.3) and the 6-8 Horace Spencer (4.2 & 4.7) are tough post defenders. South Carolina: The Gamecocks have one of the SEC’s best big men in the 6-9 Chris Silva (14.2 & 7.6) but their guard play leaves much to be desired (they sure miss Thornwell and Dozier from LY's Final 4 team). Reserve guard Frank Booker (11.6 points), a graduate transfer from FAU, has averaged 14.2 points over his last five games but the rest of the members of the backcourt rotation have been inconsistent. Coach Frank Martin’s teams typically are known for tough defense (allow 68.0 PPG to rank 6th) but South Carolina has allowed five straight opponents to shoot at least 46 percent (not good). The pick: It's true that Auburn's Bruce Pearl is a leading candidate for National Coach of the Year but are the Tigers really as good as their record? The team's win over Kentucky was a real 'high' and a letdown seems more than possible. Note that South Carolina is 12-1 when scoring at least 70 points and while the Gamecocks haven’t hit that mark in their last four games, they do average 70.2 PPG at home and Auburn is allowing 72.2 PPG on the season. Take the home dog and make South Carolina an 8* play. |
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02-17-18 | Texas v. Oklahoma -6.5 | Top | 77-66 | Loss | -105 | 13 h 26 m | Show |
The set-up: Part 1 of the Red River Rivalry (basketball edition) took place back on Feb. 3 in Austin and although the Sooners controlled most of the game (held a nine-point lead with less than eight minutes remaining), the Longhorns went on a 14-0 run en route to a 79-74 victory. No. 23 Oklahoma was still very much in the thick of the Big 12 race when it last faced Texas but the Sooners now find themselves 16-9 and just 6-7 in Big 12 play. Texas will travel to the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman with a 15-11 overall mark, including only 5-8 in Big 12 play. Both teams could badly use a win but in the case of Texas, it's a matter of getting back into NCAA Tournament contention. Texas: Nothing has gone right for Texas since it beat Oklahoma back on Feb 3, as the Longhorns have sandwiching a pair of one-possession defeats around a blowout loss avergae about two 'TDs' less than Oklahoma (72.4 PPG) but Shaka Smart's team does play defense, allowing 68.3 PPG (66th) on 41.7% shooting (63rd). Texas is awful from three-point range, converting on just a conference-worst 32.1 percent (ranks 329th nationally). The Longhorns have a terrific one-two inside duo in 6-11 freshman Bamba (13.7-10.8-4.1 BPG) and 6-9 junior Osekowski (13.6 & 7.1). Bamba leads the conference with 13 double-doubles. However, the loss of guard Jones (13.5) for the season (after just 10 games), has been a huge blow. Oklahoma: That Feb. 23 loss in Austin began a four-game slide for the Sooners. Freshman Trae Young continues to lead the country in scoring (29.1 points) and assists (9.3), but he's shooting only 35.4 percent (17.1 percent beyond the arc) in Oklahoma losing skid (he is coming off a game in which he failed to hit a three-pointer for the first time in his career, going 0-for-9!). Junior guard James (12.4 & 4.9) and 6-9 freshman Manek (11.2 & 5.6) are OU's only two double digit scorers outside of Young. James has delivered his first two 20-point performances over the last two contests, averaging 22.5 points on 16-of-30 shooting. The Sooners are the nation's top-scoring team at 88.4 PPG but they also allow 82. PPG, ranking 338th. The pick: Texas just played in its sixth overtime game last Saturday (matching a school record for the most in a season) and could be wearing down. Sure, Oklahoma has clearly struggled as of late (1-9 ATS run started on Jan. 13) but the Sooners have won five straight home games against the Longhorns and are 11-1 in Norman this season, where they are averaging 95.5 PPG (Texas is averaging 66.0 PPG on the road). Make Oklahoma an 8* play. |
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02-17-18 | SMU v. UCF -3 | Top | 37-52 | Win | 100 | 12 h 26 m | Show |
The set-up: The SMU Mustangs continue to play short-handed and their 70-67 home loss to Memphis this past Wednesday was the team's fourth straight. SMU's once-promising season has slipped away, as the Mustangs are 15-11 (5-8 in AAC). UCF has won two in a row following a 2-5 stretch that included losing massive 7-6 center Tacko Fall for the season due to a shoulder injury. The Knights will welcome the Mustangs to CFE Arena in Orlando early on Saturday, checking in at 16-9 (7-6 in AAC). SMU: When the calendar turned to 2018, SMU stood at 12-3 but the Mustangs are just 3-8 since. The team's best player, PG Shake Milton (18.7-4.7-4.4), is currently listed as “out indefinitely” after missing SMU’s last 4 games (Mustangs are 0-4) and the Mustangs will also be without 6-6 Jarrey Foster, who is out for the season due to a knee injury. Foster was lost seven games ago and was averaging 13.2 PPG and a team-high 5.9 RPG. Guard Jahmal McMurray did everything he could Wednesday against Memphis, knocking down nine three-pointers en route to a career-high 33 points but it still wasn't enough. He has taken on a larger role for the injury-plagued Mustangs and checks in averaging 13.9 PPG. SMU's defense remains its strength, allowing just 63.5 PPG (11th). UCF: Fall averaged 11.3 & 7.3 in his 16 games and his loss leaves two double digit scorers for the Knights. Guard Taylor leads with 14.8 PPG and forward AJ Davis adds 11.4 & 8.0). Those two Knights carried the bulk of the scoring load the last time out against USF, as Davis registered 26 points and Taylor chipped in 21. Meanwhile, the other three starters totaled four points on 1-of-6 shooting. Even without Fall's presence, UCF has remained one of the nation's elite defensive teams, allowing 61.2 PPG (3rd) on 38.9% shooting (4th). The pick: SMU beat UCF 56-51 in Dallas back on Dec. 27. However, Milton and Foster played in that one, combining for 28 points & 15 rebounds. That duo will be 'MIA' for this one and also note that in that late-Dec. loss, the Knights were missing the irreplaceable B.J. Taylor due to a serious foot injury. Shorthanded SMU comes in just 3-7-1 ATS since Jan. 1, while UCF is 12-4 ATS over its last 16 home games.Make UCF an 8* play. |
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02-16-18 | Flyers v. Blue Jackets -135 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -135 | 12 h 6 m | Show |
The set-up: The 29-24-4 Columbus Blue Jackets have 62 points, just sixth-best in the tightly-bunched Metropolitan Division. However, the team is just one point shy of the second and final wild card spot in the East. Columbus will welcome the Philadelphia Flyers to Nationwide Arena after becoming the first team since the NHL's expansion era began in 1967-68 to string together three straight games with at least 50 shots on goal. The Flyers finished on the short end of a 5-4 shootout with the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night but had won four in a row before the loss to the Devils. In fact, the Flyers are 12-5-2 since Jan. 1 and at 28-19-10 (66 points) tied for third in the Metropolitan Division. Philadelphia: Captain Claude Giroux raised his point total to 32 (six goals, 26 assists) in his last 32 game,s after collecting a goal and an assist in Tuesday's 5-4 shootout loss to New Jersey. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere has been heating up on the ice with 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in his past seven games. With goaltender Brian Elliott out for six weeks after undergoing core muscle surgery, the Flyers have to keep going for now with inconsistent Michal Neuvirth in goal. However, Neuvirth does owns a 2-1-0 mark with a 1.99 goals-against average and .934 save percentage against Columbus. Columbus: The Blue Jackets were beaten 6-3 by the Maple Leafs on Wednesday night in Toronto and have now dropped six of their last eight (2-5-1) overall. Captain Nick Foligno scored two goals and set up another versus the Maple Leafs to increase his point total to 10 (four goals, six assists) in his past 12 games. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has reversed course from a sluggish start to February by turning aside 63 of 65 shots to record back-to-back victories. The pick: With 25 games remaining, the Flyers and the Blue Jackets recognize the importance of each game against a division opponent in this, the competitive division in the NHL. Both team are fighting for a coveted playoff spot. Nine points separate second place and last place in the Metropolitan. However, while Columbus may be just 2-5-1 over their last eight, they enter this contest looking for their 12th consecutive home victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Getting back to Bobrovsky, the two-time Vezina Trophy recipient has tormented the Flyers since being traded from the club in June 2012, posting a 9-2-0 mark with two shutouts and a 1.79 goals-against average in 11 career encounters. Bobrovsky made 30 saves in the teams' meeting in December before stopping Sean Couturier, Giroux and Jakub Voracek in the shootout to preserve the victory. Make Columbus a 10* play. |
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02-16-18 | Yale -2 v. Dartmouth | Top | 77-65 | Win | 100 | 12 h 1 m | Show |
The set-up: If it's a Friday in February, then the Ivy League is always near center stage in college hoops. Tonight, from the Edward Leede Arena in Hanover, New Hampshire, the Dartmouth Big Green will host the Yale Bulldogs. Yale comes in 11-13 overall (including 4-4 in Ivy play), after downing Cornell 74-65 last Saturday. As for Dartmouth, it's been a season-long struggle that's carried over into conference play. The Big Green just ended a 10-game losing streak with a 72-56 rout of Princeton but that leaves them just 5-16 overall, including 1-7 in Ivy games. Yale: The Bulldogs have six players averaging 20-plus minutes per game, contributing 7.8-to-15.1 PPG. Oni, a 6-7 guard, leads the etam in scoring at 15.1 PPG (adds 5.5 RPG) and is joined by guard Copeland (12.2) and forward Reynolds (10.1 & 5.5) in double digits. Yale shoots a decent percentage (46.9% ranks 567th) but the Bulldogs average a modest 74.6 PPG (161st). Dartmouth: The Big Green went just 7-20 last season, so this year's 5-16 record is no major surprise. Dartmouth is off an impressive rout of Princeton (see above), as Taylor Johnson led all scorers with 21 points. Johnson is a senior guard checking in with a team-high 12.6 PPG (3.9 RPG & 3.1 APG). Three more players contribute double digits in fellow senior guard Wright (12.0 & 4.5),sophomore PG Barry (10.5 & 4.1 APG) and freshman forward Knight (10.4). The pick: Yale won all both matchups against Dartmouth last season and won this season's first matchup by 10 points. A change of venue from New Haven to Hanover shouldn't alter the margin of victory by too much. Make Yale a 10* play! |
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02-15-18 | Oilers +1.5 v. Golden Knights | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -155 | 14 h 29 m | Show |
The set-up: The Edmonton Oilers were expected to be among the top contenders for the Pacific Division title, coming off a 103-point season last year. In contrast, the expansion Vegas Golden Knights were a great unknown, with little expected of them. However, lo and behold, when the teams square off Thursday night in Las Vegas, the 23-28-4 Oilers find themselves a staggering 28 points behind the division-leading 37-15-4 Golden Knights. The fortunes of each team were on display in their respective most recent games. Vegas scored four unanswered goals in the third period of a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks to improve to an NHL-best 20-4-2 at home. Conversely, Edmonton surrendered four third-period goals to visiting Florida in a 7-5 loss on Monday. As the saying goes, "Go figure!" Edmonton: The loss to Florida was Edmonton's fourth consecutive defeat. "It's frustrating for everyone in this room and the coaching staff," Oilers forward Patrick Maroon said after the game. "Everyone is not happy with our results of late." Cam Talbot, who has lost three starts in a row and saw his goals-against average rise to a career-worst 3.17 after he was beaten six times in Monday's loss to Florida, pointed the finger squarely at himself. "I'd say about four of them I'd like to have back," Talbot said. "Any time you go out and score five goals, you should win a game every night. I didn't give us a chance to win tonight." Connor McDavid has eight tallies and four assists in the last six games, and is having another outstanding season (23 goals and 66 points) but his play has mattered little. Vegas: David Perron scored one goal and set up another in Tuesday's victory to reach 50 points for the third time in his career (14 goals & 37 assists). Perron has been on a scoring spree over the past month, notching five goals and 12 assists over the past 13 games dating to Jan. 18. The Knights are also receiving scoring from an unexpected source in Ryan Carpenter, a waiver-wire pickup from San Jose, has all three of his goals in the last five games. William Karlsson owns a team-high 29 goals and Jonathan Marchessault owns a team-best 54 points. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is 17-6-2 (2.07 GAA & .932 SP) on the season. The pick: Vegas is 13-1-1 against Pacific Division teams during its remarkable inaugural season but the fly in the ointment has been Edmonton. The Oilers who are 2-0 against the Golden Knights, winning 8-2 at Rogers Place on Nov. 14 (the worst loss in Vegas' short history) and 3-2 in overtime at T-Mobile Arena on Jan. 13. Take the 1 1/2 goals and make the Oilers an 8* play. |
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02-15-18 | Lakers +10.5 v. Wolves | Top | 111-119 | Win | 100 | 13 h 30 m | Show |
The set-up: All-in-all, the Minnesota Timberwolves have made significant improvements as the NBA's All Star Weekend looms. However, Minnesota was 31-18 just 3 1/2 weeks ago, before hitting a slight skid lately in which the team has gone 4-7. In the team's final game before the break, Minnesota welcomes the 23-33 LA Lakers to the Target Center. The Lakers enter having had won 12 of 16 games (including eight of their last 10), before experiencing defensive issues on the first two stops their three-game trip. After allowing 130 points in Saturday's loss at Dallas, the Lakers got hammered 139-117 at New Orleans four nights later. LA Lakers: "We’ve got to get our mojo back. We somehow lost it quickly,” Lakers head coach Luke Walton told reporters of the back-to-back setbacks. Lonzo Ball will miss his 15th consecutive game due to a sprained left knee but the rookie PG said he will be ready to get back on the floor when Los Angeles returns from the All-Star break on Feb. 23 against Dallas. Is that good or bad news? LA's roster has changed since the trade deadline but pretty much all season, the Lakers have struggled defensively, allowing 110.1 PPG (28th). Minnesota; The Timberwolves saw their 13-game home winning streak end in Tuesday's 126-108 loss to the Rockets. All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns (20.4 & 9.7) leads the NBA with 50 double-doubles, including a performance against the Rockets in which he recorded 35 points on 12-of-16 shooting and 12 rebounds. Minnesota is considering whether or not to sign PG Derrick Rose, who currently is a free agent, as he was released by Utah two days after being acquired from Cleveland. Rose played for Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau in Chicago and was teammates with All-Star shooting guard Jimmy Butler and power forward Taj Gibson. Butler's been everything Minnesota could have hoped for, averaging 22.4-5.5-5.0, and Gibson (12.1 & 7.3) has been a solid starter at PF. The pick: Minnesota is tied for second in the league in home wins at 23-6 but has lost three of four games overall. The lone win in that span came against the Kings and just barely (111-106 as a 13-point favorite). Tom Thibodeau has been known as a defensive coach but this Minnesota team, while greatly improved and on its way to the postseason after a long drought, is allowing opponents to shoot 47.8%, which is a league-worst! That's why Minnesota is a sub-.500 team ATS (28-30-2). Take the big points and make LA a 10* play. |
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02-15-18 | Oregon +5 v. USC | Top | 70-72 | Win | 100 | 13 h 23 m | Show |
The set-up: The Oregon Ducks have won five of their last six games to reach 17-8, including 7-5 in Pac 12 play. They will visit the Galen Center tonight in Los Angeles, where they will take on the USC Trojans, who after three straight losses, are 17-9, including 8-5 in Pac 12 games. Oregon enters playing better basketball at the moment but Trojans have already beaten Oregon 75-70 in Eugene earlier this season. Oregon: Sophomore PG Payton Pritchard helped Oregon bounce back from a 35-point loss to Stanford by averaging 15.5 points on 52.2 percent shooting in home wins over Washington (65-40) and Washington State (84-57). Pritchard is averaging 14.4 points and 4.9 assists, while backcourt mate Elijah Brown is averaging 12.8 points. A trio of frontcourt players include the 6-7 Brown (12.2 & 6.6), the 6-7 McIntosh (9.7 & 6.3) and the 6-9 White (9.6 & 3.3). Troy Brown is a freshman and averaged 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds with seven steals in last week’s sweep of the Washington schools. Head coach Dana Altman had four freshmen on the court at one point of last Saturday’s win over Washington State, including 6-9 forward Kenny Wooten, who averages 7.2 points and 4.5 boards and leads the Pac-12 with 73 blocks. USC: Head coach Andy Enfield remained optimistic even after last Saturday’s 81-67 loss to Arizona, which outrebounded the Trojans by 18 and shot 56.1 percent for the game. Sophomore guard Derryck Thornton, a transfer from Duke, made his first career start for USC and had seven points in place of junior Shaqquan Aaron, who was unavailable due to a coach’s decision. USC has two excellent big men in the 6-11 Metu (15.7 & 7.4) and the 6-10 Boatwright (14.2 & 6.4) plus the 6-11 Rakocevic (7.9 & 5.4), Then there is team's guard trio of McLaughlin (12.7 & 7.5 APG), Stewart (10.9) and Mathews (9.0) USC: Boatwright has been slow to recover from a foot injury for USC and his recent efforts have been underwhelming. Meanwhile, Dana Altman’s Ducks are making progress in recent weeks and are playing their most consistent ball of the season right now (have outscored teams by nearly eight PPG in their last five contests). That's not really new, as under Altman, Oregon is 48-18 during the second half of Pac-12 play. The Ducks are 3-0 ATS as an underdog (2-1 SU) since Dec 1. Take the points and make Oregon a 10* play. |
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02-15-18 | Rangers v. Islanders UNDER 6.5 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 100 | 11 h 30 m | Show |
The set-up: The NHL's Metropolitan Division is congested and after losing eight of their last 11 games, the 27-25-5 NY Rangers find themselves in the basement of the league's most competitive division, but just one point behind the 27-25-6 NY Islanders. The Rangers have lost five in a row to their crosstown rivals and hope to reverse that trend tonight when they visit Barclays Center for the first time this season. The Islanders have each of the first two meetings between the two rivals this season (both at MSG), 4-3 in a shootout loss on Oct. 19, as well as a 7-2 shellacking on Jan. 13. NY Rangers: Chris Kreider returned to practice on Wednesday after being sidelined since Dec. 27 with a blood clot that required surgery to repair. "It really puts things in perspective," the 26-year-old Kreider said after skating with his teammates in a non-contact practice jersey. "I don't think I took (playing hockey) for granted ever, but it definitely makes you grateful for everything you have." Fellow forward Pavel Buchnevich also skated in a non-contact practice sweater on Wednesday as he attempts to work his way back from a concussion. Despite the Rangers' poor recent record, their special teams have been solid. They have recorded a power-play goal in seven of the last 11 games and have thwarted 22 of their last 25 short-handed opportunities over their last eight contests. NY Islanders: Captain John Tavares recorded his 600th career point by jamming home a loose puck on the power play in the first period of a 4-1 setback versus the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. The 27-year-old, who has a team co-leading 29 goals (matching Anders Lee) and club-best 63 points. Fellow Josh Bailey (61 points) notched his team-leading 47th assist against Columbus and also had one in the first meeting with the Rangers. Rookie sensation Mathew Barzal had a five-point performance - all assists - in a 7-6 overtime win over Detroit on Friday and has 59 points on the season. Goalie Jaroslav Halak was in net for both previous encounters versus the Rangers and sports a 16-7-0 mark with two shutouts against them. The pick: Halak is expected to battle the Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist, who is 30-19-7 in 58 appearances against the Islanders. The Islanders and Rangers have both lost seven of their last 10 games to fall into the bottom two spots in the eight-team Metropolitan Division, though the Islanders (27-25-6) have picked up two points via overtime losses in that span while the Rangers (27-25-5) have suffered all seven losses in regulation. However, despite the extended swoons, the Islanders and Rangers entered Wednesday just three and four points, respectively, behind the Carolina Hurricanes in the race for the second wild card in the East. However, both teams need to turn things around quickly in order to make their final scheduled clash of the season (in the Islanders' home finale on April 5) consequential in the playoff chase. A playoff-like atmosphere means the Under is a 10* play. |
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02-15-18 | Purdue v. Wisconsin +10.5 | Top | 53-57 | Win | 100 | 11 h 24 m | Show |
The set-up: The Purdue Boilermakers entered their Feb. 7th game with Ohio State on a 19-game winning streak and as the No. 3 team in the AP poll. However, the Buckeyes edged the Boilermakers 64-63 to snap the the team's school-record 19-game streak. Purdue then dropped a 68-65 decision at top-ranked Michigan State to fall out of first place in the Big Ten standings and drop to No. 6 in the latest AP poll. Purdue looks to bounce back Thursday at Madison (and avoid its longest losing streak in over four years!), when it takes on the 11-16 Wisconsin Badgers (4-11). Talk about a fall from grace! Wisconsin opened the season having gone to 19 consecutive NCAA tournaments and with 13 NCAA wins over the previous four season, ranked second in that category to only North Carolina's 14. So much for that. Wisconsin trailed by as many as 25 points before making a late run in the 83-72 loss to No. 21 Michigan on Sunday, defeat all but ensured it will finish the regular season with a losing record for the first time since 1997-98. Purdue: The Boilermakers are 23-4, including 12-2 in the Big Ten, just one game back of 13-1 Ohio State (Michigan State is 13-2). The 7-2 Isaac Haas (15.0 & 5.3) scored a team-high 25 points in the loss to Michigan State to finish with at least 18 points for the fifth time in his last six games. Guard Carsen Edwards (16.9) added 14 points against the Spartans while the 6-8 Vincent Edwards (15.1 & 7.8) was held to eight on 3-of-11 shooting from the floor. "There's a fine line between winning and losing," Purdue coach Matt Painter told reporters. "You've got to learn from it, that's the main thing as you can be better because of it down the road in March." Back-to-back losses don't diminish what this team has accomplished. Purdue averages 82.5 PPG (30th) on 49.6% shooting (16th), while allowing just 64.3 pPG (18th) on 40.1% shooting (20th). Wisconsin: The Badgers have dropped six of their last seven games, including three straight at home but hope to salvage some pride by knocking off the Boilermakers for the first time since Jan. 7, 2015. "That's two games in a row that we came out flat and haven't been as prepared as we should have," Wisconsin guard Brad Davison told reporters. "That's definitely been an issue for us and something that we'll have to keep working on." The 6-10 Ethan Happ (18.2 & 8.7) led the way with a season-high 29 points to go along with seven rebounds, but it wasn't enough as the Badgers allowed Michigan to shoot 56 percent from the floor. Happ and Davison (11.3) are the only players in double digits. Brevin Pritzl (8.7) added 13 points and is 7-of-11 from the floor in his last two games after going 0-for-13 in his previous two outings. Wisconsin has trouble scoring (67.6 PPG ranks 307th) but allows only 67.1 PPG (53rd). The pick: Purdue had scored 70 or more points in 17 straight games before its two-game skid but hopes to rediscover its shooting touch against the Badgers. However, I'm not so sure about that. I realize that the Badgers are 0-7 against ranked teams this season but this is a prideful program (see history above) and Wisconsin is set to honor Frank Kaminsky, who led the Badgers to back-to-back Final Four appearances in 2014 and 2015, by retiring his No. 44 jersey during a ceremony on Thursday. Home dog rises to the moment. Make Wisconsin an 8* play. |
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02-14-18 | Warriors v. Blazers OVER 225.5 | Top | 117-123 | Win | 100 | 15 h 34 m | Show |
The set-up: The Portland Trail Blazers fell to the Utah Jazz 115-96 on Sunday, ending the team's nine-game home winning streak (first home loss since late December). Portland now looks to avoid a second straight home setback and the opponent will be the 44-13 Golden State Warriors, owners of the NBA's best record this season and in case one wasn't aware, the owner of two NBA titles in the last three seasons. Figuring to make Portland's task even more difficult is the fact that the team has dropped 11 straight to the Warriors, including a first-round sweep in last season's playoffs. Golden State: The Warriors have had spots this season when they haven't looked like the NBA's most-elite team but they've actually played just as well on the road (22-6) as they have at home (22-7). A big story (but a 'nothing-burger' in my view) was Steve Kerr allowing some of Golden State's players to call some plays during time-outs in their last game. The Golden State players seemed to enjoy the experiment on Monday but some Suns players felt the move showed a lack of respect, something Kerr did not intend. All are must be aware of Golden State's "usual suspects,' but I will remind all that the Warriors rank first in scoring (115.8 PPG), FG percentage (51.1%), three-point percentage (39.3%) and free-throw percentage (80.9%0. Portland: All-Star guard Damian Lillard followed up a 50-point effort in a win at Sacramento with 39 points against the Jazz on Sunday but could not get enough help as the team fell for the fourth time in six games overall. Lillard is averaging 25.8 points while shooting 92.1 percent from the free-throw line, just ahead of Golden State's Stephen Curry (91.5), The pick: Golden State has won its last seven meetings with Portland, including the first of three this regular season (throw in LY's playoff sweep and one gets to 11 straight losses). The Blazers would love to pull off the upset. "It's a big game for our team," Lillard said. "It would be great go into the (All-Star) break with a win against the defending champs, especially with how the standings are shaking out right now. It's a game we need to win. It's going to be exciting, it's going to be loud, and it's going to be really competitive." If only wishing could make it so. Portland last beat Golden State on Feb. 19, 2016. In the 11 straight losses, the Warriors have averaged 123.0 PPG. Make the Over an 8* play. |
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02-14-18 | Canadiens +120 v. Avalanche | Top | 0-2 | Loss | -100 | 14 h 34 m | Show |
The set-up: The Colorado Avalanche have put last year's 'nightmare' season behind them (22 wins, with their 48 points being 21 fewer than any other NHL team), as they will host the Montreal Canadiens tonight, looking for their 10th consecutive win at Pepsi Center. The Avs are 30-21-4 on the season and with 64 points, are just four points out of the West's final playoff spot (plenty of competition, though). Meanwhile, the Candiens have followed up a 103-point 2016-17 season (won Atlantic Division) with a 22-26-7 record so far this year, leaving them 14th of 16 teams in the East and not just 12 points out of the final playoff spot but with five teams to leap-frog before reaching that final berth (basically, no chance!). Colorado: Leading scorer Nathan MacKinnon (24 goals / 61 points) has been sidelined for the last six games due to the shoulder injury he suffered on Jan. 30 but practiced with the team Tuesday for the first time since getting hurt. Head coach Jared Bednar termed the team's 3-3-0 record without MacKinnon as being "pretty good. He told reporters. "The problem with it is, it’s not good enough. We’re losing ground every day in the playoff race.” The Avalanche are also without forwards Sven Andrighetto (leg), Blake Comeau (lower-body injury) and defenseman Mark Barberio (lower body). |
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02-14-18 | NC State +5.5 v. Syracuse | Top | 74-70 | Win | 100 | 13 h 58 m | Show |
The set-up: The NC State Wolfpack are 16-9 (6-6 in ACC) and the Syracuse Orange 17-8 (6-6 in ACC) as they get set to meet Wednesday at the Carrier Dome. Their records are similar and so are their recent performances. The Wolfpack have split their last 12, after losing back-to-back games prior to winning three in a row. Meanwhile, the Orange followed a pair of losses with back-to-back wins and have now split their last 14 games. North Carolina State: The Wolfpack have given up 181 total points in back-to-back losses, after a 96-89 loss to North Carolina. N .C. State shot 54.7 percent and had six players reach double digits in scoring but it couldn't find an answer for North Carolina's Luke Maye, who scored a career-high 33 points. PG Markell Johnson pushes the pace for N.C. State's uptempo offense and is averaging 11 assists per game over his last six (averages 7.8 APG on the season). Guard Allerik Freeman (14.1 & 4.) is the etam's leading scorer and 6-5 junior guard Torin Dorn (13.6 & 6.4) is coming off one of his best games of the season in which he dropped a team-high 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting while adding three steals. The 7-0 Yurtseven (13.8 & 6.9) is the team's best frontcourt player. The Wolfpack check in averaging 80.9 PPG (40th). Syracuse: The Orange rely on three players offensively, as no other team member averages as much as six point per game. Guards Battle (20.3) and Howard (15.0 & 5.1 APG) are the team's top-two scorers, with 6-9 freshman Brissett (14.2 & 9.0) leading the way in the frontcourt. Jim Boeheim always coaches defense-first and it's no different this season. Syracuse holds opponents to 63.4 PPG (12th) on 38.6% shooting (4th). The pick: The Wolfpack have been a poor road team (especially ATS) but Syracuse is in a bad situational spot here, having gone 2-10 ATS in their last 12 games following a ATS win (won and covered its last game over Wake forest). The Wolfpack are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Syracuse and the road team is 7-2 ATS in the last nine meetings of this series. Make NC State an 8* play.. |
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02-14-18 | Clippers v. Celtics -4.5 | Top | 129-119 | Loss | -105 | 12 h 4 m | Show |
The set-up: The Boston Celtics have been 'Kings of the East' since the start on the current NBA season but the 40-18 Celtics now trail the 40-16 Toronto Raptors by two games in the loss column for the conference's best record. Maybe of even greater concern is that the "new-look" Cavs are showing definitive signs that their Eastern Conference reign is not about to end. "As we go forward I think that we can consistently learn from not only a game like tonight but the last few games with playing the high intense teams of the Eastern Conference, where we’ve been tested," All-Star Kyrie Irving told reporters after Boston's 121-99 home loss to the Cavs Sunday. The Celtics, losers of three of their last four, will host the 29-26 LA Clippers on Wednesday. LA is probably not looking forward to the All Star break, as the Clippers won six of their last eight and 18 of 26 overall. LA Clippers: Head coach Doc Rivers was in Boston (Sunday) to participate in Paul Pierce's ceremony and then guided Los Angeles to a 114-101 win at Brooklyn on Monday, behind a balanced attack. Seven players scored in double figures against the Nets, led by Lou Williams' 23rd 20-point effort (points) in the last 25 games. Austin Rivers added 17 points in his best output since returning from a heel injury. Overall, the team shot 56.5 percent from the floor. Williams is averaging career highs in points (23.2) and assists (5.3 , while Rivers (15.7) has settled in to become a solid regular. Harris is averaging 16.4 & 6.6 in his six games (was part of the Griffin trade) plus there is still center Jordan and his seasonal double-double (11.4 & 15.1). Boston: An issue in Boston's recent slump has been the downturn of rookie Jayson Tatum (13.6 & 5.1), who has seen his three-point percentage fall in every month this season, from 50 percent in October to 33.3 percent in February. He is averaging 9.8 points (nearly four below his average) on 37.5 percent from the floor during the Celtics' current 1-3 stretch. Jaylen Brown (14.1 & 5.4) joined Tatum in single digits with five points on 2-of-9 shooting in the loss to Cleveland and Brown had just nine points on 2-of-10 shooting in a win at Los Angeles last month. Kyrie (24.6 & 5.0 APG) is the unquestioned leader but the veteran Horford (13.2-7.7-5.2) remains the unsung hero. In the end, Brad Stevens' team relies on a defense allowing 99.1 PPG (2nd-best) on a league-low 43.3% shooting. |
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02-14-18 | Clemson v. Florida State -4.5 | Top | 79-81 | Loss | -105 | 11 h 59 m | Show |
The set-up: No. 11 Clemson aims for its fifth consecutive victory when it visits Florida State on Wednesday. The Tigers, coming off a 17-16 season (6-12 in ACC), sit 20-4 overall and 9-3 in ACC play. In fact, Clemson is just one win shy of tying the program record for ACC victories in a single season. The 17-8 Florida State Seminoles (6-7 in ACC) have lost two straight and three of their last four. The Seminoles lost 84-69 at Notre Dame on Saturday, just three days after pushing now top-ranked Virginia to the brink in a 59-55 defeat. Clemson: The Tigers are coming off a 72-48 rout of Pittsburgh on Thursday that clinched their third 20-win season under coach Brad Brownell. Clemson has adjusted well to the loss of 6-8 power forward Donte Grantham (14.2 & 6.9) to a season-ending knee injury, relying more on its backcourt for scoring. Guards Marcquise Reed (15.4 & 4.7), Gabe DeVoe (13.5 & 4.6), and Shelton Mitchell (12.0 & 3.9 APG) all are capable scorers. DeVoe drained seven three-pointers in a 25-point performance against Pittsburgh, and the Tigers have made 10 or more from beyond the arc in four straight games for the first time since 1983. With Grantham out, the frontcourt 'load' falls on the 6-9 Thomas (10.3 & 7.5), Florida State: Like Clemson, FSU relies on its backcourt. The duo of Terance Mann (14.5 & 5.9) and Braian Angola (13.4 & 4.2) are the team's top-two scorers plus both present matchup problems at 6-6. The Seminoles match up much better with the Tigers now that Grantham is out of the picture with the 6-8 Cofer (13.2 & 5.4), 7-4 center Christ Koumadje (8.6 & 5.4) and the 6-9 Kabaengele (7.1 & 4.8) giving Thomas likely more than he can handle up front. The pick: Clemson is heading to the final stretch of its regular season and is a lock for the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, FSU (which opened 11-1) is now a "bubble team" and could sure use a win here. FSU averages 82.9 PPG (27th) on the season and is 10-2 SU at home, where it averages 88.2 PPG. Clemson has lost three straight games to FSU and is just 5-11 under head coach Brad Brownell against Florida State, including 2-5 in games played in Tallahassee. Make Florida State a 10* play. |
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02-13-18 | Michigan State v. Minnesota +10.5 | Top | 87-57 | Loss | -106 | 13 h 29 m | Show |
The set-up: The Spartans edged Purdue on Saturday for their eighth straight victory, pulling them into a second-place tie with the Boilermakers in the Big Ten at 12-2 (Ohio State leads at 13-1). Michigan State is 24-3 overall and Monday captured the top spot in the Coaches' Poll, while ranking second in teh AP poll to No. 1 Virginia. The Spartans will travel to Williams Arena to taking on the 14-13 Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Gophers have been far from 'golden' these days, as they limp in on a seven-game slide, after suffering an 80-56 blowout loss at Indiana on Friday. Michigan State: The Spartans own a dynamic starting-five, led by 6-7 swingman Bridges (17.8 & 7.1) He's joined up front by the 6-8 Ward (13.1 & 7.4) and 6-11 freshman Jackson (11.0 & 6.1) plus in the backcourt by 6-5 guard Langford (12.7) and PG Winston (12.1 & 7.1 APG). That said, Izzo has been quick to sit his starters when they've been in early foul trouble this season and the Spartans' depth has been instrumental in rewarding him to stick with that strategy. With freshman Jaren Jackson Jr. having a hard time with fouls against Purdue, senior forward Gavin Schilling showed why the Michigan State bench is considered one of the best in the country, not only for his 3-for-3 shooting but more for his seven rebounds and defense of Boilermakers center Isaac Haas down the stretch. The defense of Schilling, Tum Tum Nairn and Matt McQuaid off the bench gives the Spartans another dimension when Izzo goes to his reserves, and all have shown the ability to come through on both ends of the floor in crunch time. This unit is one of Izzo's best-ever offensive teams, averaging 83.1 PPG (25th) on 51.6% shooting (2nd).. Minnesota: Injuries have been devastating to the Golden Gophers this season, as Amir Coffey (14.0 & 5.1) and Dupree McBrayer (9.5) are currently out. Then there is the indefinite suspension of center Reggie Lynch (10.1 & 8.1), with the Gophers going 1-10 in the games he's missed. Pitino has been to go with freshman guard Isaiah Washington, 6-8 senior Davonte Fitzgerald and 6-7 sophomore Michael Hurt in the starting lineup, with that trio averaging only 14.6 points combined. Forward Jordan Murphy (17.4 & 11.6) has been the most consistent player for Minnesota, while guard Nate Mason is also dangerous, averaging 16.5-3.9-4.2. The pick: Michigan State is on a roll but reaching No. 1 (at least in the Coaches' poll), could set-up a letdown situation, especially with the Spartans coming off their hard fought win over Purdue over the weekend. The home dog barks in this one. Make Minnesota 10* play. |
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02-13-18 | Blues v. Predators -145 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 13 h 44 m | Show |
The set-up: The 33-12-9 Nashville Predators are in first-place in the Central Division (75 points) and tonight will host their Central Division rival for the first time this season when they open a four-game homestand on Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues. The 34-21-3 Blues (71 points) are inside the current playoff cut line in third-place in the division. Not only are the Predators two points clear of the second-place Jets and four ahead of the Blues, they also have played two fewer games than Winnipeg and four less than St. Louis, they also have a game in hand on Vegas, which is a point ahead of them for the conference's best record. St. Louis: The Blues appeared to take a 2-1 lead early in the third period in their last game but Paul Stastny's tip-in was overturned by the Situation Room when they ruled he played it with a high stick. The Penguins scored 34 seconds later and never looked back in a 4-1 win. "It wasn't our worst game we played," Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo said. "I thought we battled hard. It's 1-1 until obviously the third and a couple of mistakes. You've got to find a way to win a hockey game. But if you look at the overall effort, it was there." St. Louis out-shot Pittsburgh 34-23 but appeared to wear down in the third period as it played its third game in four days. The Blues held an optional practice Monday that most of their top players skipped. Jake Allen (19-16-2, 2.74 goals-against average, .908 save percentage) is the No. 1 goalie or former Nashville backup Carter Hutton could draw the start in goal against his former team, after making 23 saves in a 6-1 rout of Colorado on Thursday. He owns a sparkling 15-5-1 mark with a 1.70 goals-against average and .944 save percentage this season, although he was saddled with the hard-luck loss despite turning aside 26 of 27 shots in a 2-0 setback versus Nashville on Nov. 24. Nashviile: Mike Fisher skated on a line with Colton Sissons and Miikka Salomaki on Monday in his first practice session since he announced he was coming out of retirement on Jan. 31. "I think like anything else, it's a little bit of muscle memory and getting back in shape and feeling good," the 37-year-old Fisher said. "It just takes time. Because it's been so long in the past however many months, I actually feel better than I thought I would at this point." Fellow veteran Scott Hartnell followed up his two-assist performance at Ottawa on Thursday with eighth goal, moving him within one point of 700 for his career. Goaltender Pekka Rinne silenced the St. Louis Blues earlier this season by recording a pair of victories after turning aside 63 of the 64 shots he faced. Rinne aims to keep the Blues under his thumb as the first-place Predators. Rinne (28-8-4, 2.30, .927) has ceded just one goal to the Blues in 2-0 and 2-1 victories during the 2017 portion of the season and in Nashville's 4-2 series victory over St. Louis last year, Rinne permitted only 11 goals. The pick: Hard to buck the Preds right now and the fact that the St. Louis owns the 28th-ranked power play at 15.9 percent (has mustered just one goal this month), hardly inspires confidence for the road team. A visit to Bridgestone Arena. will be a real test, as the Preds come in having gone 10-1-3 in their last 14 games overall and are 18-5-3 at home where they average 3.35 GPG. Make Nashville an 8* play. . |
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02-13-18 | Heat +7.5 v. Raptors | Top | 112-115 | Win | 100 | 12 h 44 m | Show |
analysis soon |
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02-13-18 | Texas A&M +1.5 v. Missouri | Top | 58-62 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 39 m | Show |
The set-up: Texas A&M posted two wins over ranked opponents last week, winning at Auburn (81-80) and then beat Kentucky, 85-74. The Aggies are now 17-8 (6-6 SEC) and are ranked 21st in Monday's latest AP poll. The Missouri Tigers survived a wild one against visiting Mississippi State on Saturday, registering an 89-85 overtime win after letting a double-digit lead slip away in the final two minutes of regulation. The Tigers’ four-game streak is their longest in conference play since reeling off seven straight Big 12 wins during the 2011-12 season. The run has 17-8 Missouri tied for fourth in the SEC standings (7-5), one game ahead of the Aggies. Texas A&M: The Aggies own one of the SEC’s top frontcourts with the 6-10 Tyler Davis (14.3 & 8.8) and 6-10 Robert Williams (10.8 & 9.6) dominating inside, while 6-9 swingman D.J. Hogg (11.7 & 5.5) creates matchup problems on the wing. Guard Admon Gilder (11.8 & 4.2) is a solid scorer and an excellent defender but the Aggies will be without PG Duane Wilson (9.0 & 4.0 APG) for the remainder of the season, after he aggravated a nagging knee injury in the win over Kentucky. However, reigning SEC Freshman of the Week T.J. Starks (7.9) has averaged 15.2 points in five games since assuming Wilson’s starting role. Missouri: Guard Kassius Robertson (16.6 PPG) has emerged as the Tigers’ clear leader and the graduate transfer from Canisius has earned SEC Player of the Week honors in consecutive weeks. Robertson poured in a season-high 27 points at Ole Miss on Tuesday and followed up with 22 against Mississippi State. However, the 6-7 Jordan Barnett (13.6 points, six rebounds) is the team’s only other double-digit scorer. That said,6-7 senior Kevin Puryear (9.2) plus a pair of 6-11 freshman, Jontay Porter (8.8 & 6.5) and Jeremiah Tilmon (8.1 & 4.0), give the Tigers a deep and talented frontcourt. The pick: Missouri has recorded nine more victories than it had all last season, the third-largest improvement in the nation behind North Carolina A&T (12) and UC Santa Barbara (13). However, A&M will be a severe test. After a month and a half absence from the AP top-25, Texas A&M jumped back into the rankings this week at No. 21 on the strength of a four-game win streak. The fact is, the Tigers will be seeking to snap a seven-game Texas A&M winning streak in the series and to avenge a 60-49 loss to the Aggies in College Station on Jan. 20. Not happening. Make Texas A&M an 8* play. |
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02-12-18 | Panthers v. Oilers -140 | Top | 7-5 | Loss | -140 | 22 h 7 m | Show |
The set-up:The 23-23-6 Florida Panthers have just 52 poitst (nine points behind the final wild card spot in the East) and have four teams between them and that eighth playoff berth with 30 games remaining. Simply put, the team has a tall task ahead of them if it hopes to qualify for the postseason. The Panthers will open a five-game trip through Canada beginning with this stop in Edmonton to take on the 23-27-4 Oilers. Edmonton is making a brief stop at home following an 0-3-0 California trip and heads back out for another three-game trek after Monday's matchup. The Oilers have just points 50 points and are further back in the West's playoff standings (16 points behind the eighth-place team) than the Panthers are in the East. Florida: The Panthers' four-game winning streak was snapped with a 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Friday and they head out on the road just 10-14-3 away from home this season. Jonathan Huberdeau leads the team with 51 points plus along with Vincent Trocheck and Aleksander Barkov, shares the team lead of 18 goals. James Reimer could get the start in net against Edmonton after dressing on Friday for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury on Jan. 23 versus Dallas. Florida has engaged in a league-leading 31 fights this season, its highest total since 2011-12, with Micheal Haley dropping the gloves an NHL-most 14 times. Edmonton: Connor McDavid failed to notch a point in Saturday's 6-4 setback in San Jose after collecting seven goals and four assists during a five-game streak. McDavid, who tops the club in both goals (22) and points (64), has not been blanked in consecutive contests since a season-high three-game stretch from Dec. 29-Jan. 2. He is the reigning Hart and Art Ross Trophy winner and has registered eight goals and 11 assists over his last 14 contests. The Oilers came within a game of the conference finals last season but have already surpassed their loss total from 2016-17 and are 13th in the West. With only 28 games to play in the regular season, it may be too late. The pick: Both teams are headed for an "early summer" but Edmonton has won three straight from Florida and will likely turn to goaltender Cam Talbot to extend that streak. Talbot sat out Saturday while Al Montoya stopped 24 of 29 shots but would be going for his fourth consecutive win over the Panthers. Talbot is 4-1-0 with a 2.18 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage in his career against Florida. Meanwhile, F lorida is dealing with groin injuries to goaltenders Roberto Luongo and James Reimer. Luongo has been out since Dec. 4, but recently resumed skating with the team. Reimer has been sidelined since Jan. 23 and could make his return during the trip. Make the Oilers a 10* play. |
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02-12-18 | Magic v. Bulls OVER 214.5 | Top | 101-105 | Loss | -110 | 27 h 11 m | Show |
The set-up: The 18-37 Orlando Magic used a three-game winning streak to climb out of the Eastern Conference basement but saw that mini-streak end in Saturday's 111-104 home loss to the Bucks. The Magic will try to get back on the winning track Monday night in Chicago, when they face the 19-36 Bulls. Chicago ended a seven-game slide with a 114-113 home win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday but could not make it two in a row, as the Bulls fell 101-90 at home to the Washington Wizards on the second night of a back-to-back. Orlando: The Magic began sharing the ball more during the winning streak and handed out another 23 assists in Saturday's loss, something that coach Frank Vogel sees as a positive development. "This is what my teams should look like and this is what I demand of them," Vogel told reporters. The Magic hope to move forward with PF Gordon (18. & 8.3), SF Fournier (17.9) and center Vucevic (17.4 & 9.7). However, Gordon (hip flexor) has sat out the last seven games and is questionable to return before the All-Star break and Vucevic hasn't played since right before Christmas (hand). Shooting guard Mario Hezonja (8.2) scored a team-high 23 points on Saturday but impressed Vogel more with his work on the defensive end, where he collected three steals and did not shy away from physicality. However, Hezonja's big night couldn't quite make up for an off night from small forward Jonathan Simmons (14.0), who scored nine points on 4-of-14 shooting to end a string of six straight games scoring in double figures. Chicago: Guard Zach LaVine (17.2 & 4.5) had played in 12 straight games after returning from knee surgery and recorded season highs of 35 points and 33 minutes on Friday but got the night off against the Wizards but is expected back on Monday. Power forward Bobby Portis (12.2 & 6.5) scored 13 points in 23 minutes off the bench on Saturday but was ejected with under three minutes left after being assessed a flagrant foul 2 against Washington's Satoransky. Most should remember that Portis was suspended by the team at the start of the regular season after punching former teammate Nikola Mirotic in the face. He told reporters, "That's what that was. No injuries intended on Satoransky, just competing (and) playing hard like I always do." 7-0 rookie Markkanen (15.2 & 7.7) continues his quest towards ROY consideration. The pick: Chicago has taken the first two meetings this season by an average of 20 points, 105-83 and 112-94. Chicago’s "salad days" of December and January are now in the rear-view mirror (right are Mirotic's return but he is now with New Orleans) and despite injuries to Gordon and Vucevic, the Magic are on an 11-3 ATS run. Neither team plays much defense these days, as Orlando allows 109.9 PPG and Chicago 109.1. Make the Over an 8* play. |
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02-12-18 | Clippers v. Nets +4.5 | Top | 114-101 | Loss | -105 | 21 h 38 m | Show |
The set-up: The Los Angeles Clippers won their "trade-revenge" game at Detroit on Friday in Detroit (emotional win over former teammate Blake Griffin) but then tired down the stretch on Saturday in the second night of a back-to-back. LA's three-game winning streak ended with a 112-98 loss at the Philadelphia 76ers, after the Clippers had pulled within 95-93 in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles (28-26) currently sits one-half game behind New Orleans. The Clippers remain slightly out of eighth place because while New Orleans overcame blowing a 28-point lead to get a 139-129 double-overtime win at Brooklyn Saturday, they lost at Philadelphia on Saturday. As for those Nets, the losses are starting to pile up for Brooklyn. Since earning a 116-108 home win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 31, the Nets have gone winless with losses to the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons and Saturday's wild loss to the Pelicans. At 19-38, teh Nets are only one game up on the Eastern Conference-worst Atlanta Hawks. LA Clippers: Tobias Harris (18.0 & 6.3) and Avery Bradley (8.5 & 5,3 plus excellent perimeter defense) are providing a spark to their new team (over four games) but the return of small forward Danilo Gallinari is another key reason the team is staying in the playoff hunt despite trading Griffin. Gallinari (15.8 & 4.8) played in just two games between Nov. 5 and Jan. 28 while dealing with a glute tear but isn't having any trouble adjusting in five games since returning to the lineup. He is averaging 21 points on 52.2 percent shooting (43.3 percent from beyond the arc) and proved himself in game shape by scoring 22 points while logging 40 minutes on Saturday. Let's also not forget center DeAndre Jordan (11.3 & 15.0), who is averaging 17.5 rebounds over the last six games (including 21 at Philadelphia) or teh career season Low Williams is having (23.3 & 5.3 APG). Brooklyn: The Nets are losers of five in a row and nine of 10, after Saturday's double overtime home loss. Brooklyn was down 28 points to the Pelicans on Saturday before coming back to force overtime. "It's just too many times that we've gotten in a big hole," Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters. "I loved the comeback, I loved our spirit in the second half, how competitive we are. I'm just mystified how the first half was completely different. We've talked about this before. You just can't get in a hole down 28 against a very good team." The Nets have played 15 games where they faced a deficit of at least 20 points this season. Five of those instances have occurred in this 10-game stretch. In those five games where the Nets have fallen behind by 20 or more, they have been outscored by a 163-92 margin in the first quarter. Saturday was another instance as the Nets were outscored 34-22 in the opening 12 minutes, trailed by 28 before making a furious comeback. Brooklyn is allowing 112.7 points during its five-game losing streak on 49.0 percent shooting and 41.3 percent from three-point range The pick: It seems clear that LA owner Steve Ballmer isn’t in all-out tank mode just yet. He didn't move DeAndre Jordan and gave a nice contract extension to Lou Williams. Yes, the Nets are going nowhere but LA is just 12-14 SU on the road (not good news when being installed as a road favorite) plus the Nets are 15-13 ATS at home and since right after Christmas, are 14-9 (61%) ATS in all games. Home dog barks here. Make Brooklyn a 10* play. |
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02-12-18 | Notre Dame +9.5 v. North Carolina | Top | 66-83 | Loss | -105 | 20 h 1 m | Show |
The set-up: It's hardly been a "walk in the park" for the North Carolina Tar Heels, the defending national champs. The 21st-ranked Tar Heels (19-7 / 8-5 ACC) will play their third game in five days, after knocking off No. 9 Duke on Thursday and following that up with a furious 96-89 triumph at North Carolina State on Saturday. North Carolina will try to complete the trifecta when Notre Dame visits the Smith Center on Monday night. 15-10 Notre Dame (5-7 ACC) has rebounded from a seven-game losing streak with back-to-back home wins over Boston College and Florida State. Notre Dame: The return of senior PG Matt Farrell from an ankle injury for the past three games has been a big boost for the Fighting Irish. Farrell poured in a career-best 28 points Saturday and enters averaging a team-high 16.5 PPG (as well as a team high 5.2 APG), with preseason All-American Bonzie Colson (21.4 & 10.4) still sidelined (missed last 11 games). Junior guard Rex Pflueger (9.1-4.3-3.2) and also had a career-high total with 19. Senior guard Gibbs (16.3) also added 19 points in the win over FSU. Farrell is averaging 21 points and has drained 15-of-31 from three-point range in three games since a stretch in which he missed five of seven contests with an ankle injury. “We take our lead from (Farrell) - he’s been the warrior for us,” Irish head coach Mike Brey told reporters after his team shot almost 50 percent from the floor against Florida State and drained 10 shots from behind the arc. Sophomore guard T.J. Gibbs has also played a big role for Notre Dame while averaging 21.3 points over the last six contests. North Carolina: The 6-8 Maye (18.7 & 10.5) leads in scoring and rebounding, with a trio of guards chipping in double figures. Berry (17.4-3.6-3.1) tops that trio, followed by Johnson (13.1 & 4.8) and Williams (11.5). The Tar Heels shot 78.1 percent from the floor in the second half Saturday at North Carolina State, marking the highest rate in a half with Williams as the coach. Maye had quite a bit to do with it by racking up a career-high 33 points (27 in the second half) and adding 17 rebounds. Maye is averaging 24.7 points over the last three games, after scoring a season-low four against Clemson. Senior swingman Theo Pinson (8.7-6.0-4.5) told reporters after Maye’s effort Saturday: “I mean, that was a performance.” Pinson also came through in Saturday’s win with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting with seven assists after connecting on 3-of-13 from the field in his previous three outings. Berry has averaged 19 points over the last four games. The pick: This is North Carolina's third game in five days, a grueling stretch that has included victories against two huge neighboring rivals. "Got to be ready," coach Roy Williams said, figuring there was no use bemoaning the assigned schedule. However, it's difficult to ignore that this is the first time North Carolina has had three ACC regular-season games scheduled in a five-day period since 1980 (note: the Tar Heels are the only ACC team with such a setup on the schedule this season). My bet says that the Irish give the Tar Heels "all they want" in this brutal scheduling spot for the defending champs. Make Notre Dame a 10* play. |
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02-11-18 | Sharks v. Ducks -165 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -165 | 13 h 43 m | Show |
The set-up: The 27-19-10 Anaheim Ducks conclude a two-game homestand when they face the 29-18-8 San Jose Sharks on Sunday evening at Honda Center. Anaheim defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 on Friday night. The Ducks are playing well of late and are in the thick of races for a wild-card spot in the Western Conference or second-place in the Pacific, winning two straight and four of their last five. Anaheim's 65 points have them currently in third-place in the Pacific, one point behind tonight's opponent, San Jose. The Sharks are coming off a 6-4 win over the Oilers on Saturday but have struggled some lately, going 3-4-2 over their last nine games. San Jose: The Sharks scored the first three and final three goals in Saturday's win, with 10 of their 12 forwards landing on the scoresheet Saturday. Captain Joe Pavelski (14 goals & 28 points recorded his second straight two-goal performance and added a pair of assists, while defenseman Joakim Ryan also scored twice, his first two career goals! Defensemen Brent Burns leads the etam with 47 points (but has been kept off the scoresheet in four of his last six games) and center Logan Couture leads with 22 goals. Some bad news is that veteran Joel Ward is out indefinitely with a right shoulder injury he suffered in Thursday's home loss to Vegas but hopes to return this season. Anaheim: Hampus Lindholm registered a goal and an assist against Edmonton, ending his six-game point drought. Corey Perry (his 32 points are third-best on the team is riding a four-game point streak that has seen him score a goal in three of the contests and record a four-assist performance in the other.Rakell leads the team in goals (22) and points (45), while Getzlaf is making up for lost time, registering 35 points in his 32 games since getting back on the ice. The pick: This trip to Anaheim is the lone road contest in an 11-day stretch for San Jose, one which began Thursday and features five home games. The Sharks will return home after the game and play three straight at SAP Center. The Ducks have been superb at home of late, winning seven of their last eight contests at Honda Center and tonight, Anaheim will look to avenge its only loss in that stretch, a 6-2 Jan. 21 loss to these very same Sharks. Goalie John Gibson stopped 30-of-32 shots for his sixth win in his last seven decisions (6-1-0) Friday vs. the Oilers and will take the ice tonight 7-2-1 in his last 11 home games. A win here and the Ducks leap-frog the Sharks in the standings. That's the bet. Make Anaheim an 8* play. |
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02-11-18 | Cincinnati v. SMU +8 | Top | 76-51 | Loss | -109 | 9 h 38 m | Show |
The set-up: No. 6 Cincinnati has won 15 straight, opening 11-0 in the AAC and standing at 22-2, overall. With just seven games to go in league play, Cincinnati is well on its way to winning its first outright AAC regular season championship (the Bearcats, who shared the 2014 crown with Louisville), as Cincy's two closest challengers are 9-3 Wichita State and 8-3 Hosuton. Sunday, it's a road game at injury-ravaged SMU, which is 15-9 overall, including 5-6 in the AAC. The Mustangs are down to seven available scholarship players with junior guard Jarrey Foster (knee), who is second in scoring (13.2 points per game), and freshman forward Everett Ray (foot) both sidelined with season-ending injuries. Junior guard Shake Milton, the preseason AAC player of the year who is averaging 18.0-4.7-4.4 this season, is questionable with a left-hand injury that has forced him to miss the last two games. Cincinnati: After this game, the Bearcats will play the two teams right behind them, at Houston and home vs. Wichita State, next Thursday and Sunday. Few teams play better defense nationally year-in and year-out than the Bearcats who rank second in scoring defense (56.1 PPG) and first field-goal percentage defense (36.3%) here in the 2017-18 season. They have held three of their last five opponents to 48 points or fewer. With that kind of D, the team's 76.8 PPG on offense is more than enough. Four players average in double figures, led by junior swingman Jacob Evans (13.7), who is shooting 41.1 percent from 3-point range, and 6-8 senior forward Gary Clark (12.9), who also leads the team in rebounding (8.9). Versatile senior forward Kyle Washington (11.3 & 5.5) and reigning AAC co-Sixth Man of the Year Jarron Cumberland (10.7), round out the players in double figures. SMU: Milton is one of 13 players nationally averaging 18 points, four rebounds and four assists per games, so his loss would be a big one for the Mustangs. "It really is day-to-day, but it could be a week and a half," head coach Tim Jankovich told 247Sports.com. "He's slowly getting better, but I don't know when it's going to be good, where he's good to play and be effective." With Milton and Foster out, junior guard Jahmal McMurray, who is third in scoring (12.1) and shooting 43.2 percent from three-point range, has stepped up to average 19.7 points over the last three games while three other Mustangs, guard Ben Emelogu II (10.7 & 5.0), the 6-9 Ethan Chargois (10.3 & 4.7) and guard Jimmy Whitt (10.3 & 5.2), average in double figures. The pick: "No matter if Shake Milton plays or not, they've still been an unbelievable home team in the last four or five years," Bearcats head coach Mick Cronin told Cincinnati.com. "We've got to be ready to take their best shot, ready for a hostile environment." He knows of what he speaks. SMU is 13-1 at Moody Coliseum this season and 81-5 there since the 2013-14 season. Note that Cincy comes into this contest a fairly modest 12-8-1 ATS. We've already seen Purdue's 19-game win streak end this week with TWO straight losses, then St Mary's 19-game winning streak ended abruptly last night in a 78-65 home loss to Gonzaga while earlier on Saturday, Virginia's 15-game winning streak came to an end with a one-point OT loss to Va. Tech. Is Cincy's 15-game streak next? I say make SMU a 10* play. |
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02-11-18 | Pistons -3.5 v. Hawks | Top | 115-118 | Loss | -105 | 8 h 14 m | Show |
The set-up: Blake Griffin scored 19 points in Friday’s 108-95 home defeat against the Los Angeles Clippers, ending Detroit’s five-game winning streak, the final four of those victories coming after the Pistons had acquired Griffin from Los Angeles in a six-player deal Jan. 29. “I didn’t play the way I wanted to,” Griffin told reporters after shooting 7-for-19 from the floor and then leaving the court at game’s end without shaking hands with any of his former teammates. “We had a good five-game run and we get back to work tomorrow.” Detroit's and Griffin's "work" begins with a visit to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday afternoon. While the 27-27 Pistons enter Sunday just 1 1/2 games out of the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot, the 17-39 Hawks own the NBA’s worst record. Think it's safe to say that Atlanta's run of 10 consecutive playoff appearances (second-longest active NBA streak to only the Spurs) will end in this season? Detroit: Griffin has averaged 21 points and 7.8 rebounds since joining Detroit and his line for the season is an imprerssive22.4-7.9-5.5. Center Andre Drummond leads the NBA in rebounding at 15.6 per contest (adds 15.0 PPG) and has raised his production of late, averaging 18.1 points with 18.4 rebounds over his past nine games. The Pistons have forced 10 or more turnovers in 53 of their 54 games, including 41 consecutive contests, which is the longest streak in the NBA this season. The Pistons are also on pace to make 877 three-pointers this season, which would surpass the franchise record of 740 set in 2015-16. Atlanta: The Hawks pushed the Cavs for 2 1/2 quarters Friday at home before succumbing 123-107, falling to 3-7 in their past 10 games. PG Dennis Schroder leads the team in scoring (19.5) and assists (6.3) but behind him, the wealth is spread around, as six players contribute between 9.8 and 13.0 PPG (note: Marco Belinelli, who has averaged 11.4 points and shot 92.7 percent from the free-throw line in 52 games, agreed to a contract buyout Friday). Tyler Dorsey (a rookie from Oregon), continues producing as his role expands. He is averaging only 4.7 PPG on the season but he's scored in double figures for three consecutive games for the first time in his career, averaging 11.7 points and 3.7 assists in that span. The Hawks are tied for first in the NBA in forcing turnovers, as opponents average 15.3 miscues per contest, but that hasn't translated into very many wins. The pick: The Pistons are 9-16 away from Detroit and have won just one of their past nine road games. However, Griffin is expected to change that dynamic. Playing at Atlanta is hardly a daunting task this season, as the Hawks are just 12-17 SU at home. Atlanta was 11-1 at Philips Arena against Detroit over a seven-season stretch before the teams split two games in Atlanta each of the past two years. The Pistons have had a day to shake off that "trade-revenge" loss against the Clippers and they have won four of the last five against the Hawks, including the first two games of the season series against this year (111-104 & 105-91). They have gotten 14 points and 19.5 rebounds per game from Drummond in those two wins and now the Pistons have added Griffin. Make Detroit a 10* play. |
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02-10-18 | USC v. Arizona -5.5 | Top | 67-81 | Win | 100 | 23 h 14 m | Show |
The set-up: The 13th-ranked Arizona Wildcats are 19-6, including 9-3 in Pac 12 play to lead the conference. They welcome USC to the McKale Center Saturday night, with the Trojans coming in 17-8 overall and 8-4 in league play (USC is tied with UCLA for second-place). Washington ended the Wildcats’ seven-game winning streak with a buzzer-beating victory last Saturday and then Arizona had few answers for UCLA's offense in Thursday’s 82-74 loss (that's two losses in a row!). While UCLA was taking care of Arizona on Thursday, USC missed an opportunity to move into a first-place tie with an 80-78 loss at Arizona State. USC: The Trojans have four players averaging in double figures, led by the 6-11 Chimezie Metu at 15.7 PPG. He adds a team-high 7.4 RPG and has 41 blocks. The 6-10 Bennie Boatwright (14.6 & 6.5) had been limited by a foot infection over the past two weeks but scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench against the Sun Devils. The team’s strong interior also includes the 6-11 Nick Rakocevic (7.8 & 5.3), who has averaged 16.5 points on 76.4 percent shooting over his last two games. Guards McLaughlin (12.1 & 7.6 APG) and Stewart (11.1) round out the double digit scorers with fellow guard Mathews (9.4) just missing. Arizona; Junior guard Allonzo Trier had 17 points against the Bruins, while 7-1 freshman Deandre Ayton added 16 points and 12 rebounds. Trier leads in scoring a 19.8 PPG and Ayton is second (19.5), while leading in rebounding at 10.8. Guard Rawle Alkins (13.2) is considered the glue of the Wildcats but the sophomore has gone 4-of-20 from the floor in his last two games, including 1-of-8 from three-point range. The pick: After back-to-back losses, I expect Arizona to rebound strongly in this one. USC's two-point loss at Arizona State should come as no surprise, as the Trojans have been swept in their last five trips to face the Arizona schools (note: Arizona is 39-10 all-time in Tucson against USC). Make that their last six trips. Lay the points and make Arizona an 8* play. |
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02-10-18 | Wizards v. Bulls OVER 214.5 | Top | 101-90 | Loss | -105 | 21 h 9 m | Show |
The set-up: Right after it was announced that PG John Wall (19.4 & 9.3 APG) would be out until around mid-March after knee surgery, the Washington Wizards won five consecutive games. However, the Wizards come into Saturday's contest in Chicago having dropped back-to-back games against the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston. Washington hasn't dropped three straight games all season and the 31-24 Wizards look to avoid doing just that tonight against the 19-35 Chicago Bulls. The Bulls just halted a seven-game losing streak last night, when they prevailed 114-113 over the Minnesota Timberwolves in former star Jimmy Butler's return to Chicago. Bulls guard Zach LaVine, acquired in the deal for Butler, scored a season-high 35 points and drained three free throws with 18.4 seconds left to give Chicago the victory. Washington: Shooting guard Bradley Beal (23.7-4.5-4.1) is stepping up as a passer in Wall's absence and matched his career best of nine assists in Thursday's 110-104 overtime loss to Boston. Obviously, with Wall sidelined, the pressure is higher on Beal to produce and offensively he was a poor 7-of-27 from the floor (18 points) against Boston. Washington sure hopes forward Markieff Morris (10.8 & 5.6) can play with his sprained hand. He missed Friday's practice and his availability should be firmed up at the mid-day shootaround. Chicago: LaVine missed the first 42 games of the season due to an ACL injury that cut short his final season in Minnesota after 47 games. He has topped 20 points in four straight games and is averaging 26.5 points during the stretch. Chicago has pledged to tread carefully with a player who the franchise is billing as a future star so coach Fred Hoiberg said after Friday's win that LaVine (17.2 PPG in 12 games) will be held out against the Wizards. That will leave the backcourt thin with PG Kris Dunn (13.7-4.6-6.4) set to miss his 10th straight game due to a concussion Rookie power forward Lauri Markkanen returned after a three-game absence due to the birth of his child to score 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting against Minnesota. Markkanen (15.3 & 7.7) has been among the best 'freshman' this NBA season. The pick: With Washington missing Wall and Chicago LaVine (as well as Dunn), one may say under. However, note that the Wizards are 5-2 in favor of the over since Wall was sidelined, averaging 112.1 PPG and not being held under 100 points in any game. Meanwhile, the Bulls haven't held any of their last eight opponents under 100 points, while allowing an average of 114.9 PPG in that span. Make the Over an 8* play. |
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02-10-18 | Sabres v. Bruins OVER 5.5 | Top | 4-2 | Win | 101 | 20 h 7 m | Show |
The set-up: The Boston Bruins have won four straight and nine of their last 10 games. They are now 33-11-8 (74), as they inch closer to both first place in the Atlantic Division and the best overall record in the league (Lightning lead the Atlantic, as well as the NHL with 77 points). The Bruins welcome the Eastern Conference-worst Buffalo Sabres (15-29-10, just 40 points) to the TD Garden on Saturday night. Buffalo snapped a four-game skid with a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders in the finale of a five-game homestand and have actually split its two matchups with Boston this season Buffalo: Jack Eichel (22 goals & 53 points) scored one goal and set up another for the second straight game and has collected 18 points over his last 13 contests. Linemate Sam Reinhart (11 goals & 26 points) is also on a roll, capping a three-point night with the game-winning goal against the Islanders to give him four tallies and nine assists over the past 10 games. Goalie Robin Lehner has played both games against Boston this season and is expected to be in net for a fifth consecutive game, here. He is just 12-20-7 on the year and is only 4-11-3 (2.71 GAA & .922 SP) lifetime against Boston, Boston: "We’re trying to win every game that’s on the schedule in front of us,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “If we catch (Tampa Bay) then great, and if they play great then that’s the way it goes. Tuukka Rask got a night off as teh Bruins drille dteh Rangers 6-1 last Wednesday but will put his 21-start point streak on the line (19-0-2 with a 1.61 goals-against average and .941 save percentage), as he hasn't lost in regulation since Nov. 26. Patrice Bergeron (21 goals & 51 points scored twice against the Rangers to give him eight goals in his last nine games and 13 in 15 games since the start of the new year. Brad Marchand returned from a five-game suspension to collect an assist and run his point streak to six games. Defensemen Zdeno Chara is second in the NHL with a plus-29 while teammates Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand were tied for third at plus-26. The pick: Expecting Buffalo to too many past Rusk is a lot to ask (see above) but the Bruins are averaging 3.27 GPG (4th) on the season and Buffalo allows 3.36 GPG on the road. The last time Buffalo came to Boston, the Sabres won 5-4 in OT. Make the Over an 8* play. |
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02-10-18 | Tennessee -2.5 v. Alabama | Top | 50-78 | Loss | -103 | 19 h 1 m | Show |
The set-up: The No. 15 Tennessee Volunteers are 18-5 (8-3 SEC) on the season and will head to Tuscaloosa on a six-game winning streak to take on the 15-9 Alabama Crimson Tide (6-5 SEC). Tuesday's 61-59 win at Kentucky vaulted the Vols into second-place in the SEC, while the Crimson Tide are badly in need of a confidence boost after dropping three of their past five contests, the latest a 67-63 setback Tuesday at Mississippi State (Alabama is in a four-way tie for 4th, meaning a loss or two would see them drop dramatically). Tennessee: Lamonte Turner continues to make the most of his minutes off the bench, as he made the go-ahead three-pointer Tuesday at Kentucky. He finished with a game-high 16 points and despite not having started a single game, is the team’s third-leading scorer at 11.4 PPG. 6-7 sophomore forward Grant Williams leads Tennessee in scoring at 15.9 PPG (also adds 6.1 RPG) and 6-5 small forwards adds 12.5 PPG plus a team-high 6.3 RPG. Alabama: Freshman guard Collin Sexton enters the weekend third in the SEC in scoring at 18.6 PPG. Three others join him in double digits, 6-9 forward Hall (10.8 & 7.) plus giards Petty (10.7) and Ingram (10.3 & 6.0). Defense has kept Alabama in the SEC hunt, as the the Crimson Tide have allowed 65.7 points PPG while holding opponents to 39.8 percent shooting from the floor in league games (No. 1 in the conference in both categories). The pick: Speaking of defense, Tennessee has allowed just 58.5 PPG during its five-game SEC winning streak (last six opponents overall, have all been held to 63 points or fewer). For the season, the Volunteers are averaging 77.0 PPG, the school’s highest mark since scoring 78.4 points per game in 2008-09. That's a sweet combo for Rick Barnes' team. The Vols are for real and put Alabama in its place in this one. Make Tennessee an 8* play. |
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02-10-18 | Miami-FL -3 v. Boston College | Top | 70-72 | Loss | -106 | 15 h 2 m | Show |
The set-up: No. 25 Miami is 18-5 on the season (7-4 in ACC) and heads to Boston College having won three straight ACC victories for the first time all season, after an 87-81 triumph over Wake Forest on Wednesday. Making its recent surge more impressive is that Miami's Bruce Brown Jr. (11.4 & 4.0 APG) has missed the last three games due to foot surgery. Boston College (14-10 / 4-7 ACC) has lost four of its last five. Miami: The Hurricanes have rallied around the injury to Brown, with different players stepping up each night to fill the void, as Brown is the team's third-leading scorer, its top assist man and its best defender. The 6-11 Huell (12.8 & 6.9) and freshman guard Walker (11.5) are Miami's only other double digit scorers but four others contribute between 8.0 and 9.5 PPG. Case is point, the Hurricanes had five or more players score at least 10 points for the sixth time this season against Wake Forest. Senior guard Newton (8.6) finally seems to be rounding into form with 16 points, his second straight double-digit scoring game. Boston College: The Eagles' 96-85 Wednesday loss to Notre Dame pushed them further away from the NCAA Tournament picture, although guard Jerome Robinson 20.1-3.6-3.3() had a performance to remember with 46 points. It was the highest total by an ACC player since another Eagle, Tyrese Rice, matched that total on March 1, 2008. The Eagles have featured the same starting lineup for all 11 of their ACC games and Robinson has been a monster as the top scoring guard (25.2 in ACC action) in the conference, scoring in double figures in 21 straight games, with 20 or more points 11 times following his 46-point explosion. Sophomore guard Ky Bowman (16.6-7.0-5.0) and fellow guard Chatman (13.1) are the only others joining Robinson in double digits, after senior forward Hawkins (12.4 & 9.1) was lost for the season after just eight games. The pick: Boston College's four ACC wins are two more than it recorded last season and four more than the winless year before that. BC owns a one-game advantage over Miami overall in the all-time series (24-23) but that hardly seems relevant considering the Hurricanes have won the last 12 meetings! Miami did not commit a turnover in the final 15:20 of its win over Wake Forest and it's that kind of play that will "win the day" in this contest. Make Miami a 10* play. |
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02-10-18 | Marquette v. St. John's | Top | 78-86 | Loss | -106 | 13 h 2 m | Show |
The set-up: The 14-10 Marquette Golden Eagles have lost six of their last nine games and visit Carnesecca Arena in Queens at just 5-7 in Big East play. The host St. John's Red Storm are looking to get back to .500 with a win, as they are 12-13 overall and a pathetic 1-11 in the Big East. However, that lone conference win came just this past Wednesday when the Red Storm shocked No. 1 Villanova 79-75, as a 16 1/2-point dog. That major upset came just four days after the Red Storm upset then-No. 4 Duke (at plus-10.5) last Saturday, 81-77. As Vince Lombardi famously once said, "What the hell is going on out there?" Marquette: The Golden Eagles are a high-scoring squad averaging 81.9 PPG (33rd) on 47.2 percent shooting (56th) but the team allows 77.8 PPG (302nd) on 47.5% shooting (317th). A trio of guards are the core of Marquette's team, Markus Howard (22.0), Andrew Rowsey (18.8 & 4.2 APG) and Sam Hauser (14.1 & 5.9). Marquette had dropped four in a row before knocking off Seton Hall 88-85 on the road this past Wednesday. The Pirates will play four of their remaining six regular-season games on the road. "We have a group that really wants to win," Marquette head coach Steve Wojciechowski told reporters. "What we're trying to learn and develop is doing what it takes to win. And that's all of us together. I thought (against Seton Hall) we did the things that it took to win a game against an outstanding team on their home floor." St. John's: There are not many schools in the nation who are 1-11 in conference play and have as much talent as the Red Storm. Before back-to-back major upsets of Duke and Villanova, the Red Storm took now-No. 5 Xavier right to the wire in a 73-68 loss. After that game, Xavier head coach Chris Mack told reporters. "That might be the best 0-11 team I've ever seen anywhere in a conference. Period." As noted, St. John's had dropped 11 straight games to open Big East play before stepping out of conference last Saturday and stunning Duke. The Red Storm then proved that was no fluke four days later, when they came back into conference play with a trip to No. 1 Villanova and came away with a second straight four-point win. St John's doesn't score like Marquette (72.9 PPG) but also allows a six-plus PPG fewer (71.3 per). Despite losing guard LoVett (14.9) after just seven games, the Red Storm still own a perimeter group to match up with the Golden Eagles. The trio of Ponds (20.5-5.2-4.7), Simon (11.2-7.3-5.0) and Ahmed (11.8 & 4.6) is quite formidable. Just ask Duke and 'Nova. The pick: St. John's is better than its record but off wins over Duke and Villanova, I just can't play them here. After all, before winning last Saturday against Duke in Madison Square Garden (considered a home game for the Red Storm), St John's had lost six consecutive home contests. Make Marquette an 8* play. |
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02-09-18 | Pacers v. Celtics OVER 204.5 | Top | 97-91 | Loss | -105 | 23 h 31 m | Show |
The set-up: The Boston Celtics held onto the top spot in the Eastern Conference with an overtime win in Washington on Thursday and return home tonight to begin a three-game homestand leading up to the All-Star break.The 40-16 Celtics lead the Raptors by only one game but while they lead the Cavs by 7 1/2, almost all agree that the moves Cleveland made on Thursday will rejuvenate LBJ and make the Cavs a feared opponent for either Boston or Toronto. The first team up for Boston in its three-game hoemstand will be the 30-25 Indiana Pacers, who lost 111-102 to the Wizards at home on Monday and then they were given some extra rest when Wednesday's visit to New Orleans resulted in a postponement due to a leaky roof at the Smoothie King Center. Indiana: Due to the postponement and the upcoming All-Star break, Indiana will play a total of just four games in 17 days. The Pacers chose to sit out Thursday's trade deadline and will move forward built around All-Star guard Victor Oladipo (24.0-5.2-4.1), who missed Monday's loss to Washington due to an illness. Bojan Bogdanovich (13.6) did his best to fill the void with a season-high 29 points while making five three-pointers, and backup Joe Young (3.7) matched him from beyond the arc en route to 17 points, his second-best output this season. Indiana remains without starting point PG Darren Collison (12.8 & 5.3 APG) , who is suffering with a knee injury. Boston: Kyrie Irving made three free throws in the closing seconds of regulation to force OT and then scored seven points in the extra session to help Boston maintain a one-game lead over Toronto in the East with Thursday's OT triumph against the Wizards. Irving (24.8 & 5.0 APG) finished with 28 points and Jaylen Brown (14.2 & 5.4) added 16 for the Celtics, who swept a 3-0 homestand last week and have won five of their last six overall. Boston also stood pat at the deadline but it was able to introduce one of its recent additions in center Greg Monroe, who had five points and six rebounds in 20 minutes at Washington in his team debut. The pick: While the Pacers should be fresh (they haven't played since Monday and were relaxing in their Boston hotel Thursday night), the Celtics started their game in Washington at 8 p.m. for national television and then had to go to overtime. The Celtics defeated the Pacers 108-98 without Oladipo in November and then won 112-111 in a December rematch when Terry Rozier stole an ill-advised pass from Bogdanovic and went in for a go-ahead dunk with 1.5 seconds left.Both games were in Indiana and Boston will take a five-game winning streak in the series into tonight's game. I don't want to buck the Celtics here but the dynamics of a well-rested Indiana team and a Boston team being a little tired, points to a higher scoring game than anticipated by the over/under line. Make the Over a 10* play.. |
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02-09-18 | Red Wings v. Islanders UNDER 6 | Top | 6-7 | Loss | -110 | 22 h 4 m | Show |
The set-up: The 26-23-6 NY Islanders squandered a chance to climb into playoff position their last time out. New York erased a three-goal deficit in Buffalo on Thursday but allowed a tally with 4:14 left in the third period and dropped a 4-3 decision. With 58 points, the Islanders lose a tie-breaker with the Blue Jackets for the final playoff spot in teh East and are just one point up on the Hurricanes, who sit in 10th-place. New York will host the 21-23-8 Detroit Red Wings, who have a modest 50 points and are staring at a second straight season of missing teh playoffs after qualifying for 25 straight postseasons. The Red Wings are coming off back-to-back 3-2 losses, falling at Florida on Saturday before being edged at home by Boston on Tuesday. Detroit: The Red Wings have scored more than two goals only three times in their last 12 games, going 4-7-1. Center Dylan Larkin notched an assist Tuesday to end his five-game drought and increase his team-leading total to 39. Darren Helm was held without a point by Boston, after collecting a goal and four assists over his previous two contests. Frans Nielsen, who spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Islanders, scored just his second goal in 14 games on Tuesday. The Red Wings are nearing must-win territory if they hope to return to the playoffs, as they enter Friday eight points behind the Islanders and Blue Jackets. I think there's a huge urgency (to) the games we have coming -- the games we have ahead of us will make the latter games matter," Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters after practice Thursday. "It's a critical junction." NY Islanders: New York's loss to the Eastern Conference-worst Sabres cost them a chance to gain sole possession of the second wild card, so instead, the Islanders enter Friday tied with the Blue Jackets, who have two games in hand. The team is dealing with a plethora of injuries on the blue line, Dennis Seidenberg found himself in the lineup Thursday for just the fourth time since Jan. 5 and 21st overall this season. Captain John Tavares (28 goals / 32 assists) has tallied in back-to-back contests and is riding a three-game point streak, leaving him three shy of 600 for his career. The pick: This is a game between one of the lowest-scoring teams (Detroit's 2.54 GPG ranks 28th) and one of the highest-scoring ones (Isles average 3.29 GPG to rank 3rd). With the Red Wings in a 12-game scoring drought (see above), the best play here is the total. Make the Under a 10* selection. |
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02-09-18 | Princeton v. Harvard -1.5 | Top | 51-66 | Win | 100 | 22 h 54 m | Show |
The set-up: The Princeton Tigers have won six of their last nine games to inch over .500 at 11-10 on the season. Princeton will visit Harvard on Friday night, which would need a win over the Tigers to level its record at .500, as the the Crimson are 10-11, after winning four of their last five. However, while Princeton is 3-3 in Ivy League play, Harvard is 5-1, one game back of 6-0 Penn. Princeton: The Tigers have a guard trio leading the way in both scoring and rebounding. Devin Cannady is averaging 18 points and 5.1 rebounds, Myles Stephens is averaging 14.5 & 6.1 and Amir Bell checks in at 10.5 & 5.4. Princeton averages 73.3 PPG and allows about the same at 70.3. Harvard: The Crimson also have a trio of double digit scorers, all of whom are sophomores. Bryce Aiken(14.1) is thetetam's top backcourt player but the other two top performers play in the frontcourt. The 6-7 Towns (15.6 & 5.2) is the team's leading scorer and the 6-9 Lewis (11.7 & 5.3) barely edges Towns as the top rebounder. Harvard scores less than Princeton at 65.6 PPG but also allows fewer points at 67.2. The pick: Some (most?) view Princeton as the better team but as Bill Parcells once said, "You are who your record says you are." Harvard is 5-1 in Ivy play and Princeton just 3-3. At this near pick-em price on Harvrad's home floor (the Lavietes Pavilion), I'll make Harvard the 10* play. |
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02-08-18 | Hornets v. Blazers -4 | Top | 103-109 | Win | 100 | 14 h 16 m | Show |
The set-up: The Portland Trail Blazers went 0-3 on a recent three-game road trip that featured stops in Toronto, Boston and Detroit. The Blazers now limp home to the Moda Center at 29-25, tied with the Nuggets' for the West's No. 6 seed (note: both teams are just one game ahead of the Clippers, who are currently the 9th-seed and outside of the playoff cut line). Portland will play three of its next four at home, beginning with tonight's game against Eastern Conference foe, the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets will look to bounce back after watching a three-game winning streak come to an end with a 121-104 setback in Denver on Monday. Charlotte is 23-30 on the season, leaving them four games back of the East's No. 8 seed (76ers). Charlotte: The Hornets allowed the Nuggets to shoot 56.8 percent from the floor and drain make 18 three-pointers on Monday. PG Kemba Walker () again leads the team in scoring and overall, Charlotte does a nice job offensively on the perimeter. Shooting guards Lamb (13.6 & 4.5) and Batum (12.2-4.5-4.7) have lately seen second-year shooting guard Treveon Graham (5.2) emerge as a scoring option, while earning extra playing time over the last four games. Graham scored in double figures in three of the last four contests, matching his total of double-digit scoring outbursts from his first 36 games. Center Dwight Howard (16.0 & 12.6) averages a double-double but once again the question looms, is he making his latest team any better? Portland: The Blazers had scored at least 100 points in 17 straight games before missing the mark against Boston and Detroit to close out the trip. CJ McCollum, who scored 50 points on 18-of-25 shooting in the last home game on Jan. 31, slumped to 14 points on 6-of-15 in Monday's setback while All-Star point guard Damian Lillard went 6-of-21 from three-point range on the trip. Portland can't afford its guard duo to play like that, as Lillard (25.1-4.7-6.6) and McCollum (21.8-3.9-3.2) are the 'heart' of this team. Only center Nurkic (14.2 & 8.2) can be counted on besides that duo to contribute on a regular basis. The pick: The Blazers have been in trade talks over the past couple of weeks but as of Wednesday hadn't pulled the trigger on any deals. The team's two stars, Lillard and McCollum, have said they hope general manager Neil Olshey will stand pat. We'll see. The good news is that Portland takes the court tonight on an eight-game home winning streak (7-1 ATS) and while the Blazers are only 12-20 against teams that are .500 or better, they are 17-5 against teams without a winning record. The Hornets are a sub-.500 team (23-30), including an 8-16 road record. Lay the points and make Portland a 10* play. |
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02-08-18 | Gonzaga v. Pacific UNDER 147.5 | Top | 71-61 | Win | 100 | 14 h 10 m | Show |
ANALYSIS COMING |
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02-08-18 | Celtics +2 v. Wizards | Top | 110-104 | Win | 100 | 12 h 16 m | Show |
The set-up: The Boston Celtics finish off a quick two-game road trip at the Washington Wizards on Thursday. The first stop on the trip didn't go well, as the Celtics lost 111-91 at Toronto on Tuesday and saw their lead in the Eastern Conference shrink to one game over the Raptors. Kyrie Irving returned from a quad injury to score 17 points in 22 minutes for Boston but the Celtics' 37-point first half did them in. As for the Wizards, they surprisingly won five straight after losing All-Star PG John Wall () to a knee injury, before falling flat in Philadelphia on Tuesday in a 115-102 loss. Bradley Beal scored 30 points in the loss but is averaging 23.4 points (on 50 percent shooting) and 6.2 assists over his last five games. Boston: The 39-16 Celtics saw Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown combine to shoot 10-of-17 from the floor at Toronto but the team's three other starters , Al Horford, Jayson Tatum and Aron Baynes, scored only a combined 12 points, while connecting on just 6-of-22 shots (27.3%). "We looked slow, we looked like we weren't ready to react to their speed or their physicality," head coach Brad Stevens told reporters. "I think that was probably the case the whole night." Terry Rozier scored 18 points off the bench and is averaging 19.3 over a four-game span. Washington: The 31-23 Wizards (31-23) have moved into the No. 4 seed position in the East (just a half-game back of the Cavs), due to their recent surge. After the Wizards had 30 assists and eight players scored in double figures against the Raptors, Beal explained the contagious ball movement as "everybody eats." Center Marcin Gortat later tweeted out "Unbelievable win tonight! Great team victory!" Many interpreted those statements as a shot against Wall, charges Beal and Gortat denied. Thursday afternoon's NBA trade deadline is looming with the primary buzz involving Washington centers plus the lingering narrative about the team's improved play without Wall. He is averaging 19.3 points and 9.3 assists and expects to be out six to eight weeks following left knee surgery on Jan. 31. The pick: These teams had a pretty tough East semifinal last spring that Boston won in seven. Washington is 10-7 without Wall this season but his play helped lead the Wizards to a 111-103 at Boston on Christmas Day, getting a small piece of revenge. Beal scored 25 points, Wall had 21 and 14 assists plus Otto Porter finished with 20 points. However, Boston is an Eastern Conference best 18-8 SU on the road and this time around, they are the ones seeking revenge (from that Christmas Day loss), not to mention looking to "make up" from the team's poor effort in Toronto on Tuesday. Make Boston an 8* play. |
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02-08-18 | Canadiens v. Flyers -145 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 100 | 11 h 15 m | Show |
The set;: The city of Philadelphia will honor the Super Bowl champion Eagles Thursday afternoon and tonight, the most recognizable tenants of Broad Street (the Flyers), will hope to keep the party going when they host the Montreal Canadiens. The Flyers snapped a four-game losing streak with Tuesday's 2-1 overtime victory at Carolina and at 25-19-9, the team's points moved them into the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.Montreal comes in off resounding victories over Anaheim and Ottawa over the weekend, answering a dismal 2-5-2 stretch by going 5-for-10 on the power play in wins of and, respectively. Montreal: "Our power play got better because we stuck with it," Canadiens head coach Claude Julien told the Montreal Gazette. “All the pain that we went through earlier on is starting to pay off." Shea Weber skated before Wednesday's practice, marking the first time he's done so since Dec. 16 as he nurses a right foot injury. "It's good to get him back on the ice. It's been quite a while. It's good to know he's getting better," fellow defenseman Victor Mete said of the 32-year-old, who has 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 26 games and is averaging 25:20 of ice time. The 22-25-6 Canadiens (just 50 points) have struggled since losing top defenseman Shea Weber to a foot injury. They have gone 7-10-2 in 19 games without Weber, dropping out of playoff contention. Goalie Carey Price certainly has missed Weber, especially on the road as the former Hart and Vezina Trophy winner sports a 4-12-0 mark with a 3.23 goals-against average in 16 encounters outside of the Bell Centre this season. Philadelphia: Jakub Voracek extended his assist and point streak to six games by setting up Wayne Simmonds' goal in the second period on Tuesday, giving him two goals and seven assists in that stretch. He leads the NHL with 52 assists. The 25-19-9 Flyers (59 points) keep toggling in and out of playoff position. The return of goaltender Brian Elliott should help their chances of climbing the Eastern Conference standings. Elliott made 27 saves on Tuesday in his return from a four-game absence due to an undisclosed injury and boasts a 6-3-1 career mark with two shutouts against Montreal. The pick: I've already noted Price's poor road (see above) and the entire team checks in at 8-15-1 on the road, allowing 3.33 GPG. It's a big day for The City of Brotherly Love and after that Super Bowl parade for the Eagles, I don't expect the Flyers to "rain on the parade." make Philly an 8* play. |
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02-07-18 | UNLV v. Nevada UNDER 163.5 | Top | 86-78 | Loss | -110 | 15 h 24 m | Show |
The set-up: Nevada joined the MWC for the 2012-13 season, meaning the in-state rivalry between the Wolf Pack and Runnin' Rebels only intensified. When it comes to bragging rights for the state of Nevada, there's no love lost between UNLV (located in Las Vegas) and Nevada (located in Reno), although the schools are 430 miles apart. Nevada moved back into the AP top-25 rankings this week at No. 23, thanks in part to a 9-1 record in Mountain West play, the school's best conference start since joining the league. As for UNLV, the Runnin' Rebels have rebounded from a 11-21 record in head coach Marvin Menzies' first season at the helm and will enter this contest at 16-7. However, the school took advantage of a weak non-conference schedule to go 11-2. UNLV is just 5-5 in MWC play. UNLV: The Runnin' Rebels are off a 93-91 overtime loss at second-place Boise State on Saturday night. Brandon McCoy is a 7-1 center who was selected the conference preseason freshman of the year. He's lived up to expectations by averaging 18.0 & 10.0 with 12 double-doubles. He's one of four double digit scorers, the others being guards Johnson (14.6 & 5.9 APG) and Mooring (13.5) plus the 6-7 Juiston (14.6 & 9.7), who was last year's national junior college player of the year. Nevada: The Wolf Pack are just a 104-103 double-overtime loss at Wyoming from being undefeated in Mountain West play. They are led in scoring by 6-7 junior forward Caleb Martin (19.8 & 5.3), a transfer from North Carolina State who is shooting 46.9 percent from three-point range and is coming off a 26-point, seven-rebound outing in a 76-67 victory at Colorado State. Jordan Caroline is a 6-7 guard who is the reigning Mountain West Tournament MVP. He is second in scoring (16.7) and leads the team in rebounding (8.8). Cody Martin, twin brother of Caleb and also a N.C. State transfer, is averaging 13.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, while senior guard Kendall Stephens (12.6 points), a transfer from Purdue, also is averaging double digits. The pick: UNLV used to dominate the series between the two Silver State schools and hold a 59-25 series advantage but Nevada is 3-1 since Eric Musselman took over as head coach and handed UNLV a pair of lopsided beatdowns last season, winning 104-77 at Lawlor Events Center and 94-58 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Both schools feature very different roster from last year but the intensity remains. last yera's whe win in Reno featured the Wolf Pack unveiling new "Battle Born" jerseys, pre-game introductions by famed boxing ring announcer Michael "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" Buffer and Nevada players walking through a record crowd of 11,841 to enter the court before delivering the impressive 27-point knockout. I expect UNLV to remember and note that Nevada has lost the last three times after entering the national poll. However, all three of those games were on the road, not here at home where the Wolf Pack are 40-4 under Musselman, including 29-1 in their last 30 home contests. Not sure I want to buck Nevada but a low scoring game should be expected. Make the Under an 8* play. |
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02-07-18 | Oilers v. Kings OVER 5.5 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 115 | 15 h 51 m | Show |
The set-up: The Los Angeles Kings never expected they'd have goaltender controversy this season but former Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Quick has lost seven of his last eight starts. He has been especially porous in his past two. He was pulled after allowing five goals on 19 shots in a 6-2 loss against the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 23 and when he returned in goal last Thursday, he allowed five more goals in a 5-0 loss at the Nashville Predators. The 29-18-5 Kings welcome the disappointing 23-24-4 Edmonton Oilers to Staples Center tonight, who are coming a 6-2 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. Edmonton: The Oilers have been a huge disappointment this season, as after last season's points, they currntly have just 50 points, leaving them 13 points behind the final wild card team in the West (the Wild have 63 points). However, the Oilers are coming off their best seven-game stretch of the season (5-1-1), which includes wins over the Golden Knights and Lightning , who each lead their respective conferences. They've been led by reigning Hart Trophy winner, Connor McDavid, who has scored a career-high four goals and has six goals and an assist in his last two games. Ryan Strome set up a pair of goals in the first period against the Lightning to give him five assists in his past three games. Cam Talbot benefited from the increase in offense and turned aside 32 shots on Monday to improve his save percentage to .917 over his past five games (4-1-0). Los Angeles: It's been all downhill for Quick since a 5-0 shutout against the Oilers back on Jan. 2 in Edmonton. Backup Darcy Kuemper has stepped in, posting back-to-back shutouts last week against the Dallas Stars and Arizona Coyotes, and the career backup hasn't allowed a goal in his past 170 minutes, 30 seconds. "Darcy is seeing the puck right now. The puck's hitting him," Stevens said after the 6-0 victory against the Coyotes on Saturday. "He's probably played as well as he's ever played, and he's really come in and played sound for us. With a couple days in between, you don't often get that. We'll enjoy the win, but there's no question we're going to need both our goalies to win hockey games as we move along here." Captain Anze Kopitar increased his point total to 15 (three goals, 12 assists) in his last 13 games after scoring and setting up a goal against Arizona. He has reached the 20-goal plateau (20 goals and 55 points) for the ninth time in his career and ignited a three-goal surge during a lengthy power-play opportunity to propel Los Angeles in its rout of Edmonton in the first encounter. The pick: The matchup in goal is expected to be Ward and Quick. I'm ready to call it a shootout but I do want to make the Over a 10* play. |
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02-07-18 | Wolves v. Cavs +4 | Top | 138-140 | Win | 100 | 12 h 21 m | Show |
analysis soon |
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02-07-18 | Virginia -3 v. Florida State | Top | 59-55 | Win | 100 | 11 h 15 m | Show |
The set-up: The No. 2 ranked Virginia Cavaliers are a perfect 11-0 in ACC play and have won 14 in a row overall to reach 22-1, thanks to beating teams by an average of 16.4 PPG. Meanwhile, 17-6 Florida State is stuck in the middle of the ACC pack with a 6-5 mark heading into the final weeks of the regular season. Florida State welcomes the 2nd-ranked Cavs to the Donald L. Tucker Center looking to make a bold statement with a marquee victory. Virginia's defense was "on its game in winning 59-44 at Syracuse on Saturday and FSU comes into this matchup with some confidence of its own, after an 80-76 victory at Louisville avenged a Jan. 10 loss to the Cardinals that halted the Seminoles' 28-game home winning streak. Virginia: The Cavaliers are allowing just 52.3 PPG, fewest in the nation and the second-best mark in in school history. They have held 11 opponents to fewer than 50 points. Virginia's slow, deliberate style creates turnovers as the Cavs leas the nation with 9.2 takeaways per game and six opponents have committed more giveaways than successful baskets. Defense has the key, so the Cavaliers haven't needed an explosive offense. UVa averages a modest 68.7 PPG, with guards Guy (15.5) and Hall (12.1 & 4.2) being the team's lone double digit scorers. The team uses an eight-man rotation and the biggest contributors among the other six have been guard Jerome (9.6) and the 6-7 Wilkins (6.0 & 6.7). Florida State: The Seminoles are the anti-Cavaliers, as they like to push the ball up the court with a fast-break offense (84.7 PPG ranks ) led by guard Terance Mann, the team's leading scorer (15.5). Fellow guard Angola checks in at 14.1 & 4.4 and the 6-8 Cofer has come into his own this season, averaging 13.4 & 5.5. Five other players contribute between 6.1 and 9.3 PPG, including the 7-4 Koumadje (8.9 & 5.5) The pick: The Cavs have to "slip up" sometime and somewhere, right? I realize that no team has scored more than 68 points against the Cavaliers this season but the Seminoles are 10-1 at home where they have averaged 91.2 PPG. One of these days, the Cavs lack of offense ( (ranks 290th in scoring) will come back to 'bite' them. How about right here, where the Seminoles have won 32 of their last 33 games? Make FSU a 10* play. |
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02-06-18 | Sharks -110 v. Avalanche | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -110 | 14 h 40 m | Show |
The set-up: Veteran center Joe Thornton (13 goals & 36 points) went down with a knee injury back Jan. 23 for the San Jose Sharks. San Jose lost its first three games without Thornton but has responded with 3-1 victories over Columbus and Carolina to move into second place (28-16-8) in the Pacific Division, 10 points behind Vegas. The Sharks will cap a five-game road trip Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche (28-19-4), who now sit just one point out of wild-card position in the Western Conference. This coming on the heels of the Avs finishing with an NHL-low 22 wins and 48 points last season. Colorado is returning home after going 2-3-1 on a pair of three-game road trips sandwiched around the All-Star break. San Jose: Defending Norris Trophy winner Brent Burns (nine goals & a team-high 44 points) has three goals and 16 assists in his last 16 games and will be counted on even more with Thornton out of the lineup. Burns, who had a goal and an assist Sunday versus Carolina, is a team-worst minus-21, which coach Peter DeBoer told reporters "he could care less about.'' Fellow defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (nine goals & 21 points) has scored four goals in his last nine games and is averaging 22 minutes, 42 seconds of ice time. Logan Couture took a puck to the face Friday night and it looked like San Jose would be down another key forward. However, for the Sharks, Couture returned for the end of the 3-1 win at Columbus and seems to have avoided a major injury. He was also on the ice for San Jose's 3-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday and enters as the team's top goal-scorer with 22 (39 points). Colorado: The Avalanche welcomed the return of No. 1 goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who made 29 saves in Saturday's 3-0 loss at Winnipeg, after missing 11 contests with a groin injury. "I thought (Varlamov) played great," Colorado coach Jared Bednar told reporters. "It was great to see him back in the net and he was our best player (Saturday). The Avs should fell confident as they return to the Pepsi Center where they have won eight in a row, giving them an 18-7-1 home record. Alexander Kerfoot (12 goals, 32 points) has taken MacKinnon's place on the top line but the rookie hasn't recorded a point since his promotion. Mikko Rantanen (17 goals, 50 points) has also been quiet while Gabriel Landeskog (19 goals, 40 points) had two assists in Thursday's 4-3 overtime victory in Edmonton. The pick: Home may be where the heart is for Colorado but the team is in the midst of 13 of 16 games away from home. Tuesday's game is a quick stop before a three-game swing through St. Louis, Carolina and Buffalo. The return of top goaltender Semyon Varlamov may be good news but after he, played his first game since Jan. 2 on Saturday, he will back up No. 2 goaltender Jonathan Bernier (15-9-2, 2.68 GAA & .917 SP) against San Jose. The Sharks have looked good at the end of this road trip and I expect them to get the better of Colorado in this "rare" home game (see above). Make San Jose a 10* play. |
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02-06-18 | Nebraska +1.5 v. Minnesota | Top | 91-85 | Win | 100 | 13 h 24 m | Show |
The set-up: The Nebraska Cornhuskers have rebounded nicely this season after winning 13, 16 and 12 games the last three seasons. The Cornhuskers have won six of their last eight and will travel to Williams Arena in Minneapolis at 17-8 (8-4 in Big Ten). Waiting for them are the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who have not been so golden these days in losing eight of their last nine. Minnesota was 8-1 and ranked 14th when it met Nebraska for the first time this season (Cornhuskers won 79-68 in Lincoln) and after a win over Illinois, stood at 13-3. Those days are long gone now, as Minnesota is 14-11, including only 3-9 in the Big Ten. Nebraska: Three players are averaging in double figures for Nebraska, James Palmer Jr. (17.6 & 4.4), the 6-9 Isaac Copeland (13.2 & 6.4) and Glynn Watson Jr. (11.0 & 3.5). Nebraska's three-game winning streak has come against Big Ten bottom-feeders, most recently an 11-point win against Wisconsin. "You could just see our guys growing in confidence," said coach Tim Miles. The Cornhuskers trailed Wisconsin at halftime, shot just 4-of-19 from three-point range for the game and had two of their starters go scoreless but still rallied for a 74-63 win. James Palmer Jr. registered 28 points and has matched or exceeded that total in three of the last four outings. Isaac Copeland added 17 points and is averaging 21 points over his last three games while committing only one turnover in 100 minutes over that stretch. Minnesota: The Gophers put in a good effort at Michigan their last time out but it still resulted in a loss. "I'm proud of our guys for their effort," Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino said after the three-point loss in overtime. "To play in front of a sold-out crowd when you're down two of your top six (players), no team in college basketball can sustain that. We're not feeling sorry for ourselves. We're not making excuses. We've got to play as close to perfect as we possibly can in order to win. We were close. We know we can play with anybody if we play the right way."Minnesota's demise began when the 6-10 Reggie Lynch (10.1 & 8.0) was sidelined due to sexual assault investigation. Amir Coffey, the team's third-leading scorer at 14.0 PPG has a shoulder injury and has missed the last two (he's missed seven game sin all, this season). Forward Jason Murphy is having a superb year (17.5 & 11.3) and guard Mason (15.7-3.9-4.3) has been the team's best guard. Freshman guard Isaiah Washington delivered the best performance of his rookie season with 26 points off the bench against Michigan but checks in averaging a modest 7.7 PPG on the season. The pick: Minnesota is no slouch at home (10-4 SU and averaging 80.7 PPG) but without the shot-blocking Lynch (4.1 per game), the Golden Gophers have lost their last three at home. Without a healthy Coffey as well, this team is VERY vulnerable and looking like an NIT-bound squad. Meanwhile, the Cornhuskers are now on the radar of the NCAA Tourney Selection Committee. The committee doesn't consider ATS records but we sure do and will note that Nebraska is on a highly-profitable 12-1-1 ATS run. Let's not forget that Nebraska handled this team at home when Minnesota had "all hands on deck,' plus it's a bonus that 6-11 center Jordy Tshimanga has recently been reinstated (20 combined points and 12 rebounds over his last two games). Make Nebraska a 10* play. |
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02-06-18 | Grizzlies +2.5 v. Hawks | Top | 82-108 | Loss | -115 | 12 h 11 m | Show |
The set-up: The Memphis decided to sideline PG Mike Conley (17.1 & 4.1 APG) after a game on Jan 13, so he could rest his Achilles. More recently, the team announced Conley would not return this season. Memphis was 7-6 when Conley was sidelined but has gone 11-28 since, leaving them 9 1/2 games out of the West's final playoff spot at 18-34, overall. The Grizzlies will visit Philips Arena Tuesday night to take on the 16-37 Hawks, whose 10-year playoff run will come to an end this season. The Hawks are just trying to stay clear of the East 'basement,' edging the New York Knicks 99-96 on Sunday to earn their second win in four games (the Hawks are a half-game worse than the Magic, leaving them 15th of 15 teams in the East). Memphis: The Grizzlies are trying to find their way while surrounding center Marc Gasol (18.0 & 18.6) with a plethora of young players. Swingman Tyreke Evans (19.5-5.0-5.0) was picked up for 'a song' and has been Memphis' best player but he's on the trading block and has been absent from the first three games in Memphis' four-game trip pending a potential deal prior to the Thursday deadline.The 6-8 JaMychal Green (10.1 & 7.4) is the only other Memphis player in double digits. Atlanta: The Hawks surrendered an average of 121 points in losses to Charlotte and Boston before turning things around on the defensive end and limiting the Knicks to 5-of-23 from three-point rang in Sunday's three-point win. That victory was just the Hawks' third road win against the East, snapping an eight-game conference losing streak. PG Dennis Schroder (19.3 & 6.4 APG) is the team's lone "go-to" scorer, although six others are averaging between 10.0 and 13.2 PPG. That group includes 6-10 rookie John Collins (Wake Forest), who is averaging 10.4 & 6.9 in about 22 minutes. The pick: The Grizzlies are just 5-29 on the road and 3-15 outside of the Western Conference but playing at Philips Arena hasn't been a home court advantage for the Atlanta, as the Hawks are just 11-16 SU. I'll take depth-shy Grizzlies, making Memphis an 8* play. |
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02-06-18 | Rockets v. Nets OVER 217.5 | Top | 123-113 | Win | 100 | 12 h 10 m | Show |
The set-up: The Houston Rockets are humming along nicely of late, displaying effective chemistry on both sides of the ball. Houston made a big statement with its 120-88 rout in Cleveland Saturday night against the Cavaliers on ABC. The Rockets made 19 three-pointers (Houston leads the NBA by a wide margin with 43 three-point attempts per game), giving them a fourth straight win and 11 victories over the last 13 games. There will be national TV 'stage' tonight in Brooklyn, when teh Rockets visit Barclays Center for a contest with the 19-35 Nets. Brooklyn lost 109-94 to Milwaukee on Sunday to fall to 1-2 on their four-game homestand, leaving them eight games shy of the playoff 'cut line,' as the trade deadline approaches. Houston: Harden (31.2-9.0-9.1) can still dominate the conversation for Houston from time to time (see his 60-point triple-double a week ago) but other components are also going well for the Western Conference's second-best team. Houston is 11-2 in its last 13 games (since Jan. 8) and before the Rockets began this run with a 116-107 win at Chicago, Houston had followed up a 14-game winning streak with seven losses in nine games. The Rockets are now 38-13, comfortably in second place in the West and inching closer to Golden State (two games back). Houston is six games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs. Paul (19.2-5.7-8.5) had 22 points and 11 assists and Ryan Anderson (10.2 & 5.4) added 21 points on Saturday as Houston had no issues overcoming an off night for the NBA's leading scorer, James Harden (16 points, going just 1-of-11 from three-point range). Houston ranks second in scoring at 114.0 PPG but another sign of progress in the last few weeks has been on the defensive side. Although the Rockets are in the middle of the pack by allowing 105.7 PPG (16th), they are allowing 101.8 in the last 13 while posting a 102.5 defensive rating in that stretch. Brooklyn: The Nets have lost six of their last seven after Sunday's loss to the Bucks (see above), while getting held under 100 points in five of their last six outings. Brooklyn has been outrebounded by 18 in back-to-back games, something which may continue here, as the team's leading rebounder is forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (6.5) has missed five games in a row with a groin injury and has already been ruled out for this one. The Nets are the NBA's worst shooting team at 43.6% but rank a middle-of-the-road in points scored, at 104.9 PPG. Defensively, Brooklyn allows 108.7 PPG to rank 24th. The pick: Houston has won three straight matchups with Brooklyn and the Rockets are looking to sweep the season series for the eighth time in the last 12 seasons. Harden scored 37 points and added 10 rebounds while Paul finished with four points and a season-high 14 assists in a 117-103 win over the Nets at home earlier this season (Nov. 27). Brooklyn has been able to slip inside inflated numbers vs. Houston since last season, including a 14-point loss (as a 17 ½-point dog) on Nov. 27 at Toyota Center. The Nets could just 'hang around' in this home dog role and with both teams trending “under” lately, I look for a higher scoring game than the total indicates. Note that in Houston's three-game winning streak over Brooklyn, the Rockets have scored 117 points (TY), plus 122 and 137 points in two meetings LY. Make the Over a 10* play! |
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02-06-18 | Capitals v. Blue Jackets OVER 5.5 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 40 m | Show |
The set-up: The Washington Capitals have allowed 11 goals in consecutive losses to Pittsburgh and Vegas, marking the first time they has dropped two straight in regulation since Nov. 14-16. After failing to earn a point in back-to-back games for the first time since mid-November, the the 30-17-5 Capitals, whose 65 points have them atop the Metropolitan Division, look to get back on track when they visit the 27-21-4 Columbus Blue Jackets, in the front end of a home-and-home series. The Capitals have only two wins in their last seven games (2-3-2), while the Blue Jackets suffered a 4-3 setback at the New York Islanders on Saturday and enter tonight's contest on a three-game slide giving them a poor 2-5-1 mark over their last eight games. Washington: "We’re just giving up too (many) good chances right now,” defenseman Matt Niskanen said after the Capitals allowed two goals in the final 11 minutes in Sunday's 4-3 home loss to the Golden Knights. Special teams have also dragged down the Capitals in the past two games, as they killed off just one of five penalties while going 0-for-5 on the power play, this after scoring eight times with the man advantage in the previous four games. However, there's no panic among the Capitals, who led the Golden Knights in the third period before giving up the winning goal. "I thought that we played well enough to at least get a point there and we didn't," Capitals head coach Barry Trotz said. "I thought we had the game when it was 3-2. We had a couple of open nets and we missed those, and it just came back and bit us you know where." Let's note that the Capitals had been one of the NHL's hottest teams before this two-game before the mini-skid, having 20-4-5 in their previous 29 games Columbus: The Blue Jackets could not protect a third-period lead in Saturday's 4-3 loss at the New York Islanders. However, despite the loss, Columbus head coach John Tortorella said his team "took a huge step in the right direction" by unleashing a season-high 49 shots on goal. Right wing Cam Atkinson has collected a point in all four games since returning from the lineup after missing more than a month following foot surgery. Atkinson notched his eighth goal Saturday and is looking more like the player who led the Blue Jackets in scoring last season with. The Blue Jackets are definitely struggling recently. They were sitting in first place in the division at Thanksgiving but they've struggled for the past two-plus months, never winning more than two games in a row and now they're clinging to a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference (58 points) with a host of teams breathing down their necks with 57, 56 and 55 points.. The pick: February could be make-or-break time for the Blue Jackets. A majority of their games will be against division opponents, including the Capitals three times, before the calendar turns to March. Coming off back-to-back losses (see above), I expect the Caps, who average 3.06 GPG (9th) to bring their "A game" but I will also note that Washington is allowing an average of 3.54 GPG on the road, Make the Over an 8* play. |
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02-05-18 | Mavs v. Clippers OVER 212 | Top | 101-104 | Loss | -105 | 13 h 56 m | Show |
The set-up: Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley were both solid in their team debuts for the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday (a 113-103 win over the Bulls), giving the 26-25 Clippers hope that they can still contend for a playoff spot after trading away franchise cornerstone Blake Griffin. The Clippers will welcome the 17-36 Dallas Mavericks to Staples Center on Monday night, with the Mavericks coming off a 106-99 win at Sacramento on Saturday. That victory ended ended a stretch of five straight losses and a run of six games in a row having failed to reach 100 points. Dallas: Leading scorer Harrison Barnes (18.4) went 5-of-17 from the floor as the Mavericks dropped a 102-88 decision at Phoenix (Wednesday) to begin the trip but rebounded with a 7-of-14 outing on Saturday. Dallas also benefited from the return of reserve point guard J.J. Barea (11.3 & 5.9 APG), who missed three straight games with an oblique injury but returned at Sacramento and handed out 11 assists in 24 minutes. Rookie PG Dennis Smith (14.7-3.9-4.8) has been one of the NBA's best first-year players but Dirk (12.1 & 5.6) is on the downside of his career and no longer a substantial contributor. LA Clippers: Harris is an underrated player, who is averaging 18.2 & 5.1 this season, after averaging 16.1 & 5.1 last season. Bradley is an outstanding defender and a reliable scorer, although he's still working his way into shape after battling a groin injury near the end of his tenure in Detroit. He started and played 32 minutes on Saturday. "I felt like it was good," Bradley told reporters. "I'm still getting my legs under me. But I feel like it was a good start for us. We're still getting used to each other. But I feel like once we're able to learn how to play off one another, the sky is the limit for this team." As long as LA keeps Williams (23.4 & 5.2 APG) and Jordan (11.6 & 14.9), he may be right. The pick: However, LA is said to be looking to clear salary for upcoming free agency reasons and might not be done wheeling and dealing before the deadline, with a good chance that DeAndre Jordan is next to be on the move by Thursday. In two previous meetings this season, the Clipper won here in LA 119-98 and the Mavs won in Dallas, 108-82. LA's situation is "in flux" but I see both teams combining for more points than this over/under line reflects. Make teh Over an 8* play. |
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02-05-18 | Lightning -130 v. Oilers | Top | 2-6 | Loss | -130 | 14 h 3 m | Show |
The set-up: The 36-13-3 Tampa Bay Lightning have maintained their league-best point total (75) by going 5-2-0 so far with just one contest remaining on the team's eight-game road trip which spanned almost three weeks, as it was sandwiched around the All-Star break. The Lightning complete their trek with a visit to the 22-24-4 Edmonton Oilers on Monday. The Oilers have been a huge disappointment this season but have gone 4-1-1 in their last six games. Still, Edmonton has a lot of work to do to climb back into the playoff race, as the Oilers' 48 points leaves them 13 points behind the final wild card team in the West (the Wild have 61 points). Tampa Bay: Nikita Kucherov had his goal-scoring drought reach 10 games but recorded a pair of assists Saturday to push his league-leading total to 66 points. Captain Steven Stamkos notched his sixth point in five contests last time out to reach 60 in a season for the sixth time in his career while Matthew Peca has recorded two goals and three assists during his four-game point streak, posting a plus-8 rating in that span. Versatile forward Yanni Gourde scored for the fourth time in six games Saturday and has 18 goals on the season, tying him for second in the league among rookies. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has stopped 149 of 156 shots while winning his last four starts and also leads the league with 31 victories. He owns a 2.22 GAA and .930 SP, meaning he should get serious consideration for the Vezina Trophy. Edmonton: Connor McDavid is the reigning Hart Trophy winner and is doing his best to start the process of Edmonton climbing back into the playoff picture. He has recorded nine points in his last seven contests (including two goals in Thursday’s 4-3 overtime loss to Colorado), giving him 17 goals and 56 points. “That’s our leader,” Oilers head coach Todd McLellan told reporters. “He’s got to provide it all over the rink, offensively and defensively, and the rest of the group has to follow.” Leon Draisaitl is second on the team with 42 points, after registering a goal and eight assists in his last seven contests. Cam Talbot (18-17-2, 3.14 goals-against average, .901 save percentage), who has won three of his last four starts, could return to the lineup after missing Thursday’s contest due to illness. The pick: Edmonton must improve on special teams if it is to continue surging as the team has gone 0-for-17 on the power play over its last eight games and allowed five man-advantage tallies over the last four. However, can that be expected to happen against the league's best team? Hard to see it with Talbot expected back in net for Edmonton after missing one game because of illness. He is coming off his worst month of the season, going 4-5-0 with a 3.57 goals-against average and .890 save percentage in 10 games. The Lightning are 4-0-1 in the last five meetings but did lose 4-3 in a shootout at Edmonton last season. Make Tampa Bay a 10* play. |
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02-05-18 | Blazers v. Pistons -2 | Top | 91-111 | Win | 100 | 12 h 4 m | Show |
The set-up: The Pistons opened the new year 2-11 and had lost eight games in a row before trading for the Clippers' Blake Griffin. This just in, the "Blake Griffin era" is off to a rousing start. The Pistons ended their eight-game slide by taking down the Cavs 125-114 the game before Griffin joined the team and then added two more wins with Griffin averaging 20.0-9.5-6.0. "Just a little more tired today - the adrenaline wore off a little bit, just the toll of the week," Griffin told reporters on Saturday. "It's amazing to see all these guys step up and play so well." Detroit gets set to host the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday. The Trail Blazers arrive in Detroit looking to recover from blowing a 16-point halftime lead at Boston on Sunday, losing 97-96 when Al Horford beat the buzzer with a 15-footer! Portland: CJ McCollum led the way with 21 points for Portland, but after scoring at least 100 points in 17 straight games, Portland's streak came to an end in Boston. Portland,, which shoots 45.4% from the floor on the season, shot just 39.6 percent with Damian Lillard being one of the main culprits with a 6-for-19 effort (his worst single-game shooting percentage since Nov. 13. Maurice Harkless (5.4) helped to pick up some of the slack by making a career-high five three-pointers in as many attempts and scoring 19 points, eclipsing his total from the previous eight games combined. Lillard (25.2-4.7-6.7) and McCollum (21.9-4.0-3.2) are an excellent guard tandem but only center Nurkic (14.3 & 8.2) joins them in double digits. Detroit: All-Star center Andre Drummond (15.0 & 15.3) has welcomed Griffin with open arms, and the tandem has shown flashes of dominance underneath, outrebounding Miami on their own by a 29-26 margin. Drummond grabbed 20 of those boards to go along with 23 points, four blocks and four steals, and the big man has registered six straight double-doubles. " Ish Smith scored a season-high 25 points against the Heat and is shooting 60.7 percent over his last five games. He's taken over for the injured Jackson at PG and is up to 10.6 PPG and 4.4 APG on the season. The pick: Griffin has re-energized the Detroit franchise. The Pistons have won the first three games of a six-game homestand since acquiring Griffin from the Los Angeles Clippers and at 25-26, can get back to the .500 mark if they continue their streak against Portland on Monday night (note: the Pistons are now a half-game behind Philadelphia for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference). The early returns on the power pairing of Griffin and All-Star center Andre Drummond have been promising and note that D rummond averaged 23.5 points and 14.5 rebounds as Detroit went 2-0 against Portland last season. One wonders just how Portland recovers thsi quickly after Sunday's brutal loss in Boston? Make Detroit a 10* play. |
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02-05-18 | Indiana -2 v. Rutgers | Top | 65-43 | Win | 100 | 12 h 48 m | Show |
The set-up: Both Indiana (12-12) and Rutgers (12-13) are basically .500 teams on the season but while the Hoosiers are 5-7 in Ben Ten play, the Scarlet Knights are a woeful 2-10. Indiana travels to New Brunswick Monday night and comes in off losing five of its last six games, including a current four-game slide. Rutgers welcomes Indiana to the Louis Brown Athletic Center., where the Scarlet Knights have lost five of their last seven home games. Indiana: The Hoosiers fell short in their upset bid of fourth-ranked Michigan State on Saturday, dropping a 63-60 decision to the Spartans on Saturday. "We're coming down the home stretch and we're trying to fight and claw for every win that we can," Indiana head coach Archie Miller told reporters. "It's all about Rutgers right now and we've got to get ready to go." The 6-8 Juwan Morgan (16.5 & 7.2) led the way with 23 points and 11 rebounds against Michigan State, registering his seventh double-double of the season. Freddie McSwain Jr. (3.8 & 4.3) added eight points and set a career high with 16 rebounds, including nine offensive boards. Guard Devonte Green (7.3) contributed eight points and dished out a career-high six assists, but Indiana was undone by a 28.8 percent performance from the floor in the three-point loss. Other than Morgan, guard Johnson (13.2 & 4.6) is the only other double digit scorer. Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights made a valiant effort last Saturday, losing just 78-76 to No. 3 Purdue (team's fifth straight loss). That effort came despite playing without key players Mike Williams (9.2 & 4.2) do to an ankle problem and Eugene Omoruyi (7.6 & 4.7) out with a knee issue. "We can play with anybody when we play like that and follow the game plan and execute," Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell told reporters. "When building a program you have to go through a lot of stuff." Guard Corey Sanders (14.2-4.4-3.2) poured in a season-high 31 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the loss to Purdue to move into 22nd place on the program's all-time scoring list. The 6-7 Deshawn Freeman (11.3 & 7.5) narrowly missed a double-double as he scored 16 points and pulled down nine rebounds, to finish in double figures for the 20th time in 25 games this season. Freshman guard Geo Baker (11.6) went 3-of-4 from the three-point line en route to 14 points. The pick: The Indiana Hoosiers aren't winning many games, but they are playing better basketball recently (see Michigan St. game). The Scarlet Knights are connecting on just 38.0% of their shots in their five-game slide and they hope to avoid a seventh consecutive loss to the Hoosiers. Not happening, off that all-out try against Purdue. Make Indiana a 10* play. |
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02-04-18 | Eagles +5.5 v. Patriots | Top | 41-33 | Win | 100 | 314 h 58 m | Show |
The set-up: The New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles meet Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis for Super Bowl 52. It's common knowledge that the Patriots have a chance to win the sixth Super Bowl title in franchise history, all of which have come since the 2001 NFL season, during the Belichick and Brady era. Meanwhile, the Eagles are looking for the first Super Bowl title in franchise history (lost to the Raiders in Super Bowl and the Pats in Super Bowl), as well as the franchise's first NFL championship since the 1960 season. That team beat Lombardi's Packers, handing the coaching legend his only postseason loss (9-1). Both teams went 13-3 SU, with the Pats going 11-5 ATS and the Eagles, 10-6. Philadelphia: Carson Wentz was a MVP candidate before getting hurt in Week 15. Nick Foles has endured an uneven ride as his replacement. while filling in for the injured Carson Wentz. He replaced an injured Wentz against the Giants and completed 24 of 38 with four TD passes but then was a combined 23 of 49 for 202 yards (one TD / two INTs) in Weeks 16 & 17. However, he completed 23-of-30 passes for 246 yards in the 15-10 win over the Falcons and then 'exploded' in the NFC championship game romp over the Vikings. Foles completed 26 of 33 for 352 yards with three TDs and zero INTs, giving him a 141.4 QB rating. He's backed by a solid running game that averaged 132.3 YPG on the ground during the regular season, 3rd-best in the NFL. Jay Ajayi stumbled out of the blocks with a fumble on his first carry against Atlanta, before finishing with 54 yards rushing and 44 receiving on three catches. He then ran for 73 yards vs. the Vikings and caught three more passes for 26 yards. He has become Philadelphia's top option out of the backfield following an in-season trade with Miami, although LeGarrette Blount (team-high 776 yards in the regular season) had a rushing TD in each of Philly's two playoff wins. Philly owns an excellent defense. It ranked 4th in scoring (18.4 PPG) and total D (306.5 YPG) during the regular season and held Matt Ryan and the Falcons scoreless in the second half of that divisional round win and to just 10 points for the game on just 281 yards. It then followed by allowing the game's first TD against the Vikings, before shutting them out the remainder of the game. New England: Brady had another remarkable season (4,577 passing yards with 32 TDs and just eight INTs for a 102.8 QB rating), as the Pats led the NFL in total offense (394.2 YPG) and scored the second-most points at 28.6 PPG. Brady owns the most postseason wins in history and added to his playoff legacy vs the Titans by passing for more than 300 yards (337) for the 13th time and surpassing Joe Montana with his 10th three-touchdown performance. Brady and his "injured" right hand then led the Pats to two 4th-quarter TDs in coming back from 20-10 down against the Jags, to win 24-20. He was 26 of 38 for 290 yards with two TDs, zero INTs and a 108.4 QB against Jacksonville's dominant defense, giving him his 27th postseason win. Four New England players had at least 56 catches in the regular season with TE Rob Gronkowski topping the list with 69 receptions (15.7 YPC) and eight TDs. Gronk was KO'd against heh Jags but is expected to be back. However, in Gronk's absence, Cooks had six catches for 100 yards and Amendola had seven catches fo 84 yards, including both TDs in the fourth quarter. RB Dion Lewis had rushed for at least 60 yards in seven of his last eight games but was held to 34 yards. However, he caught seven passes against the Jags, after catching nine against the Titans. New England finished the season allowing 18.5 PPG but it allowed 32.0 PPG through its first four games, before allowing only just 14.0 PPG over its last 12. In two playoff wins, the Pats then held the Titans to just 14 points and 267 yards and the Jags to 20 points (just two FGs in the second half). The pick: Physical play still matters in this league and the Eagles have the edge in that department. The Patriots famously use a committee in the backfield (although Lewis has been the "main man" lately) and it's hard to ignore that the Eagles led the NFL against the run, allowing just 79.2 YPG. They then held Atlanta and Minnesota to a combined 156 yards in the two playoff wins. Philly can lean on Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount against a New England rush D that allowed 4.71 yards per rush, second most in the NFL. Ajayi, who ran for more than 1,000 yards with the Dolphins last year, was traded to Philly in October and had an impressive 5.8 yards per carry while sharing the workload with Blount, who won a Super Bowl ring with the Pats last year and is an excellent short-yardage (goal-line) runner. Of course, no one is comparing Foles with Brady but he has completed 77.8 percent of his passes in two playoff wins, without an INT in 63 attempts. Also, just how does one ignore that the first five Belichick/Brady Super Bowls were decided by four points or less, before last year's game ended in OT, with the Pats winning by six. Take the points and make Philly a 10* play. |
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