COVERS - PICK 'N' ROLL
(Tracking Started On 2/22/2011)
2-2-0 (NBA)
2-2-0 (NCAA HOOPS)
SATURDAY 2/26/2011
NCAA
Syracuse Orange at Georgetown Hoyas (-1.5)
Georgetown will be playing its first game without point guard Chris Wright, who suffered a broken left hand in Wednesday's 58-46 loss to Cincinnati. Wright underwent successful surgery on Friday and could make it back for the NCAA Tournament. But not this weekend.
For now, the Hoyas will have to deal with his absence. They had won nine of 10 games prior to Wednesday's setback and it will be tough to get back on track without their leading scorer, who averages 13.1 points per outing. Freshman Markel Starks and sophomore Vee Sanford are expected to see increased minutes.
This season's previous meeting between the two Big East rivals came on February 9 at the Carrier Dome, where Georgetown scored a 64-56 road victory. Wright had six points, nine assists and five rebounds in the victory. Austin Freeman led the way with 14 points for the Hoyas, who won the rebounding battle 28 to 21 and held Syracuse to 39.6 percent shooting (including 4-of-16 from beyond the arc).
Georgetown will soon find that life without Wright is just wrong.
Pick: Syracuse
NBA
Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Clippers (7.5)
The Celtics shipped off Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder just before Thursday's trade deadline and paid for it later in the day. Boston got hammered at Denver -- which had just made a deal of its own -- by 14 points. Without any real big man other than Glen Davis, the Celtics got out-rebounded 52 to 38.
As for the trade that brought in Jeff Green (who should make his debut on Saturday), coach Doc Rivers hopes it eventually pays off.
"We needed to get a ‘3’ and a ‘4’ as far as a swing guy," Rivers told the Boston Globe. "This gives us the ability to do what I did the year we won it, which is at times we can go small with Green at ‘4’ and Kevin (Garnett) at the ‘5’ and Paul (Pierce) and Ray (Allen) and it spread the floor. I think people forget how many times we did that in the playoffs. We haven’t been able to duplicate that."
A key assumption to the deal is Shaquille O'Neal will return from injury. Shaq should be healthy when the Celtics need him for the playoffs, but he won't be ready for Saturday due to his Achilles' problem. Fellow big man Jermaine O'Neal won't return until April because of a knee injury.
The trade may pay dividends in the future, but it won't against the Clippers.
Pick: Clippers
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