Sunday 1/10/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

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MR VEGAS

Free NBA Pick for Sunday, January 10, 2016.

Oklahoma City is not a great road team but is a big road favorite here. The Thunder are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games overall. Portland is home and has a great fan base that will show up with OKC in town, so grab the home dog. Play Portland.

 

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Mike Wynn

Bonus Play: NBA NY Knicks -5 Over Milwaukee

 

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Platinum Plays

Free Pick: the Illinois Fighting Illini +10 Over Purdue

 

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Razor Sharp

FREE PICK FOR SUNDAY:Take OHIO ST +7 over Indiana

 

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Nevada Sharpshooter

Your free winner for Sunday: Take STANFORD +9 over Oregon

 

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The Vegas Steam Line

Your free winner for Sunday: Take OAKLAND -21 over Ill-Chicago

 

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Golden Dragon Sports

Free Pick

Dallas/Minnesota over 200' NBA

 

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Huddle Up Sports

Bonus Play:
Oklahoma City -7 NBA

 

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Hawkeye Sports

Sunday's Free Selection: Florida Panthers - 135

 

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SPORTS PREVUE

Green Bay Packers vs. Washington Redskins

Green Bay lost its last outing,
a 20-13 result against the Vikings on January 03.
The Packers failed to cover in that game as a -3-point favorite,
while the 33 combined points took the game UNDER the total.

Washington was a 34-23 winner in its last
match on the road against the Cowboys.
They covered the +3-point spread as underdogs,
while the total score of 57 sent OVER bettors to the payout window.

Pick: Washington Redskins +1

 

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INSIDER SPORTS REPORT

Cincinnati -15.5 over S. Florida (NCAAB)

 

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Preview: Sabres (14-22) at Jets (19-19)

Date: January 10, 2016 3:00 PM EDT

Evander Kane left Winnipeg on rough terms about a year ago, and his reception upon return might not be any less rocky.

Kane will try to help the Buffalo Sabres beat Winnipeg for just the second time in 11 tries on Sunday in his first game there since a seven-player trade ended his deteriorating relationship with the Jets.

Kane's time with the Winnipeg organization - two seasons with the Atlanta Thrashers and 3 1/2 with the Jets - included several reported tiffs with his former teammates and what he said were yearly trade requests during the offseasons in Winnipeg.

What led to his departure was a February feud with Dustin Byfuglien after Kane allegedly violated Winnipeg's dress code by wearing a tracksuit to a team meeting. Byfuglien allegedly then threw the tracksuit into a cold tub to send a message, and Kane left the rink and missed the Jets' home game that night. Kane then opted to have season-ending shoulder surgery and was traded to Buffalo a week later.

Kane downplayed his return - which also includes Buffalo's Zach Bogosian and Winnipeg's Tyler Myers and Drew Stafford, who all swapped teams in the trade.

"Ah, just another game," Kane said. "I'm going into it preparing as if we were playing any other team in the league. We're on a six-game slide here, so I'm looking for two points."

Kane wasn't sure about what type of reception to expect from fans, some of which are planning to wear tracksuits as part of "Tracksuit Night."

"I don't know," he said. "I guess we'll find out together."

Buffalo (15-22-4) could desperately use a win after going without a point in six consecutive losses. The Sabres combined for eight goals while Kane has gone without a point during the stretch.

Kane has just eight goals and five assists in 31 games this season with a minus-10 rating for a team that ranks toward the bottom of the NHL with 2.24 goals per game. Stafford is tied for Winnipeg's team lead with 14 goals with eight assists, while Myers has five goals and 13 assists as the Jets fall in the middle of the league with 2.66 goals per game.

Winnipeg (19-19-3) is 4-2-1 in the last two weeks and wrapped up a 2-2-1 road trip with Thursday's 2-1 shootout loss at Dallas. The Jets play nine of their next 10 games at MTS Centre, where they are 11-5-1 and have won eight of their last 10.

"Everyone's on the same page," Byfuglien said. "It's a big part of being a good team is everyone pulling on the same rope."

Byfuglien had little to say about Kane's return.

"It's just like any other game, any other teammate that's been traded," he said. "It's business. We've got to go and do our job."

Winnipeg - 9-1-0 in this series since Jan. 7, 2012 and winners of six straight home games over the Sabres - has used rookie Connor Hellebuyck in net almost exclusively since mid-December since Ondrej Pavelec was lost to a knee injury.

Hellebuyck is 9-4-1 and has been outstanding in his last three starts, posting a .969 save percentage.

Chad Johnson has lost his last three starts for Buffalo with a 3.39 goals-against average. He has suffered shutout losses in his only two career starts against Winnipeg despite a 0.92 GAA.

 

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Preview: Senators (17-16) at Capitals (29-7)

Date: January 10, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

With perhaps his best chance to earn the one achievement that's eluded him his entire career, Alex Ovechkin can first attain yet another remarkable individual accomplishment.

Ovechkin goes for goal No. 500 when the powerful Capitals return to Verizon Center in search of a 10th consecutive home win Sunday night against the Ottawa Senators.

After registering his 498th goal in Saturday's first period, Ovechkin moved within one of becoming the 43rd player to reach the milestone by rushing the length of the ice and scoring 1:25 into overtime in a 4-3 victory over the New York Rangers. It's the seventh goal in seven games for the five-time Rocket Richard Trophy recipient, whose 24 this season are one off the league lead.

'To be honest, I didn't think about it," he said of nearing 500. "I'll probably think about it (Sunday) before the game. Right now, it's a huge comeback for us. When it happens, it happens.'

Ovechkin will have two chances to record the mark at Verizon Center, where Washington (30-7-3) hasn't lost since Nov. 19. The Capitals, who haven't won 10 in a row at home in a single season since a 13-game run Jan. 5-March 6, 2010, host Vancouver on Thursday.

The Capitals come home off a 3-0-2 trip that followed a nine-game winning streak. They're 19-2-2 since Nov. 21 and have amassed a league-leading 65 points, adding to the notion that this could be the best opportunity in Ovechkin's 11 seasons to capture a Stanley Cup.

Ovechkin has just one goal in his last six meetings with Ottawa (20-16-6), which held Boston's potent offense in check in Saturday's 2-1 overtime victory. The Senators have won two of three, including a 3-2 victory Monday at St. Louis that halted a 0-6-1 road skid that contained a 2-1 defeat to the Capitals on Dec. 16.

The Senators have had trouble producing goals of late, managing just seven over their last five outings, but got one late in overtime from Mark Stone to support Craig Anderson's 33 saves.

'It's about momentum,' coach Dave Cameron said. 'You get a win, you play well and you get rewarded for playing well. It certainly should put you in a good mindset going in against the best team in the East. We're going to have our hands full (Sunday) night.'

Ottawa's challenge becomes more difficult if Braden Holtby is in goal for a second straight day. The NHL's leader in wins (27) made 23 saves against the Rangers for his 22nd consecutive start without a regulation loss. He's 19-0-2 with a 1.89 goals-against average since a 1-0 defeat at Detroit on Nov. 10.

Holtby has been especially dominant at home, where he's 11-0-0 with a 1.81 GAA over his past 12 starts. He stopped 26 shots against the Senators last month.

Washington, second in the NHL with 130 goals, won't have Marcus Johansson available as he finishes serving a two-game suspension for Thursday's illegal check on the Islanders' Thomas Hickey. There's still plenty of firepower on hand, though, with Ovechkin rolling and Nicklas Backstrom having recorded three goals and three assists over a five-game point streak.

The Capitals also sport the league's second-best power play at 25.6 percent. Ottawa ranks 28th on the penalty kill but has yielded only one power-play goal over its last four.

With the Senators also playing a back-to-back, Andrew Hammond could draw a second start against Washington this season. He returned from a concussion to make 23 saves in last month's matchup.

The Capitals are 3-0-1 in their last four against Ottawa after losing seven straight in the series.

 

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Preview: Avalanche (21-18) at Blackhawks (25-13)

Date: January 10, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Joel Quenneville's propensity for lineup changes is something he's overcome with a consistent group that has clicked during the Chicago Blackhawks' longest winning streak of the season.

He's perfectly content relying on Corey Crawford in net most of the time, too.

The Blackhawks are on the verge of winning seven straight games, but they'll likely get a tough test Sunday night at home from a Colorado Avalanche team that has scored plenty during a three-game winning streak.

Quenneville never is shy to tinker with his lines, using various combinations aside from his second group of Patrick Kane, Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin, which has been one of the most efficient in the league.

After Chicago (26-13-4) totaled one goal in losses to Dallas on Dec. 22 and Carolina on Dec. 27, Quenneville bumped Andrew Shaw to the top line with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa and moved Teuvo Teravainen to the third.

The Blackhawks haven't lost since while scoring at least three goals in every game during their streak. Philip Danault scored his first NHL goal to break a tie in the third period against Buffalo on Friday before Toews added an empty-netter in a 3-1 home victory.

Toews also assisted on Niklas Hjalmarsson's first-period goal and Duncan Keith finished with two assists. That was enough for Chicago to win for the first time in six instances when Kane, the league's leading scorer, failed to record a point.

'I like the improvements in our game. I think we got a little bit more predictability in our lineup now,' Quenneville said. 'We tried some different things. We'll continue to try to get better, but I like the way, the progression in our team game and our puck possession game.'

Crawford made 28 saves and won his fourth straight start. He's 11-3-0 with a 1.63 goals-against average and four of his NHL-leading six shutouts since Dec. 6.

'I thought I started (the season) pretty strong - really strong, actually,' Crawford said. 'I kinda dipped in November a little bit, was just inconsistent in games, losing focus, giving up goals you don't want to be giving up. I was able to get back at it, play a lot of games, really get in the zone, just be consistent.'

Crawford lost his only start against Colorado this season 3-0 on Dec. 15 and has dropped his last three against the Avalanche. He wasn't in net when Toews scored in overtime to beat Colorado 4-3 on Dec. 31, snapping Chicago's four-game losing streak in the series.

That marked a rare regulation defeat for the Avalanche (21-18-3) during a 9-2-2 stretch that began Dec. 12. They've scored at least four goals each time during a three-game winning streak and got the tiebreaking tally from Tyson Barrie in Friday's 5-3 win over Nashville.

The Central is the only division with four teams at the 50-point mark as Colorado tries to make up ground in arguably the league's strongest group.

'To think, a month ago we were nine points behind (the Predators),' Barrie said. 'It says a lot about our club and what we have been able to do. A lot of season left, but I think we're building towards something and we're getting better every night.'

Semyon Varlamov allowed at least three goals for the fifth time in his last seven starts, though, and has a 3.42 GAA in that span. He had a 1.24 GAA while winning his previous eight starts against Chicago before the New Year's Eve defeat.

 

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Preview: Devils (18-17) at Wild (22-11)

Date: January 10, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

Among the best home teams in the NHL, the Minnesota Wild haven't been particularly good there lately.

Opening a three-game homestand against a struggling opponent gives them an opportunity to change that.

The Wild looks to capitalize on a meeting with the depleted New Jersey Devils on Sunday night.

Although Minnesota (22-11-8) is 14-5-2 at home, it is just 2-2-1 in its last five at the Xcel Energy Center.

The Wild fell 4-3 in overtime to Philadelphia on Thursday but rebounded Saturday with a 2-1 victory at Western Conference-leading Dallas as Devan Dubnyk made 34 saves.

"(Dubnyk) was solid all night," coach Mike Yeo said. "He was composed and he was calm in there all night and obviously made some huge saves."

Dubnyk could be back in net for a ninth straight game. He's started games on back-to-back days three times, losing the second contest each time - all on the road.

He's 2-2-1 with a 2.80 goals-against average in his last five home games after going 9-3-0 with a 1.85 GAA and four shutouts over his first 13.

Dubnyk made 30 saves in a 6-2 win over New Jersey in his only home matchup March 10.

Backup Darcy Kuemper is also a very good option, going 4-0-2 with a 1.26 GAA over his last six games.

Thomas Vanek scored one of Minnesota's two second-period goals Saturday to raise his total to 13. Vanek hasn't scored in six home games, but did tally a pair against the Devils in March.

Zach Parise had two assists in that meeting, giving him three points in two home games against his former team. He's still searching for his first goal against New Jersey after coming up empty on 12 shots in three overall contests.

Minnesota has been limited to 26 goals during a 5-4-2 stretch and has received virtually no help from a power-play unit that is 1 for 22 in that span.

The Wild are 4-1-1 in their last six games versus New Jersey (20-17-5), winning all three at home with a 14-4 scoring edge.

The Devils, who are opening a four-game road trip, have been outscored 7-2 during a three-game slide, and injuries are posing a major problem.

It's unknown when forward Mike Cammalleri (upper body) and defensemen John Moore and David Schlemko (both lower body) will be back, while right wing Jiri Tlusty (upper body) was put on injured reserve Saturday.

Cammalleri has missed four straight games with Schlemko sitting out two and Moore one.

The loss of Cammalleri is a major blow since he leads New Jersey with 35 points with 20 coming in 19 road games. He has six points in his last six visits to Minnesota.

Tlusty was hut Friday and Cammalleri, Moore and Schlemko were replaced by three minor leaguers in a 4-1 loss to Boston. The Devils were outshot 31-20, including 14-4 in the third period.

"I'd say this is the first time where we had a little bit of a challenge, where there wasn't a character response," coach John Hynes said.

Hynes, however, has to like what he's seeing from Bobby Farnham. The rugged right wing has three goals over the past six games, matching his total over his first 16 after being claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh.

 

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Preview: Red Wings (20-13) at Ducks (15-16)

Date: January 10, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

The Detroit Red Wings' longest road trip of the season has featured two games on the East Coast before a cross-country flight to play the first of three in California.

They haven't showed any signs of fatigue yet.

Detroit can win a season-high fourth straight game by snapping a four-game losing streak to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night.

The Red Wings (21-13-7) began their six-game trip with a win over Buffalo on Jan. 2. They beat New Jersey on Monday and flew to San Jose for Thursday's 2-1 victory over the Sharks.

They'll face the Ducks (17-16-7) and then Los Angeles on Monday before concluding the journey Thursday at Arizona. Justin Abdelkader scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period against the Sharks as Detroit got 35 saves from Petr Mrazek, who has provided plenty of help to start the trip.

Mrazek has won each game and has stopped 57 of 58 shots over the last two. He has a 1.83 goals-against average in his last eight appearances - six starts - and made a pair of spectacular saves late in the San Jose game to close it out.

"He's played great for us, especially here lately," Abdelkader said. "I think we've gotten great goaltending throughout the year. Both guys have stepped in when they really needed to. Right now we've been riding Petr lately and he's been playing great. We just got to do a little better job in front of him and make it a little easier on him."

With the Red Wings playing a back-to-back set, it's unclear if Mrazek or Jimmy Howard will get the nod in this contest. Howard is 0-1-2 over his last four starts - he was pulled in another - with a 4.49 GAA.

Coach Jeff Blashill has praised Mrazek lately, and he could choose to ride the hot hand in both games.

"The big thing with Petr is he doesn't get nervous," Blashill said. "The bigger the moment, it doesn't affect his game he just continues to play. I think he enjoys being in those situations. He's got a special mentality that way."

Howard was in net the last time the Red Wings faced the Ducks, a 4-3 shootout defeat Feb. 23 that marked their fourth consecutive loss in the series despite two goals from Pavel Datsyuk.

Anaheim enters this matchup on a 5-1-1 run since the league returned from the holiday break. It beat St. Louis 4-3 in a shootout Friday as Ryan Kesler's second goal of the game tied it early in the third.

Ryan Getzlaf scored the winner in the shootout.

'We knew we needed to buckle down and claw back,' Kesler said. 'We did a good job of it. It would have been tough not getting that extra point, but the guys battled hard and we deserved that extra point.'

John Gibson made 25 saves and is 5-1-0 with a 1.56 GAA during Anaheim's hot stretch. The Ducks held the Blues scoreless on four power plays and have killed off their opponents' last 26 chances with the man advantage. They lead the league with an 89.4 percent kill rate.

Gibson made 35 saves in the last meeting with Detroit, his only career start against the Red Wings.

 

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Preview: Panthers (20-12) at Oilers (14-22)

Date: January 10, 2016 9:30 PM EDT

While they weren't in top form in their latest game, the Florida Panthers played well enough to remain the NHL's hottest team.

The Panthers seek to extend their franchise-record win streak and set another club mark with a sixth consecutive road victory Sunday night when they face a team they've often struggled to beat, the Edmonton Oilers.

Florida (25-12-4) didn't register a shot on goal in its first 12 minutes Thursday in Ottawa and matched a season low with 16. The Panthers, though, earned their 11th consecutive victory by edging the Senators 3-2.

Reilly Smith and Vincent Trocheck scored eight seconds apart in the opening period on Florida's first two shots. The Panthers gave up 32 shots but earned their second victory in a row to open a season-high six-game trip.

Florida's win streak in the longest in the league since Boston's 12-game run March 2-22, 2014.

"I don't think by any means that was our best game. I think it was probably one of our worst in the last 11, but for some reason or another right now, we're finding ways to win games," goaltender Roberto Luongo said. "It's nice. We'll take them. We are not going to always be playing 100 percent and sometimes we'll be off a little bit. If we can still find ways to win, it's always a bonus."

The Panthers are 2-5-5 since 2002-03 against the Oilers, who haven't made the playoffs since 2005-06. They lost 3-2 in a shootout Jan. 17 but did earn just their second win in their past 10 visits to Edmonton six days earlier.

"Every time you face a team that's on a winning streak you want to be that team to beat them," Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said. "It's definitely very exciting for us and we're going to do whatever we can to beat them."

The Oilers (17-22-3) are once again one of the worst teams in the Western Conference and are 3-7-1 in their last 11. Edmonton, though, is 9-3-0 in its past 12 home games and some bad luck cost it a third straight victory at Rexall Place on Friday.

Tampa Bay scored all of its goals in a 3-2 win on pucks that bounced off Oilers skaters in the third period. Justin Schultz and Benoit Pouliot scored for Edmonton in each of the first two periods.

"It's extremely frustrating," goaltender Cam Talbot said. "Especially where we are in the standings. We need every point that we can get. When points slip away like that when you are doing the right things for most of the game, that is tough to swallow."

With games on back-to-back nights, Florida is expected to start Al Montoya in net for this one and Luongo on Monday against his former team, Vancouver. Montoya has never faced Edmonton and might want to keep a close eye on Jordan Eberle.

The Oilers forward has a combined four goals in his last three matchups with Florida.

Edmonton coach Todd McLellan announced Saturday that No. 1 draft pick Connor McDavid is not scheduled to return until after the All-Star break. McDavid hasn't played since Nov. 3 because of a broken collarbone.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Grand Salami - January

The Grand Salami in pro hockey is decided by adding up all the goals scored in every game scheduled for that particular day. You can wager on 'over' or 'under' the Grand Salami total. The total is set by adding up all listed 'over/under' odds for each game on that particular day.

Note: The Grand Salami will have no action if any game is suspended or cancelled before the regulation time of three twenty minute periods. Also, regardless of the number of goals scored during the shoot out portion of the overtime, the final scored recorded for the game will give the winning team on more goal than its opponent based on the score at the end of regulation time.

*The majority of sportsbooks do not put out a total on the Grand Salami when there is only one game on the card. For tracking purposes, we will continue to show the 'over/under' for goals and combined goals scored on days with just one game.

NHL GRAND SALAMI
Date No. of Games Total Goals Combined Goals Scored Result
1/1 2 10.5 9 UNDER
1/2 12 61.5 63 OVER
1/3 4 21 22 OVER
1/4 5 27 17 UNDER
1/5 8 43.5 46 OVER
1/6 5 26.5 23 UNDER
1/7 7 38.5 29 UNDER
1/8 6 31.5 34 OVER
1/9 10 53 47 UNDER
1/10 6 - - -
1/11 4 - - -
1/12 8 - - -
1/13 4 - - -
1/14 8 - - -
1/15 6 - - -
1/16 10 - - -
1/17 7 - - -
1/18 5 - - -
1/19 8 - - -
1/20 3 - - -
1/21 10 - - -
1/22 6 - - -
1/23 11 - - -
1/24 5 - - -
1/25 6 - - -
1/26 9 - - -
1/27 4 - - -
1/28 No games scheduled - - -
1/29 No games scheduled - - -
1/30 No games scheduled - - -
1/31 No games scheduled - - -

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL

Hot teams
-- Winnipeg won seven of its last nine home games.
-- Washington won nine of its last eleven games.
-- Chicago won its last six games. Colorado won its last three games, scoring 13 goals.
-- Detroit won its last three games, allowing four goals. Ducks won five of last seven games.
-- Florida won its last ten games, allowing thirteen goals.

Cold teams
-- Buffalo lost its last six games, scoring eight goals.
-- Senators lost six of their last eight games.
-- Devils lost last three games, scoring two goals. Minnesota lost three of last five at home.
-- Edmonton lost five of its last seven games.

Series records
-- Jets won nine of their last ten games with Buffalo.
-- Washington won three of last four games with Ottawa.
-- Avalanche won four of last five games with Chicago.
-- Devils lost four of last six games with Minnesota.
-- Ducks won their last four games with Detroit.
-- Oilers won six of last seven games with Florida.

Totals
-- Eight of last ten Buffalo-Washington games stayed under.
-- Six of last seven Ottawa games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 5-2-1 in last eight Chicago games.
-- Under is 6-2-1 in last nine Minnesota games.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six Anaheim games.
-- Six of last seven Florida games stayed under.

Back-to-backs
-- Ottawa is 2-4 if it played the night before (teams are 4-8 the night after playing Boston); Washington is 4-2 (teams are 2-4 night after playing the Rangers).
-- Minnesota is 2-5 if it played the night before (teams are 5-3 night after playing Dallas).

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Pelicans (11-24) at Clippers (24-13)

Date: January 10, 2016 3:30 PM EDT

While the New Orleans Pelicans hold out hope over Anthony Davis' latest injury, the Los Angeles Clippers don't appear to be in any rush to get Blake Griffin back.

The scorching Clippers vie for a ninth consecutive win when the Pelicans begin an important road trip Sunday afternoon with Davis' status in question.

Los Angeles (24-13) hasn't slowed down a bit with Griffin sidelined by a partially torn left quadriceps, averaging 110.0 points in winning seven straight without their leading scorer.

'I think it's because we all had to step up by committee,' guard Chris Paul said. 'We're moving the ball and putting a huge emphasis on defense. The only way we can really score without the big fella is we defend and get out in transition.'

The Clippers have held opponents to 95.6 points and a 42.9 percent field-goal percentage over their longest winning streak since a nine-game run from Nov. 24-Dec. 10, 2014. They limited injury-plagued Charlotte to 36.9 percent in Saturday's 97-83 victory at Staples Center, keeping Kemba Walker to 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting after he averaged 27.3 over his previous six outings.

"For us to win, we had to embrace the defensive side of the ball, and we did that," guard J.J. Redick said. "Three quarters for them under 20 points, it's pretty phenomenal."

Los Angeles also is getting strong offensive contributions from Paul, Redick and DeAndre Jordan in the absence of Griffin, who's expected to miss at least one more week. Paul followed a 21-point, 19-assist effort in Wednesday's 109-98 win at Portland with 25 points against Charlotte, while Redick is averaging 21.0 points and shooting 64.3 percent from 3-point range over his last five games.

New Orleans (11-24), on the other hand, shot a combined 37.1 percent in recent home losses to Dallas and Indiana and is averaging 92.0 points over a 1-4 stretch. It played nearly all of Friday's 91-86 defeat to the Pacers without Davis after the star forward suffered a back contusion diving into the crowd in the opening minutes.

With Davis unavailable to patrol the lane, New Orleans was outscored 50-32 in the paint and outrebounded 54-37 to negate a season-high 25 turnovers forced by its defense.

"At the end of the day, we played hard. Now we've got to play smarter," coach Alvin Gentry said. "I did think we competed at the level that we needed to, but we have to convert. Twenty-five turnovers that we forced and we got ten points out of. That's not very good."

New Orleans did receive encouraging performances from Ryan Anderson and Tyreke Evans, both of whom will be relied upon heavily if Davis does miss any time during this three-game trip. Anderson had 21 points Friday and went 4 of 10 from 3 after a 3-of-19 effort over the previous four games, while Evans matched a season high with 27 points.

The Pelicans, 14th in the Western Conference, struggled offensively in a pair of losses to Los Angeles earlier this season. They were 5 of 20 from 3 and shot 36.2 percent overall in a 111-90 defeat at Staples Center on Nov. 27.

Redick scored 26 points as the Clippers won 95-89 in New Orleans without Griffin on Dec. 31, their third straight victory over the Pelicans and 10th in 12 meetings.