Sunday 12/4/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Red Wings (11-11) at Islanders (9-10)

Date: December 04, 2016 6:00 PM EDT

NEW YORK -- The New York Islanders are suddenly playing with confidence, and that may help them escape from the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

The Islanders will try to extend their longest winning streak of the season to four games Sunday night when they face Frans Nielsen and the Detroit Red Wings for the first time this season.

New York (9-10-4) opens a three-game homestand looking for its fifth win in eight games versus Detroit. The Islanders went 1-2-0 against the Red Wings in 2015-16 with the only win coming Feb. 15 in Brooklyn. Brock Nelson opened the scoring in a three-goal second period and Thomas Greiss stopped 28 shots in the 4-1 victory.

During the Islanders' current streak, Griess has turned away 56 of 60 shots en route to wins over the Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins. But Jaroslav Halak delivered his finest performance of the season on Thursday, making 38 saves for his first shutout of the season and 40th of his career in a 3-0 win against the Washington Capitals.

"To be able to string three in a row together -- especially with back-to-back against two of the best teams in the league -- is huge for us," said Shane Prince, who had the game-winner against the Capitals. "We've got to build off it and keep going."

The Islanders may have a better chance of achieving that with Griess starting over Halak.

In his last three starts against Detroit, Halak has struggled, posting a 1-2 record with a 4.40 goals-against-average and .825 save percentage. Greiss has made two starts among three career appearances versus the Red Wings, and has a 2.31 GAA and .913 save percentage.

The Islanders, last in the Metropolitan Division as well as in the East, are still struggling to generate offense as they have been held to three goals or less 19 times, including 10 games at the Barclays Center (3-4-3).

Facing Detroit may be what John Tavares needs to snap out of a season-long slump. Tavares has a goal and five assists in a four-game points streak versus the Red Wings, and is averaging better than a point per game in his career against them (12 games, four goals, 11 assists).

Tavares, who has averaged 29.5 goals per season coming into 2016-17, has just six in 23 games to tie Nelson for the team lead.

As for Nielsen, he played 606 games over 10 seasons with the Islanders, totaling 119 goals and 230 assists. Nielsen told Newsday that he expects to be nervous at first when facing the team that selected him in the third round in 2002 NHL Draft.

"After a couple of shifts, it should be okay," he said. "I still have a lot of friends over there and I want to see them do well. Hopefully we'll both be where we want to be by the end of the season."

Needing a replacement for longtime star Pavel Datsyuk, who returned to Russia, the Red Wings signed Nielsen to a six-year, $31.5 million contract in July. A native of Denmark, Nielsen's best season came in 2013-14 when he set career highs with 25 goals and 33 assists in 80 games.

A two-time 20-goal scorer, Nielsen scored his third goal in five games and sixth of the season Saturday, but Detroit (11-11-3) squandered a two-goal lead after two periods and fell 5-3 to the Penguins.

"One thing I always took pride in when I was in New York was my consistency, being able to do that same things every night on the ice," Nielsen told Newsday. "That's been a little too up and down here. Maybe it's from overthinking a bit, getting used to a new style of play."

With Jimmy Howard day-to-day with a groin injury and Jarred Correau having lost his NHL debut Saturday, the Red Wings are likely to go with Petr Mrazek in goal.

Mrazek is 6-5-3 with a 2.83 GAA and .907 save percentage. One of his career-high 27 wins last season came in Brooklyn, where he stopped 27 shots in a 4-2 win on Jan. 25.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Flyers (13-10) at Predators (11-8)

Date: December 04, 2016 6:00 PM EDT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- While the Nashville Predators try to pick up the pieces after a bitter come-from-ahead loss, the Philadelphia Flyers arrive in town fresh off their fourth straight win.

The teams meet for the first time this season in a late Sunday afternoon contest at Bridgestone Arena after differing outcomes on Saturday.

Philadelphia (13-10-3) used three second-period goals, two by 19-year old rookie defenseman Ivan Provorov 31 seconds apart, to dump the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1. Nashville (11-8-4) hacked up a three-goal third-period lead in a 5-4 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils.

How improbable was the Predators' loss? Not only were they 8-1-1 at home prior to Saturday's game, they also were outscoring the opposition 39-14 at home going into the third period. But New Jersey scored twice in the first 55 seconds of the third, tied it with a power-play marker at 12:37 and won it on its only shot of overtime, courtesy of Michael Cammalleri at 4:42.

"It's an ugly, ugly way to lose a game," admitted Nashville coach Peter Laviolette. "It's a terrible feeling for everyone involved."

Defenseman Matt Irwin said playing back-to-back might be the best thing for the Predators after Saturday's outcome.

"The schedule is perfect for this," he said. "We need every point we can get. It's disappointing that we only got one (point), but we got a chance to get two more tomorrow night and go from there. We are happy that we are right back at it tomorrow."

It's possible that Nashville could opt for rookie Juuse Saros in net instead of Pekka Rinne, the NHL's First Star of November who gave up five goals on only 22 shots Saturday. Saros played well in his two NHL games this year, giving up just one goal in each and posting a .965 save percentage.

As for the Flyers, they received a good outing from veteran Steve Mason, who bagged 26 saves against Chicago to up his record to 8-8-3. Brayden Schenn potted the other goal for Philadelphia, which outshot the Blackhawks 30-27, won 31 of 53 faceoffs and showed excellent discipline in taking just one minor.

"You just have to have the work ethic night in and night out," Mason said. "Overall, the effort was there, and it was exactly what we need. We have another tough test going to Nashville to play. So we're going to have to follow up with another great effort."

Provorov entered Saturday's game with just one goal in the Flyers' first 25 games. Not only did he double that output, he also prevented a Chicago goal by swatting a bouncing puck out of the crease late in the second period to maintain the team's two-goal advantage.

It was a 180-degree turn from his first outing against the Blackhawks, who exploited him throughout a 7-4 defeat and left him with a minus-five on the scoresheet.

"I think you have to keep everything in perspective from a night like that," second-year Philadelphia coach Dave Hakstol said. "He is a guy that continues to work at his game, and continues to build. It was nice to see a couple of those pucks go in for him."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Jets (12-13) at Blackhawks (16-7)

Date: December 04, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The good news for the Chicago Blackhawks is they have depth in goal to withstand the loss of Corey Crawford for a few weeks.

That depth will be tested again as one of the league's top rookies takes the United Center ice for the first time Sunday when the Blackhawks face red-hot Patrik Laine and the Winnipeg Jets.

Chicago (16-7-3) returns home after a 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. But the loss overshadowed news before the game that Crawford -- a five-time 30-game winner -- will miss up to three weeks after undergoing an emergency appendectomy.

"He's the best goalie in the league, him and Carey Price (of the Montreal Canadiens), you could put them in a category by themselves," backup Scott Darling said of Crawford. "He brings it every night. He's been great for us all year. And he's just a great guy. ... I hope he's getting better. "

The Blackhawks tweeted Saturday evening that Crawford traveled back to Chicago with the team. If Crawford misses three weeks, he could return Dec. 27 at home against Winnipeg. Until then, Chicago is scheduled to play 10 games -- including two matchups with the New York Rangers, who lead the league with 3.64 goals per game through Saturday.

Darling, who hasn't started at home since Nov. 6, is 4-1-1 with a 2.81 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage overall this season. He's won all three starts on Chicago's West Side, despite having allowed 10 goals on 105 shots faced.

Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson isn't worried.

"We have plenty of confidence in (Darling). We all know how well he can play, and I think he's more than ready for an opportunity to play some games in a row," he said. "... I think he's going to be doing a great job as he's been doing, pretty much every time he's been playing for us."

Since a loss in their season opener, Chicago is 10-0-2 at the "Madhouse on Madison," having scored at least four goals seven times. Over those 12 games, Artem Anisimov and Marian Hossa have scored a team-best seven goals for the Blackhawks, and five of Hossa's markers have come in the last five games.

The Blackhawks may need a lot from their offense while the defense has the task of trying to slow down Laine, arguably the Jets' best player -- certainly their most exciting -- since Teemu Selanne. Laine scored a goal and assisted on Bryan Little's game-winner 17 seconds into overtime as Winnipeg (12-13-2) topped the St. Louis Blues 3-2 on Saturday.

"It feels good ... but now we have to forget this game and focus on (Sunday)," said Laine as the Jets look for back-to-back road wins for the first time this season.

Laine, taken second overall in June's NHL Draft, shares the NHL lead in goals with Sidney Crosby (16) and leads all rookies in points (23). One of those goals came in a 4-0 victory over the Blackhawks on Nov. 15 in Winnipeg.

So far, Laine has not been as productive playing on the road. In 14 games, the 18-year-old has three goals and five assists, and Winnipeg is 1-5-2 when he fails to register a point away from the MTS Centre.

Saturday's win snapped a six-game road losing streak, and was more impressive as the Jets played without leading scorer Mark Scheifele (13 goals, 13 assists) due to a lower-body injury.

"We don't think this is a long-term (injury) or he wouldn't have taken the morning skate. He wasn't as mobile as he needs to play," Jets coach Paul Maurice said after the win, adding that Scheifele could be in the lineup against the Blackhawks.

Following its relocation from Atlanta in 2011, Winnipeg is 4-4-0 in Chicago, and has been limited to a total of one goal while dropping the last two matchups.

"Hopefully we come into Chicago and have some legs (Sunday), that would be another two big points for us," said Little, who has two goals and an assist in two games after missing 23 with a lower-body injury.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Wild (11-8) at Oilers (14-10)

Date: December 04, 2016 9:30 PM EDT

EDMONTON, Alta -- The Minnesota Wild lost the first three games of their five-game road trip.

But as they prepare to play the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday, Minnesota's coach and players said they feel like they should have come out with something more.

All three were one-goal losses, including Friday 3-2 shootout loss to Calgary, and two came in the shootout.

In each of the Wild's last five games, they scored first. So, it's not like Minnesota is struggling badly. It's more of a case of small mistakes costing them points.

"We've just got to get sharper," said Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk, who played 171 games as an Edmonton Oiler. "We're a great hockey team. We talk about that in the room. Just because we're a great hockey team doesn't mean it's just going to happen for us. We have to go out there and be great. We have a lot of guys in this room that can do that. It's a long season. I have no doubt we'll get back to where we were."

If the Wild could get some goals from their top line, they could turn narrow losses into victories. Coach Bruce Boudreau has been very critical of his top unit of Charlie Coyle, Zach Parise and Eric Staal. The trio didn't get a point against Calgary, and generated only four shots on goal.

They were pointless in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.

"(They) weren't very good," Boudreau said of his top three. "They've got to get going on their own. We can prod them, but in the end, we need those guys to be our best players or we're not going to have success."

The Oilers won only their second home game in their last seven on Saturday, a 3-2 overtime victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Leon Draisaitl scored the winner and has three goals in his last two games. Connor McDavid, the NHL's leader with 34 points, had his seven-game point streak snapped, but still has 15 points in his last eight outings.

"Sometimes it takes a little while to build chemistry and feel really comfortable with guys," Draisaitl said. "We had some good looks (against the Ducks) and had the tough matchups."

Oilers coach Todd McLellan is looking to get more out of the Oilers' power play on home ice. It has been Jekyll-and-Hyde this season. On the road, it has a 26.8 percent success rate, but it's only 12.6 at home.

The Oilers got a power-play goal in Saturday's win, though, and another just as an Anaheim penalty was expiring. So the coach is hoping the team is snapping out of its home-ice funk.

"We've moved a few people around and encouraged them to throw more pucks at the net, but tactically and systematically, there is not a lot of difference," McLellan said. "They are just going in. We were in the crapper with the power play and now we are starting to come out of it and we need to keep it rolling."

This will be the first meeting of the season between the Wild and Oilers.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Ducks (12-8) at Flames (12-13)

Date: December 04, 2016 9:30 PM EDT

CALGARY, Alberta -- The Calgary Flames wrap up a three-game homestand on Sunday with a tough test against the Anaheim Ducks at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Winners of two straight games on home ice, the Flames (12-13-2) will look to keep that momentum going against the Ducks (12-8-5), who lost 3-2 in overtime to the Oilers in Edmonton on Saturday.

"We weren't good enough at the Saddledome obviously in the first bit of the season, so this is huge for us," Flames right winger Kris Versteeg said after scoring once in regulation and again in the shootout during Calgary's 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Friday.

"I think we were trying to do too much at home and put a show on for the fans. The biggest show you can put on is a W, so it was another big win for us and good way to do it."

After winning just two of their first eight games on home ice, the Flames have now won three of their past four at the Saddledome.

"We needed to find a way to win (at home) and I think right now we're learning as a group and we've got to continue this momentum," said center Sean Monahan, who scored the shootout winner against the Wild after drawing an assist on Versteeg's goal in the first period to run his point-scoring streak to three straight games.

"We just take it day by day. Obviously, it's a long season and we prepare for every game like it's a must win. That game Sunday, we're going to come in and have our workboots on and get to work."

In his first season as Flames coach, Glen Gulutzan admitted that it has taken longer than he wanted to implement his system.

"It took a little longer for us to get everything up and running like we wanted it to," Gulutzan told reporters on Saturday. "We just have to progress at a rate that's greater than the rest of the league and I think the learning curve for us is a lot steeper than maybe some of the other teams in the league. We're still trying to grab hold of a new system. We think we can make bigger strides as the year goes on."

While Anaheim lost in overtime on Saturday in Edmonton, the Ducks have still earned points in four straight games -- going 3-0-1 during that span -- and sit third in the Pacific Division just two points behind the San Jose Sharks and one back of the Oilers.

"Any loss is tough," said Ducks goaltender John Gibson, who stopped 29 of 32 shots he faced against the Oilers. "It was a good job fighting back, (but) it was a bit of a letdown that we couldn't get the second point."

The Ducks have now lost four times in overtime and once in a shootout, which is something they want to improve upon going forward.

"We want to take pride in every game we play and obviously we haven't had the success we want in overtime," Gibson said. "Still a lot of time left, so hopefully we can turn it around."

The Ducks had a great chance to pick up their first overtime win of the season against the Oilers, who were penalized for too many men on the ice with 45 seconds to play in regulation.

"Obviously, we had an advantage there but didn't manage to capitalize on it," said right winger Jakob Silfverberg, who's not too concerned about Anaheim's lack of success in extra time.

"We're not trying to think too much about it. But, obviously, we practiced it a little bit a couple of weeks ago. Next time, we get there we've just got to make sure we get out of there with a win."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Grand Salami - December

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
12/1 12 64.5 70 OVER
12/2 2 10 8 UNDER
12/3 12 63 58 UNDER
12/4 7 - - -
12/5 4 - - -
12/6 9 - - -
12/7 4 - - -
12/8 10 - - -
12/9 6 - - -
12/10 10 - - -
12/11 8 - - -
12/12 2 - - -
12/13 10 - - -
12/14 4 - - -
12/15 8 - - -
12/16 7 - - -
12/17 10 - - -
12/18 6 - - -
12/19 5 - - -
12/20 12 - - -
12/21 2 - - -
12/22 10 - - -
12/23 12 - - -
12/24 No games scheduled - - -
12/25 No games scheduled - - -
12/26 No games scheduled - - -
12/27 10 - - -
12/28 5 - - -
12/29 12 - - -
12/30 4 - - -
12/31 11 - - -

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL

Sunday’s games

Kings won five of last seven games with Montreal; Canadiens lost their last three games in this building, all by one goal. Under is 4-3-2 in last nine series games. Montreal lost four of last five road games; their last four games stayed under the total. Los Angeles won six of last seven games, winning four of last five at home. Over is 4-1-2 in their last seven games.

Tampa Bay won eight of last nine games with Carolina; Lightning won four of last five visits to Raleigh. Last four series games went over the total. Tampa Bay lost four of last five games, were outscored 17-7 in losing last four road tilts; over is 4-1-1 in their last six games. Carolina lost five of last six games but won last four home games; under is 5-1-2 in their last eight games.

Home side won four of last five Red Wing-Islander games; Detroit lost four of last six visits to Long Island- three of last four series games went over. Red Wings lost three of last four games; they’re 2-3 in last five road games- under is 5-2-1 in their last eight games. New York won its last three games, outscoring foes 10-4; they won last two home games. Three of their last four home games stayed under.

Flyers won five of their last seven games with Nashville; they’re 2-3 in last five visits to Music City (over 3-1-1). Philly won its last four games, allowing total of 8 goals; they won two of last three road games. Under is 5-2-1 in their last eight games. Predators won four of last five home games, four of last six games overall; four of their last five games went over the total.

Chicago won four of last five games with Winnipeg; Jets lost 3-1/2-0 in last two visits to Windy City. Five of last six series games stayed under the total. Winnipeg won three of last four games overall but lost five of last six on the road; under is 3-2-2 in their last seven games. Chicago won seven of its last eight home games but is 3-4 in its last seven games overall (under 5-1-1).

Minnesota won six of last nine games with Edmonton; they won last four visits here, in series where visitor won seven of last eight meetings. Under is 6-3 in last nine series games. Wild lost their last four road games, three in OT/SO; they’ve lost five of last seven games overall. Over is 3-0-1 in their last four games. Oilers are 5-3 in their last eight games; three of their last four home games stayed under.

Ducks won their last eight games with Calgary, winning last three games in the Saddledome. Over is 6-3 in last nine series games. Anaheim won three of last four games, split last four road games. Ducks’ last three games stayed under the total. Flames won four of last six games, won 3-0/3-2 in last two home games. Under is 4-1-1 in their last six games overall.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA roundup: Thomas' 37 lead Celts past 76ers
By The Sports Xchange

PHILADELPHIA -- Isaiah Thomas scored 37 points, including the go-ahead layup with 30.2 seconds left, as the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 107-106 Saturday night.
Thomas equaled his season high and fell one point short of his career high as Boston won for the third time in four games and the sixth time in eight. The Celtics defeated the 76ers for the nine straight time.
Avery Bradley added 20 points for Boston. Al Horford had 11, and Jae Crowder contributed 10.
Rookie forward Dario Saric equaled his career highs of 21 points and 12 rebounds for Philadelphia, which dropped its six straight. Ersan Ilyasova had 18 points for the Sixers, while Sergio Rodriguez and Jahlil Okafor had 15 each.

Warriors 138, Suns 109
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Stephen Curry scored 31 points, Klay Thompson had 26 and Golden State defeated Phoenix at Oracle Arena.
The Warriors, coming off a 132-127 double-overtime loss to Houston on Thursday, extended their ongoing NBA-record streak of games without consecutive losses to 106. Draymond Green had a season-high 13 assists, nine points and five rebounds. Kevin Durant added 20 points and eight assists. David West had a season-high 10 points off the bench, going 5 of 5 from the field.
Eric Bledsoe led the Suns with 27 points and Devin Booker had 21. Brandon Knight scored 14 points off the bench.
The Warriors shot 66.7 percent from 3-point range, going 14 of 21. Thompson made 6 of 7 from long range and Curry was 5 of 7.

Raptors 128, Hawks 84
TORONTO -- DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points, Kyle Lowry added 17 points and dished eight assists, and Toronto extended its winning streak to a season-best six games. It was the sixth loss in a row for the Hawks, who fell for the ninth time in 10 games.
The Raptors led by as many as 21 points during the first half, were ahead by 15 points at halftime and by 16 after three quarters before running away with the game in the fourth quarter.
Patrick Patterson added 17 points off the Raptors' bench. Dennis Schroder and Tim Hardaway Jr. each scored 15 points for the Hawks, Dwight Howard had 10 points and grabbed 17 rebounds.

Timberwolves 125, Hornets 120 (OT)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Andrew Wiggins had 29 points while Karl-Anthony Towns collected 27 points and 15 rebounds as Minnesota snapped a four-game losing streak by beating Charlotte in overtime.
The Timberwolves used a spirited fourth-quarter comeback that began with a 10-0 run and a dominant overtime stanza to seal the victory.
Minnesota got 17 points from Zach LaVine and 12 each from Shabazz Muhammad and Nemanja Bjelica. Charlotte, who fell for the second time in three games, was led by Kemba Walker with 22 points. Frank Kaminsky chipped in 21 points, while Nicolas Batum had 15 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds.

Bucks 112, Nets 103
MILWAUKEE -- Matthew Dellavedova scored a season-high 18 points as the Milwaukee Bucks held off a furious comeback attempt by the Brooklyn Nets and extended their winning streak to a season-high four games with a 112-103 victory Saturday evening at the Bradley Center.
Dellavedova was one of six Milwaukee starters to score in double figures. All five starters scored at least 10 points with John Henson's 20 leading the way. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 16 while Jabari Parker added 15 and Tony Snell had 10.
Bojan Bogdanovic had 24 to pace Brooklyn, which also got 19 from Sean Kilpatrick, 17 from Joe Harris and 13 from Brook Lopez.

Mavericks 107, Bulls 82
DALLAS -- Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews combined for 48 points and nine 3-pointers to lead Dallas to just its fourth win of the season, a wire-to-wire victory over fatigued Chicago.
Matthews poured in a team-high and season-high-tying 26 points and buried a season-high seven of his 11 3-point attempts to give him 19 threes in his past four games. Barnes, Dallas' leading scorer with 13-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki sidelined for much of this season, finished with 22 points.
The Bulls arrived in Dallas in the early morning after wrapping up an impressive home win Friday night against the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers. They left superstar Dwyane Wade at home in Chicago to take the night off during this stretch of four games in five nights. Jimmy Butler topped the Bulls with 26 points and nine rebounds.

Grizzlies 103, Lakers 100
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Troy Daniels scored a career-high 31 points off the bench as Memphis defeated Los Angeles.
The Grizzlies led 103-97 after Marc Gasol (19 points, eight assists) hit a short shot at the 1:15 mark. The Lakers cut the lead to 103-100 when Lou Williams (40 points) converted a three-point play.
The Lakers had a great chance to tie when Gasol fouled power forward Julius Randle behind the 3-point arc with 5.9 seconds remaining. But Randle, a 70.8 percent free-throw shooter, missed all three shots. Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson got the rebound but misfired on a desperation three from the corner and time ran out.

Jazz 105, Nuggets 98
SALT LAKE CITY -- Gordon Hayward scored 32 points and Rodney Hood added 15 to help Utah claim a victory over Denver Nuggets.
Trey Lyles added 12 points off the bench for the Jazz, who beat the Nuggets for the sixth time in the past seven meetings.
Will Barton and Wilson Chandler each scored 20 points to lead Denver, which could not overcome cold shooting in the third quarter. The Nuggets lost their third straight and fell for the fifth time in six games.

Trail Blazers 99, Heat 92
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Portland outscored Miami 14-1 over the final three minutes in a come-from-behind victory.
Damian Lillard scored 19 points and Moe Harkless and CJ McCollum had 17 apiece for the Trail Blazers, won with their second straight game.
Hassan Whiteside contributed 28 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots, and Goran Dragic had 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Heat, who saw their two-game winning streak end.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Magic (8-12) at Pistons (11-10)

Date: December 04, 2016 6:00 PM EDT

The Detroit Pistons have found an offensive groove without Reggie Jackson. The addition of their primary floor leader should make them even more dangerous.

Jackson, who has been sidelined all season because of a left knee tendinitis, could make his season debut on Sunday when the Pistons face the Orlando Magic at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Pistons' starting point guard has been practicing this week.

"The medical people have cleared him, he's gone 5-on-5, though not a ton," Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy told the team's beat reporters. "It's really a matter of his comfort level and if he wants to give it a shot. Whenever he says 'I'm ready to go,' then he's ready to go."

His fill-in, Ish Smith, has guided the team with precision during the Pistons' current three-game winning streak.

Smith has averaged 14.3 points and 8.0 assists with only one turnover during that span. He had an 11-point, 13-assist outing -- his first double-double of the season -- in Detroit's 121-85 blowout of Atlanta on Friday, which completed a 3-1 trip.

"You couldn't play much better than he did (Friday)," Van Gundy said. "He's played like that for quite a while."

The Pistons have averaged 118 points in those three victories, pushing their season record to 11-10. They are 10-3 when reaching the 100-point mark.

Their victory over the Hawks, who were missing top offensive threat Paul Millsap, was easily their largest winning margin this season.

"Defensively, we were able to get stops," Smith said. "And offensively, we were flying up and down the floor. On the offensive end, we were able to move the ball, get the ball from side to side.

"Knowing where everybody likes the ball, and where everybody wants their shots, helps out a lot."

Orlando (8-12) recovered from a one-point loss to Memphis by clobbering Philadelphia 105-88 on Friday.

"It's really important to bounce back," center Nikola Vucevic told the Orlando Sentinel. "In this league, you have to be able to do that after tough losses."

The Magic drained 13 of 23 3-point shots and also got a boost from ex-Piston guard Jodie Meeks. Making his Magic debut after undergoing right foot surgery in July, Meeks scored 10 points in 17 minutes.

Forward Aaron Gordon led six players in double figures with 20 points.

"It's tough to lose a game the way we did (Thursday)," coach Frank Vogel told the Sentinel. "There's no other way to look at it. I've seen it go a lot of different ways.

"You come in the next night and you're still feeling disjointed a little bit because of it. But we talk about togetherness all the time, and nobody felt good about how that game went ... so our guys banded together."

Detroit won the first meeting between the teams decisively on Oct. 28th, cruising to a 108-82 victory in its home opener. The Pistons shot 50.5 percent from the field and held the Magic to 34.7 percent shooting.

Former Orlando forward Tobias Harris led the Pistons with 18 points that night, while center Andre Drummond collected 12 points and 20 rebounds.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Pelicans (7-13) at Thunder (12-8)

Date: December 04, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Two years ago, there wasn't a player in the NBA with a bigger upside than Anthony Davis.

The 2012 top overall pick was being compared to Steph Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant as players with whom to start a franchise.

After an injury-riddled 2015-16 campaign, Davis is back to playing at an MVP-caliber level. He is leads the NBA in scoring at 31.5 points and in blocks with 2.68 rejections per game. Davis also is in the top 10 in rebounding at 10.9.

When the Pelicans (7-13) face off with the Oklahoma City Thunder (12-8) on Sunday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, it will be a battle of the league's top two scorers. Thunder guard Russell Westbrook is slightly behind Davis at 31.2 ppg.

Unfortunately for coach Alvin Gentry, the rest of Pelicans are not matching the pace Davis has set. That includes 2016 first-round pick Buddy Hield.

When the Pelicans pay a visit to Oklahoma City, it will be Hield's first basketball game back in the state since he led the Oklahoma Sooners to the Final Four last season. He is looking forward to playing in front of his former hometown crowd.

"It's going to be fun. A college atmosphere," Hield told NBA.com. "I'm going to have fun and when I get in, stay locked in and try to help my team get a win."

However, Hield is still trying to figure out the pro game. Through 20 games, he is averaging less than seven points and only shooting only 23.7 percent from 3-point range.

These days, there is no guarantee Hield will even get into the game.

"Obviously if the situation is right, I want to try to play him in Oklahoma," Gentry told NBA.com. "They deserve to see him play. That's where his whole fan base and the support he's gotten over the years has been. As a coach, you want to be able to reward guys in situations like that, to put him in a situation where he can play in the game."

The Pelicans now face a rested Oklahoma City squad that hasn't played since beating Washington in overtime Wednesday. And while it's been Westbrook's four straight triple doubles that have gotten most of the headlines, the improved play of Jerami Grant has really been a key to the Thunder's four-game win streak.

Coming off the bench, Grant's ability to play defense on a variety of positions has helped strengthen what had been a major weakness.

"I don't think people understand how hard his transition coming here has been because he's had to learn a position at the four, a position at the three and on defense," Thunder coach Billy Donovan told NBA.com. "That's hard, especially in pick and roll coverage. Sometimes he's switching and sometimes he's in normal coverage, His IQ has helped him with the adjustment."

Like every front line player for the Thunder, Grant will see time guarding Davis. Because he can score from all over the court, it is going to put tremendous pressure on Oklahoma City's defense to keep him from putting up big numbers on both ends of the court.

"It's a little bit of everything," Anthony Morrow said of the Thunder defense. "Overall it's just guys paying attention to detail and just sticking with the process overall. Every game is different, but we understand that when we're on the same page, everybody is working towards that same goal defensively and the defense is on a string, that's when we know we're at our best."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Kings (7-12) at Knicks (10-9)

Date: December 04, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

With an ailing Joakim Noah forced to the bench by a sprained ankle, the New York Knicks have turned to reserve center Kyle O'Quinn to supplement their scoring and rebounding.

The Knicks (10-9) are 4-0 when O'Quinn is in the starting lineup. New York will look to improve its 9-3 record at Madison Square Garden on Sunday when it hosts the Sacramento Kings.

Shooting guard Courtney Lee (ankle) sat out Friday and is day-to-day for New York, which has not been two games over .500 since Nov. 21 last season.

O'Quinn had his first double-double of the season in the Knicks' 118-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. He scored 20 points and pulled in 13 rebounds.

After the game, Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek was understandably non-committal about Noah returning to the starting spot when he is healthy.

"We'll see when that happens," Hornacek said. "Right now we're just happy. We just won a game."

O'Quinn is taking his new role in stride.

"It doesn't matter to me," he said. "Whatever coach decides to do, I'll roll with it. Starting, coming off the bench - as long as I'm in the mix. Whatever he decides. What am I going to argue with him?

"Joakim didn't go nowhere," O'Quinn said. "He's still sitting next to me, talking to me every timeout, like a coach. Much appreciated."

Carmelo Anthony took a season-high 10 3-pointers, making five in the back end of the home-and-home series with Minnesota. He scored 29 points - the ninth time this season he's collected 20 or more points.

Sacramento (7-12) is 3-6 over its last nine games, but only one of those losses was by double figures - including a 97-92 decision at Boston on Friday.

"We've got to look ourselves in the mirror and hold ourselves accountable," Kings center DeMarcus Cousins told the Sacramento Bee. "If you know you're not giving 100 percent at the beginning of the game, you're the issue - myself and everybody else in this room included. So it's on us."

Arron Afflalo returns to the Garden as the Kings' starting shooting guard. He spent last season in the same role with the Knicks. He's averaging 8.6 points per game.

The Kings are Afflalo's sixth team. He was drafted by Detroit in 2007 and spent two seasons there before being traded to the Denver Nuggets. Four years later, he was traded to the Orlando Magic in the Andrew Bynum-Dwight Howard deal. He averaged a career-high 18.2 points per game in 2014 with the Magic before being traded back to the Nuggets.

The UCLA product also played for Portland before signing with the Knicks last offseason. He out of his contract and signed with the Kings over the summer.

"I knew we kind of had a new team coming," Afflalo told Basketball Insiders. "I was a fan of (Kings coach Dave) Joerger and the way he coached in Memphis. Just happy to be a little bit closer to home, and Sacramento was one of the early teams that reached out, and they won. It just felt like a good fit at the time."

The Kings swept the two-game series last season by a combined 10 points.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Pacers (9-10) at Clippers (16-5)

Date: December 04, 2016 9:30 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES -- After capping a six-game road trip on a high note, the Los Angeles Clippers begin a four-game homestand Sunday night against the Indiana Pacers at Staples Center.

The Clippers (16-5) salvaged their recent journey with back-to-back victories over the New Orleans Pelicans and the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday and Friday. They started the run with a win over the Dallas Mavericks before suffering consecutive losses to the Detroit Pistons, Pacers and Brooklyn Nets before bouncing back in impressive fashion, particularly against the Cavaliers, who the Clippers hammered 113-94.

One night later, Blake Griffin's 27 points and 10 rebounds sparked Los Angeles to a 114-96 rout of the Pelicans to finish its stretch at 3-3. Although the players were pleased with how they finished on the road, Clippers coach Doc Rivers wasn't satisfied.

"I think we're better than that," Rivers said, according to the Orange County Register. "I don't think we should go .500 on a road trip. I think we should be better than that. We're asking a lot, but if you want to be special, you've got ask a lot."

The Clippers have been solid for much of the season. Their defense has been a major reason. Although they slipped to sixth in the league for points allowed (98.6) -- Brooklyn's 127-122 double-overtime decision hurt the Clippers' cause -- they are second to the Golden State Warriors in points differential at 10.4 points per contest.

Los Angeles, Indiana and the Atlanta Hawks are tied for second in steals at 9.2 per game.

Point guard Chris Paul has been one of the team's catalyst on defense. Paul led the league in steals at 2.62 per game before Saturday's slate. Center DeAndre Jordan was third in rebounding at 12.8 boards.

Griffin is the team's leading scorer, averaging 21 points per outing.

Meanwhile, the Pacers (9-10) have struggled under first-year coach Nate McMillan. They were on the wrong end of a 131-109 shelling by the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, which kicked off a five-game visit to the West Coast. The Trail Blazers scored 73 points in the first half.

"They came out and got whatever they wanted," said Pacers center Al Jefferson, according to IndyStar.com. Jefferson came off the bench to score 13 points against Portland.

"They ran their offense very well and they beat us in every way they could beat us. For whatever reason, we didn't have it. I'm disappointed in the way we came out."

However, the Pacers have been without All-Star Paul George, who has missed six of the last seven contests with an ankle injury. George leads the Pacers in scoring at 20.8 points and second in rebounds at 6.8.

George, though, plans to play against the Clippers.

"I was good enough to play, but I wasn't a 100 percent," George said after the Portland loss, according to IndyStar.com. "Being hurt and sitting out, little stuff like that nags on you. But that's the only thing I'm hoping, that I can play without a tweak, where I have full strength where I can cut and be aggressive off the drive. That's the only thing I'm concerned about."

A lack of defense has been a concern for the Pacers. Despite their status as one of the league's leaders in thefts, the Pacers give up an average of 106.5 points, which ranked 22nd heading into Saturday's games. They were tied with the Utah Jazz at 21st in rebounding at 42.7 per game. Turnovers are another area the Pacers have had trouble limiting, committing 14.7 per game (tied for 21st).

However, Indiana was fourth in limiting the opposition's 3-point shooting at 33 percent.

The Clippers, though, will be shooting for revenge. Indiana pinned a 91-70 blowout on them on Nov. 27.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA

Sunday’s games

Pistons won their last seven games with Orlando (7-0 vs spread); Magic lost their last four visits to Motor City, by 26-16-26-10 points. Over is 7-2 in last nine series games. Magic are 4-6 on road, 5-3 as road underdogs; six of their last seven games stayed under total. Detroit won/covered five of its last six games; they’re 7-2 SU/ATS at home, 6-1 as home favorites. Five of last six Piston games went over the total.

Pelicans are 5-3 in last eight games with Oklahoma City, but they lost last two visits here by 7-26 points. Four of last five series games went over the total. New Orleans lost three of last four games; they’re 2-8 on road, 3-6-1 vs spread, 3-5-1 as a road underdog. Under is 7-3 in their road games. Thunder won/covered their last four games; they covered four of last five games as a home favorite. Over is 6-2 in their last eight games.

Kings won their last four games with New York, winning by 38-8 in last two visits to Manhattan. Four of last six series games went over total. Sacramento lost three of its last four games; they’re 3-6 as a road underdog. Six of Kings’ last nine games went over total. Knicks won/covered six of last seven home games; they’re 6-1 as home favorites this year. Over is 3-1-1 in their last five games.

Clippers are 4-6 in last ten games with Indiana, which won three of last four visits here. Under is 4-0-1 in last five series games. Pacers are 5-4 in last nine games overall, 1-6 on road, 1-3 as road underdogs. Under is 7-3 in their last ten games. Clippers are home after a 3-3 road trip; they’re 7-2 at home, 0-2-1 in last three games as a home favorite. Over is 10-3 in their last thirteen games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Top 25 roundup: No. 11 UCLA upsets No. 1 Kentucky
By The Sports Xchange

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Isaac Hamilton scored 19 points and No. 11 UCLA used 10 3-pointers and 53 percent shooting to upset No. 1 Kentucky 97-92 on Saturday at Rupp Arena.
The loss snapped the Wildcats' 42-game home winning streak.
T.J. Leaf had 17 points, Thomas Welsh and Lonzo Ball each scored 14 and Bryce Alford added 11 for the Bruins (9-0), who pushed ahead for good during the last 3:18 of the first half and first 3:05 of the second half when they outscored Kentucky 23-6.
Malik Monk scored 24 points and De'Aaron Fox had 20 for the Wildcats (7-1), who shot a season-low 41.2 percent. Bam Adebayo had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Isaiah Briscoe scored 12.

No. 25 West Virginia 66, No. 6 Virginia 57
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Jevon Carter scored 11 points and Nathan Adrian added 10 as the Mountaineers ended the Cavaliers' 24-game home winning streak.
West Virginia (6-1) shot 45 percent from the field and forced Virginia (7-1) into 14 turnovers. The lead changed hands 14 times in the second half before a 3-pointer from Esa Ahmad with 1:27 left gave the Mountaineers a three-point lead.
The Cavaliers were led by Darius Thompson, who scored a game-high 14 points. Virginia's London Perrantes was 2 of 10 from the field and scored only six points, but dished out seven assists.

No. 9 Baylor 76, No. 7 Xavier 61
WACO, Texas -- Manu Lecomte poured in 24 points and dished out five assists, while Johnathan Motley pitched in 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Bears dismissed the Musketeers.
Baylor (8-0) was left out of the Top 25 to begin the season but has since defeated No. 23 Oregon, No. 14 Louisville, then-No. 24 Michigan State and Xavier.
Trevon Bluiett and Edmond Sumner had 23 and 19 points, respectively, for Xavier (7-1). The Musketeers shot 23 percent in the second half and 31 for the contest.

No. 8 Gonzaga 69, No. 16 Arizona 62
LOS ANGELES -- Przemek Karnowski hit 9 of 13 shots and scored 18 points as the Bulldogs held off the shorthanded Wildcats in the inaugural Hoophall LA doubleheader.
Karnowski used his 300 pounds to muscle close to the basket, finishing with both hands, hitting jump hooks and fade-away jumpers in the lane at Staples Center. Josh Perkins added 16 points for Gonzaga (8-0), which is 8-0 and off to its best start since they opened 9-0 in 2012-13.
Rawle Alkins led Arizona (6-2) with 16 points. The Wildcats had only seven available scholarship players and was without Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who suffered a high ankle sprain Wednesday night.

No. 2 Villanova 88, Saint Joseph's 57
VILLANOVA, Pa.-- Kris Jenkins scored 20 points and Josh Hart registered 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as the Wildcats cruised to victory over the Hawks.
Darryl Reynolds added 13 points and Jalen Brunson contributed 11, while Eric Paschall and Donte DiVincenzo each had 10 for the Villanova (8-0), who won their record 16th straight Big 5 game. It was also Villanova's 42nd consecutive victory at The Pavilion.
Lamarr Kimble paced Saint Joseph's (3-4) with 15 points, while Shavar Newkirk had 11.

No. 4 Kansas 89, Stanford 74
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Frank Mason scored 20 points as the Jayhawks defeated the Cardinal.
Devonte' Graham added 15 points and Josh Jackson scored 13. Svi Mykhailiuk added 13 for Kansas (7-1), who went 12 of 22 from 3-point range.
Reid Travis recorded a career-high 29 points and nine rebounds for Stanford (6-3). He set opponent records against the Jayhawks for free throws made (19) and attempted (22).

No. 5 Duke 94, Maine 55
DURHAM, N.C. -- Luke Kennard scored 35 points as the Blue Devils blasted the Black Bears in a game that marked the debuts of heralded freshmen Jayson Tatum and Marques Bolden,
Tatum, who was in the starting lineup, had 10 points and eight rebounds. He left the game with a cramping right leg with 17:58 remaining and didn't return. Bolden finished with seven points and five rebounds for Duke (8-1).
Ilker Er scored 20 points, including 18 in the first 17 minutes, for Maine (2-6), which was saddled with a season-low point total.

No. 10 Creighton 82, Akron 70
OMAHA, Neb. -- Marcus Foster scored 27 points and the Bluejays slowed a late second-half comeback by the Zips to keep their undefeated season intact.
Cole Huff (16 points), Maurice Watson (14), and Justin Patton (11) also finished in double figures for Creighton (8-0) with Foster and Patton scoring 10 or more points in each of their first eight games with the Bluejays.
Kwan Cheatham Jr. topped Akron (6-2) with 17 points. Isaiah Johnson scored 13, and Antino Jackson added 12.

No. 14 Louisville 79, Grand Canyon 70
PHOENIX -- Deng Adel scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half and V.J. King had 14 points to help the Cardinals pull away from the Antelopes.
Ray Spalding also scored 14 points for Louisville (7-1), which enjoyed a 36-25 rebounding edge. The Cardinals played without 7-foot center Anas Mahmoud, who did not make the trip after suffering what coach Rick Pitino called concussion symptoms after being struck against Purdue on Wednesday.
DeWayne Russell had a career-high 42 points, making 14 of 27 field goal attempts and 3 of 6 3-pointers for Grand Canyon (3-4). No Antelope had scored more than 30 points since the school went to NCAA Division I status in 2013-14.

No. 15 Purdue 90, Morehead State 56
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Boilermakers made 11 3-pointers during the first 20 minutes, including four apiece from Dakota Mathias and Carsen Edwards, en route to a rout of the Eagles.
Edwards finished with 16 points, Mathias added 14 and Caleb Swanigan and P.J. Thompson each scored 13 for Purdue (6-2).
Miguel Dicent scored 11 points for Morehead State (2-5). The Eagles were without coach Sean Woods, who was suspended without pay on Nov. 22 after reports surfaced from players claiming they were being mistreated.

No. 17 Wisconsin 90, Oklahoma 70
MADISON, Wis. -- Nigel Hayes scored 18 of his 28 points in the second half as the Badgers routed the Sooners.
D'Mitrick Trice, Bronson Koenig and Ethan Happ delivered 16 points apiece for Wisconsin (7-1), who won its third consecutive game. The Badgers registered a season-low five turnovers and only gave up 10 second-half points in the paint to Oklahoma (5-2).
Rashard Odomes scored 17 points for the Sooners, who were competing in their first true road game of the season.

No. 18 Butler 82, Central Arkansas 58
INDIANAPOLIS -- Kelan Martin scored 30 points, including five 3-pointers in the second half, to guide the Bulldogs past the Bears and to their best start since 2008-09.
Tyler Wideman was the only Butler player to score in double figures with 10 points. Martin shot 11 for 22 from the field - 5 for 11 from 3-point range as Butler (8-0) shot 49.2 percent overall and was 20 for 28 inside the arc.
Jordan Howard scored 20 points and Derreck Brooks added 15 for the Bears (1-7).

Providence 63, No. 21 Rhode Island 60
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Kyron Cartwright had 19 points and eight assists to help the Friars upset the in-state rival Rams.
Rodney Bullock, Providence's leading scorer at 21.4 points, had 17 after scoring a career-high 36 against New Hampshire on Wednesday. Jalen Lindsey added 13 points for the Friars (6-2).
Hassan Martin posted 14 points and 17 rebounds and Jared Terrell scored 14 for Rhode Island (5-3).

No. 22 Syracuse 77, North Florida 71
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Andrew White scored 26 points and was 7 for 13 from 3-point range as the Orange made 13 of 24 from beyond the arc en route to victory over the Ospreys.
Freshman Tyus Battle, making his first career start, shot 4 of 5 from beyond the arc and finished with a career-best 19 points for Syracuse (5-2). Frank Howard had 10 points and 13 assists for the Orange.
North Florida's Dallas Moore, the Atlantic Sun Conference reigning Player of the Year, scored 30 points. Nick Malonga added 12 points for the Ospreys (3-7).

No. 23 Oregon 128, Savannah State 59
EUGENE, Ore. -- Tyler Dorsey scored a career-high 29 points as the Ducks set school records for points and field goals in a game.
Dillon Brooks added 22 points while center Chris Boucher had 12 for Oregon (5-2), which won its fifth straight game. The Ducks, who have won 30 straight at home, outscored the Tigers 70-24 in the second half.
Dexter McClanahan scored 13 points to lead Savannah State (2-8).

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Florida International Panthers (3-5) at South Carolina Gamecocks (7-0)

Date: December 04, 2016 2:00 PM EDT

After beating ranked opponents Michigan and Syracuse last week, No. 20 South Carolina has stepped down in competition this week.

But Gamecocks coach Frank Martin -- and his team's leaders -- want nothing to do with any letdown, as they prepare to host Florida International on Sunday.

South Carolina handled Vermont rather easily, 68-50, on Thursday to improve to 7-0.

However, Martin wasn't pleased with his team's focus in the first half. He warned his players in post-game press conference to be ready to go in practice and in Sunday's game.

"If they don't, I feel bad for them," Martin said. "Not because of me, but Sindarius (Thornwell), Duane (Notice), all of those guys.

"Someone is going get destroyed in practice, if they come out and don't come in here tomorrow ready to work. That's the beauty of where we're at as a program."

When Martin arrived at South Carolina four years ago, player-driven discipline wasn't part of the program's makeup. It was something the intense veteran coach had to instill.

Martin believes it's ingrained in his program now.

"That had to be me four years ago (getting on players)," Martin told reporters. "That's why I got suspended. I had guys that didn't understand that. That had to be me. Now, it doesn't have to be me. I've got guys that have been through it. They're going to go out and practice and they're going to demand that things be done a certain way.

"Whenever they see me getting mad, because they see one or two or three guys who aren't doing what they're asked to do, they've got to deal with internal peer pressure, and it's not from the 50-year-old. It's from the guy that lives in the dorm with them. We've created that, and our leadership is real good."

South Carolina and No. 1 Kentucky are the only two unbeaten teams left in the SEC.

Thornwell, a versatile 6-5 senior guard, is a big reason the Gamecocks have been so impressive to start the season. He leads the team with 18.7 points per game, 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists, ranks in the top 10 in program history in assists and steals.

Florida International, under coach Anthony Evans, comes into Sunday's game at 3-5, with four of the Golden Panthers' losses coming by six points or fewer.

Senior forward Michael Kessens set a school record with 23 rebounds in Florida International's 84-81 overtime loss to Elon on Thursday. It was the third overtime loss of the season for the Panthers.

Senior guard Donte McGill is FIU's primary scoring threat. He's averaging 19.1 points per game.

Kessens is averaging 14.9 points and 12.1 rebounds. The two seniors are the Panthers' catalysts for a program in need of a turnaround.

Florida International hasn't experienced a winning season since 2012-13 and is coming off a 13-19 campaign.

Evans is in his fourth year at Florida International. He has a close relationship with Martin.

"Anthony (Evans) and I are friends," Martin told reporters after the Vermont game. "Anthony and I have known each other for a while. His video guy is like a little brother to me. His dad played for me in high school. ... It's one of those things, it just made sense. They're pretty good."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Southeast Missouri State Indians (4-3) at Indiana Hoosiers (6-1)

Date: December 04, 2016 4:00 PM EDT

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- No. 13 Indiana will conclude what so far has been a taxing but triumphant stretch of four games in eight days when Southeast Missouri State visits Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Sunday afternoon.

The Hoosiers (6-1) are looking to extend their home win streak to 23 games, which would tie for the sixth-longest streak in program history.

The last three victories have come in the past five days, but the Hoosiers probably won't have one of their best players. Sophomore forward OG Anunoby missed Friday's 83-60 home rout of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville with a sprained left ankle.

Coach Tom Crean's Indiana team is young and talented without a senior in the lineup, so the legs have stayed reasonably fresh in a demanding stretch that included an exhausting 76-67 home win over No. 3 North Carolina on Wednesday night.

Anunoby led the team in scoring in his past two games with 37 points combined before suffering the injury late against the Tar Heels.

"I don't think it's long term," Crean said Friday of Anunoby, who is averaging 12.5 points and 6.0 rebounds. "But I'm not banking on him. But we'll see. Every ankle responds differently."

The Redhawks (4-3) began the season with an 81-62 loss at Illinois before winning three of four by double digits. Their most recent game was Thursday, an 87-63 home win over Central Arkansas in which they erased a seven-point halftime deficit with a 36-1 run.

"Twenty-eight assists on 33 made baskets indicates you are really sharing the basketball," Redhawks coach Rick Ray said after the win.

Ray is in his second season at the Ohio Valley Conference school and is familiar with Indiana from his days as an assistant coach. He spent four seasons under Matt Painter at Big Ten rival Purdue through 2010 and was on Indiana State's staff under Royce Waltman for seven years through 2004.

"Guys are starting to believe and starting to buy in," Ray said. "We've still got a long ways to go defensively, but we've got some options on the offensive end that when our defense is not clicking on all cylinders, we still have the ability to score."

Senior guard Antonius Cleveland averages 16 points for Southeast Missouri State. Senior forward Trey Kellum averages 12.9 points and 7.0 rebounds. Freshman forward Denzel Mahoney is scoring 10.6 per game.

"I know they went into Illinois and got after them," said Crean, who is in his ninth season at Indiana. "So we won't take them lightly."

Junior guard James Blackmon Jr. has a team-high 17.6-point average for a deep Hoosiers squad. Sophomore Juwan Morgan started for Anunoby on Friday and scored a career-high 18 points while also matching a career rebounding best with 10. Freshman reserve forward De'Ron Davis also scored a career-high 14 points.

"It's pretty taxing as far as our stamina," Morgan said of the four-game stretch, "but I think it's more mental than physical."

Indiana improved to 21-0 against the OVC with Friday's blowout.

Crean was impressed by how his team handled the energy drain from knocking off previously unbeaten North Carolina.

"I've coached a lot of games as an assistant and as head coach, and I've not been part of many that had that level of intensity, effort, energy, toughness and talent, all at the same time," he said of facing the Tar Heels.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NCAAB

Sunday’s games

South Carolina is 7-0 with three top 100 wins; they’re 2-0 vs teams outside the top 200, with wins by 32-42 points. Gamecocks have a 37.6% eFG% defense, #2 in country. FIU is 1-5 with two non-D-I wins, but three of their five losses came in OT, at South Alabama, Elon and vs Jacksonville on a neutral court. FIU is shooting 30.6% on the arc; this is their first top 100 game this season. SEC home favorites are 17-17 vs spread; C-USA road underdogs are 16-11.

Davidson beat Charleston last two years by 1-12 points; they scored last four points of game LY to nip Cougars 82-81 at home in game that was 52-45 at half. Wildcats are 5-1 with 21-pt road win at Mercer, and 2-1 showing on neutral floor in a tourney in Orlando. Charleston is 5-3 with losses by 20-16-17 points; Cougars are shooting 26.9% on arc, 11th-worst in country. A-14 favorites are 12-5 vs spread away from home; CAA underdogs are 13-8. Davidson plays at UNC Wednesday; better not look past this game.

Georgia is 5-2 with losses by 11-10 points to Clemson/Kansas, their only two top 100 games so far; Dawgs’ best win is over #127 George Washington by 8. Georgia starts to sophs, two juniors; they’re #163 experience team. Marquette is 5-2 with neutral court win over SEC’s Vanderbilt; they lost to Michigan/Pitt on neutral floor in NYC- this is their first true road game. Golden Eagles are playing #20 pace; their subs play #17 minutes in country. SEC home favorites are 17-17 vs spread; Big East underdogs are 9-6.

Mississippi State is very thin because of injuries; they’re 5-2 despite least experienced team in country, but they have played schedule #304 and they haven’t played a true road game yet, either. Bulldogs force turnovers 21.2% of time but their #2 scorer is out for year. Georgia State lost by 18 at Auburn, 8 at Purdue (Boilers ended game on 20-0 run); Panthers force turnovers a lot, but they also turn it over lot- they’re #96 experience team whose subs play #10 minutes in country. SEC home favorites are 17-17 vs spread; Sun Belt road underdogs are 15-15.

Cincinnati beat Bowling Green by 33 LY (it was 35-31 at half); Bearcats were 13-30 on arc that game- they’re 6-1 this year, coming off great OT win at Iowa State Thursday. Cincy is 3-0 vs teams outside top 200, winning by 29-15-23 points- they force turnovers 22.9% of time. Bowling Green won its last two D-I games after an 0-4 start; best team they’ve played so far is #119 Oakland, who beat them 78-70. AAC home favorites are 8-5 vs spread; MAC road underdogs are 12-9. BG starts three seniors and two sophomores.

Florida State split neutral court games in NYC with Temple/Illinois; this is closest thing they’ve played to road game. Seminoles are 6-1 vs schedule #198; they’re #314 experience team playing #35 pace, with bench that plays #41 minutes, so they’re improving. George Washington has interim coach after internal issues surfaced this summer; Colonials. are 5-3 with 8-point loss to Georgia in their only top 100 game. GW turns ball over 21.7% of time, shoots 31.4% on arc, bad resume for an upset- their best win was by a hoop over #107 Siena at home.

Iona is 12-1 in its last 13 games with Niagara, winning last seven (3-3 vs spread in last six); Purple Eagles lost last seven visits here, with four of seven by 17+ points. Gaels won MAAC opener by 14 at St Peter’s Friday, making 10-24 on arc and pulling away in game they led by 3 with 10:00 left. Niagara was 4-21 on arc, -7 in turnovers in 72-66 loss at Marist in its MAAC opener Friday; Eagles start three sophs, two juniors- this is tough duty for them. MAAC home favorites are 0-3 vs spread to start conference play.

St Peter’s swept Manhattan LY by 1-21 points, after Jaspers had been 11-0 vs them in previous 11 series games. Jaspers won four of last five visits here, with wins by 19-2-12-7 points- they blew 15-point second half lead, lost by point at home to Canisius 77-76 in MAAC opener; they’re turning ball over 28.1% of time, 2nd-worst in country. Peacocks lost by 14 to Iona in conference opener; they start three seniors, were 10-33 on arc Friday, when they were down 3 with 10:00 to go. Underdogs covered three of last four series games.

Home side won five of last six Marist-Quinnipiac games; Red Foxes lost last three visits here, by 5-12-26 points. Underdogs are 5-2 vs spread in series. Marist won its last three games to even its record at 4-4; they’re 0-4 vs top 200 teams, 4-0 vs teams outside top 200, like Quinnipiac. Red Foxes were +7 in turnovers in 72-66 win over Niagara in their MAAC opener. Bobcats are 1-5 after 19-point loss to Monmouth in AAC opener; they lost by 8 to Columbia in only game vs a team outside top 200.

Monmouth won five of last six games with Canisius, winning by 1-4-15 in last three games here. Favorites are 4-3 vs spread in series games. Hawks are 5-2, with all five wins vs teams outside top 200- four of those five wins were by 13+ points- they lost to South Carolina/Syracuse in attempt to strengthen their schedule for NCAA bid. Canisius rallied from 15 down with 16:45 left to win its MAAC opener 77-76 at Manhattan Friday. Griffins start two juniors, two seniors, are 3-4, with only loss by more than 14 points against Kentucky.

Illinois-Chicago is 4-3 vs schedule #302 after being 21-74 the last three years; Flames are #349 experience team, are turning ball over 23.1% of time, but McClain is good coach and they’re getting better. Eastern Illinois lost its two road games by 3-5 points at Troy/Saint Louis; they’re forcing turnovers 27.6% of time (#3 in country), but have played schedule #342 so far. Horizon home favorites are 4-10 vs spread; OVC road underdogs are 17-19. Panthers lost last game in OT to Bradley, blowing 7-point lead with 4:35 left.

Samford outscored Jacksonville State 28-14 on foul line in 77-71 win at JSU LY; Bulldogs start three seniors, a frosh and a soph- they split only two home games, both against teams outside top 300. Samford won last game at Saint Louis, an A-14 team. Gamecocks are 5-3, winning last four games, all against stiffs; JSU doesn’t sub much, is turning ball over 22% of time while playing pace #335. Southern Conference home favorites are 5-0 vs spread; OVC road underdogs are 17-19.

Indiana is playing third game in five days; they beat SIU-Edwardsville by 23 in game after their big win over North Carolina Wednesday. Hoosiers only have one challenging game left before conference play starts Dec 28; they’re young team playing lot of guys. Indiana is 4-0 vs teams outside top 200, winning by 22-39-33-23 points. SE Missouri lost by 19 at Illinois in their only top 200 game; they’re an experienced team making 38.8% on arc. Big 14 home favorites are 18-19 vs spread. OVC road underdogs are 17-19.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NFL notebook: Season over for Pats' Gronkowski
By The Sports Xchange

Tight end Rob Gronkowski's season is over after the New England Patriots placed him on injured reserve Saturday.
The decision to put Gronkowski on IR came one day after the behemoth tight end underwent surgery in Los Angeles to repair a herniated disk in his back.
New England (9-2), which currently has the inside track on the No. 1 seed in the AFC, had announced Thursday that it would wait to receive the results of the surgery before making a final determination on Gronkowski's status.
Initial estimates prior to the procedure listed a recovery timetable of two months, leaving open the slight possibility of Gronkowski being available for the Super Bowl should the Patriots advance that far.

--Houston Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney will not travel with the team when it heads to Green Bay to play the Packers on Sunday.
Clowney has wrist and elbow injuries that will keep him sidelined.
Clowney has recorded only three sacks this season, but he is tied for fourth in the NFL with a dozen tackles for losses -- a career high.

--Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck cleared the NFL's concussion protocol for Monday night's road game against the New York Jets.
Luck does not appear on Saturday's final injury report, meaning he is cleared to play.
Luck returned to the practice field Monday after missing last week's 28-7 loss on Thanksgiving night against the Pittsburgh Steelers because of a concussion, dropping the Colts to 5-6.
Luck met with an independent neurologist Friday.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

The Muffed Punt: It's a w-UNDER-ful life for NFL bettors in December
By JASON LOGAN

December is known for being somewhat of an “Over” month, what with the holidays spurring on our worst judgement.

Our kids are no longer happy with a simple action figure from Santa and demand a $500 hoverboard, so we’re going over budget on gifts. Countless parties stocked with plenty of good food and sinful sweets have us growing overweight. And what would the holidays be without some “Christmas Cheer” – the kind that comes in a brown bottle? We’re a little more prone to overdoing it this time of the year and ending up with a hangover.

In the world of NFL betting, however, December is all about the Under.

Over the past two NFL campaigns, regular season games played in the month of December (and a week of January in 2015) have produced a 57-88 Over/Under record – staying below the total 61 percent of the time.

Last year, when the calendar flipped to the final page, we highlighted this trend in the Week 13 edition of “The Muffed Punt”, with the final four weeks of the 2014 regular season finishing with a 22-43 Over/Under count – a 65 percent Under windfall. This trend carried through in 2015 with games played in December/January posting a 35-45 O/U record – a 56 percent lean to the Under.

And it’s not just isolated to recent seasons either. Going back to 2012, December NFL games have finished 130-170-1 Over/Under, staying below the oddsmakers total more than 56 percent of the time. Those games had an average of 44.68 points scored versus an average betting total of 45.1.

Those December results are a significant dip when compared to the three months prior. Going back to 2012, September through November NFL regular season games recorded a 370-344-9 Over/Under tally (52% Over). Those games averaged 46.20 total points scored against an average betting total of 45.34. That’s a 1.5-point decline in scoring from the first three months of the season to December over the previous four years, while the average total in that span remains nearly unchanged.

Numerous factors can play into this shrinkage on the scoreboard: playoff contenders tightening up on defense, injuries to key offensive players, losing teams working in younger players to get a look for next season, poor weather conditions. Pick your poison really.

As for the 2016 season, the first three months of football produced an Over/Under mark of 92-84-1 (52% Overs – right on par with the last four years) with an average combined score of 45.87 points against an average betting total of 45.73.

We’ve had just one December game in 2016: Thursday’s fugly matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, in which the Cowboys won 17-15 and played well below the closing total of 43.5 points.

So if you’re already planning to go over the top on gifts, food and booze this December, and if Thursday’s low-scoring mess was any indication of things to come, football bettors may want to overdo it on the Under this month as well.

Home bodies

Week 13 of the NFL features 11 home favorites, ranging in size from -1.5 (Cincinnati hosting Philadelphia) to -13. (New England hosting Los Angeles). On the season, home chalk is a losing proposition with a 55-63-2 ATS mark, covering only 46.61 percent of the time.

Not all home faves are bad though. It seems that shorter home chalk is the biggest disappointment in the eyes of the betting gods this season, with home favorites of -2.5 or less going just 10-15 ATS (40%) through a dozen weeks of football. And expanding that scale to host teams giving between one and 3.5 points, those home faves are just 25-34 ATS, covering only 42 percent of the time.

There are currently five teams that fall into that -1 to -3.5 range this Sunday: Baltimore -3.5 vs. Miami, Cincinnati -1.5 vs. Philadelphia, Oakland -3 vs. Buffalo, Arizona -2.5 vs. Washington, and San Diego giving 3.5 points to visiting Tampa Bay.

Adding a few more ticks to the spread, sizing up home faves between -5.5 and -7.5, and those chalkier residents are a collective 18-14-1 ATS this year (56%). That trend encompasses Atlanta -5.5 vs. Kansas City, Green Bay -6.5 vs. Houston, New Orleans -6 vs. Detroit, and Pittsburgh -6.5 opening the doors of Heinz Field to the New York Giants.

And then there’s the Patriots giving almost two touchdowns to the Rams. New England has been a double-digit home favorite 37 times since 2000, but produced a 16-21 ATS record in those games (43%), including a 7-10 ATS count when giving 13.5 points or more.

Non-conference cash

There are six non-conference games on the schedule this Sunday, which prompted some digging into AFC vs. NFC trends. I just can’t help myself.

There’s an interesting split in totals when it comes to non-conference clashes this season. AFC at NFC games have produced an 11-16 Over/Under record (59% Unders) with an average of 44.2 total points going against an average betting total of 45.83.

Kansas City at Atlanta (49) and Houston at Green Bay (44.5) are the two AFC at NFC matchups in Week 13.

NFC at AFC contests have finished with a 16-8 Over/Under mark (67% Overs), with those games averaging a combined 49.32 points (season average is 45.8 total ppg) versus an average closing total of 46.38 – a near three-point edge for the Over.

There are four NFC at AFC games this Sunday: Philadelphia at Cincinnati (42), Los Angeles at New England (44), New York at Pittsburgh (48.5), and Tampa Bay at San Diego (47.5).

Here are some other numbers of note on betting non-conference contests:

- Eagles 5-1 ATS in last six at AFC. Philadelphia +1.5 at Cincinnati
- Texans 4-7 ATS last 11 at NFC. Houston +6.5 at Green Bay
- Rams (going back to St. Louis) 11-5-1 ATS last 17 at AFC. L.A. +13.5 at New England
- Patriots 5-2 ATS last seven hosting NFC. New England -13.5 vs. L.A.

Sharps like…

San Francisco. The Niners opened +3 at Chicago and sharp money has flooded in on the visiting team, moving San Francisco as high as -2. The Bears are starting Matt Barkley at quarterback while 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick has looked good in recent outings, posting 1,110 passing yards, 223 rushing yards, eight passing touchdowns (one rushing score), and just two interceptions in the last four games.

“This is a bad game that we’re keeping our eye on, because clearly the public isn’t going to bet it,” Jason Simbal, vice president of risk management for CG Technology, said earlier this week. “So it’s going to be us against the sharps in that one.”

Biggest move…

(Besides the Niners-Bears line) Houston at Green Bay. This spread opened as low as Packers -4 after the Cheeseheads scored a big win over the Eagles on Monday Night Football. The public is pressing hard with Green Bay, moving this line all the way to -6.5, with some books hitting a touchdown.

"Obviously, the Packers are a public team and they want to bet them no matter what,” said Simbal. “But they were kind of hesitant to do so because of how they've looked. One big win changes the public's perception a lot and the Packers are definitely the public side this week."

Injury to watch

Green Bay Packers, linebackers

The Packers’ linebacker corps has more holes than those big yellow cheeseheads blocking your view at Green Bay games. The Packers could be missing LBs Clay Matthews (shoulder), Blake Martinez (knee), and Jake Ryan (ankle) – all of which are questionable – when they host Houston Sunday. That’s 142 combined tackles, seven sacks, and seven passes defended possibly off the field.

The Texans could take advantage of those gaps and shed sub-par tacklers for big gains, especially in the middle of the field when looking to pass. Houston ranks second-last in yards after catch and has recorded just 11 “big passing plays” this season (passing gain of 25 or more yards).

We know how to pick’em

There were a couple games that opened pick in Week 13 but action throughout the week has moved those spreads off the fence. The Eagles and Bengals were one of those contests, with the line shifting to Cincinnati -1.5 as of Saturday.

As we do in this spot each week, we take the game pegged as a pick’em (or with tightest pointspread) and toss it out the window, instead picking an ATS winner based on which team has the hotter cheerleaders. Eagles or Bengals?

Sunday’s menu

A few weeks back I was in Chicago for meetings. One morning, I headed down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast and spotted quiche on the menu – something I haven’t had since the Ravens were the Browns.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, my food took forever to come out and by the time it did, I had to be somewhere. What ensued was a frantic waddle to the elevator, eating a steaming-hot piece of quiche with my hands serving as fork and plate. The roof of mouth still looks like Tom Cruise’s face in Vanilla Sky.

This Sunday, I’m going to make my own quiche and eat it at my leisure. Like a boss.

Easy (money) like Sunday morning

The coin is human after all – or at least as human as a coin can be. After picking (flipping?) winners in Weeks 10 and 11, the coin called Houston +1.5 incorrectly in Week 12. However, its 2-1 record is still much better than my 2-7 shame, so we’re going to continue turning this weekly pick over to randomness.

First we select a game at random on our NFL live odds page. Eyes closed, scrolling blindly, clicking. And that game is… Kansas City at Atlanta.

Heads Chiefs. Tails Falcons.

This week’s coin toss comes courtesy of a 2006 Canadian nickel (which is worth four cents American). Here goes.

TAILS!

Pick: Falcons -5.5

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NFL Underdogs: Week 13 pointspread picks and predictions
By ANDREW CALEY

Thanksgiving has come and gone and the calendar has rolled over to December.

That means it’s time to start dragging out the boxes with lights, pull out the ugly Christmas sweaters, and start buying gifts for loved ones.

Few things are more stressful than trying to find the perfect gift for that special someone, or your parents, or even your friends. Hours are spent searching up and down malls or scrolling through page after page online, until you're exhausted and need to sit down in front of the couch with a beer, without checking anyone off your list.

But every now and then you come across something and exclaim, “Ah Ha!” and the exact gift you were looking for just smacks you in the face.

That’s what happened, while scouring the NFL schedule for live underdogs this week. On the surface, Week 13 didn’t seem to offer much value at first and then BOOM!

There are three road teams this week who will face a team with a worse record and get at least 5.5 points from oddsmakers. All three are firmly holding playoff spots, including a division leader and combine for a 23-10 SU record with a collective 18-15 mark against the spread.

So let’s start with the division leader, the Detroit Lions.

The Lions have won six of seven SU and ATS and are trying to win their first NFC North title since 1993. So while the Vikings already lost this week, they don’t want to give any hope to the Packers, who are starting to heat up and host a struggling Texans squad at Lambeau Sunday.

Everybody knows by now the Lions have trailed in the fourth quarter in each of their games this season. So many seem to think, this so called “luck” will run out and it may - just not this week when they visit the New Orleans Saints as 6-point pups.

The more interesting part of that stat is that they've never lost a game by more than a touchdown and their average margin of defeat is just 4.5 points. That's thanks in large part to a sneaky defense and an uber-efficient Matthew Stafford. Stafford has 19 touchdown passes to just five interceptions this season while completing almost 67 percent of his passes. In fact, the Lions have the third fewest turnovers this season with eight.

While the Saints are actually a better bet over the last eight games at 7-1 ATS, but they were only favored twice in those games and were 8-point faves against a much worse Rams team last week. New Orleans chucks around the ball better than anyone, but Stafford has looked good enough that the Lions can keep up in a track meet, especially against a suspect Saints pass defense.

New Orleans may win this game, but it won’t be by more than by a field goal.

Pick: Lions +6

Kansas City Chiefs (+5.5) at Atlanta Falcons

Next up is the Chiefs.

Kansas City sits at 8-3 this season and is a NFL-best 18-3 over its last 21 regular season games, but are still a game behind the Oakland Raiders for first place in the drum-tight AFC West.

On paper this looks like a bit of a mismatch: Kansas City’s 28th-ranked total defense against the Falcons third-ranked total offense. But the Chiefs pass the eye test (if you overlook that weird home loss to Tampa Bay two weeks ago).

The defense, while giving up a fair number of yards, locks it down in the red zone allowing just 19.5 points per game and the return of Justin Houston is a game changer. Houston already has three sacks, 12 tackles (five for a loss) and a forced fumbled in his first two games back.

The Chiefs defense will have its hands full with a high-flying Falcons offense, but should cause enough problems while getting serviceable work out of Alex Smith, Tyreke Hill & Co. on offense to keep this game competitive to the end.

Pick: Chiefs +5.5

New York Giants (+6) at Pittsburgh Steelers

Let’s end with the Giants.

This game has a ton of narratives. A matchup of super-elite receivers in Odell Beckham Jr. and Antonio Brown. The matchup of two Super Bowl winning quarterbacks taken from the same draft class, in Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger. Two teams getting hot at the right time. So much is comparable between these two teams and from from just that alone, six points feels like too many.

The Giants are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, winners of six in a row, going 5-1 ATS in the process and sit at 8-3 SU for the season. The competition hasn’t been great, but it’s been better than the Steelers, who have back-to-back wins over the Browns and an Andrew Luck-less Colts.

The difference maker here is Big Blue’s defense. The remake for this stop unit has worked. Safety Landon Collins is in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year and Jason Pierre Paul is looking like his old self. The Steelers don’t have the player makers on defense like the Giants do.

Pick: Giants +6

Last Week: 2-1 ATS
Season: 20-15-1 ATS