Thursday 1/5/17 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Thunder (21-15) at Rockets (27-9)

Date: January 05, 2017 8:00 PM EDT

HOUSTON -- With Rockets guard James Harden and his former teammate in Oklahoma City, Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, set to share the court on Thursday night at Toyota Center, the conversation surrounding their third meeting this season inevitably turned to triple-doubles.

Harden and Westbrook have been established as co-favorites for league MVP honors in large part by their ability to do everything for their respective teams. Westbrook leads the league with 16 triple-doubles for the Thunder (21-15) and is averaging 30.9 points, 10.5 rebounds and 10.5 assists per game.

Harden was earlier this week named Western Conference Player of the Month after leading the Rockets (27-9) to a 15-2 record in December. He closed the month with a historic 53-point, 16-rebound and 17-assist performance against the New York Knicks on New Year's Eve and is presently averaging 28.4 points and career highs in rebounds (8.2) and assists (11.9). Harden has nine triple-doubles thus far.

"I don't know necessarily what it would be but I think if you have players like Harden, like Russell that are impacting the game a lot of different ways -- the ball's in their hands," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said of the explosion of triple-doubles. "There's probably more opportunity for them to create those (triple-doubles), especially for Russell because he's such a great rebounder. That's really the hard part."

Ball dominance has keyed the stat-stuffing surge for both point guards. Westbrook entered Wednesday's 123-112 road loss to the Charlotte Hornets not only leading the league in scoring but also with a 42.2 percent usage rate. Harden is fourth in the NBA with a 33.7 usage rate. Harden became a dominating scorer once he left Oklahoma City for Houston five seasons ago, averaging 27.1 points over 350 games with the Rockets. Westbrook showcased that skill when then-teammate Kevin Durant lost most of the 2014-15 season to injury, edging out Harden for the scoring title at 28.1 points per game.

The only significant difference between the two this season is scoring efficiency. Westbrook missed 21 of 31 shots against the Hornets en route to his 33-point, 15-rebound and 8-assist performance. That marked the eighth time this season Westbrook has taken at least 28 shots in a game; Harden hoisted a season-high 27 attempts against the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 12 while posting 36 points and 11 assists.

Westbrook has produced an effective field goal percentage of 46.2 percent this season, just the fifth-best mark of his nine-year career. Conversely, Harden owns a 52.8 effective field goal percentage, the third-best mark of his eight-year career.

It requires deep analysis to determine which guard is having the superior season. From a player perspective, the outrageous numbers offer a snapshot of an ever-improving league.

"Talent has continued to grow," Harden said. "Bigs are more versatile than ever; they're on the wings shooting 3s and handling the basketball. You've got that and it's more spacing on the floor and that makes it harder to defend.

"The numbers that the guys around the league are putting up are crazy. So far you have eight guys that have 50 (points) already. Russ does something crazy every single night with his numbers so the league is at an all-time high and it's fun to watch. I'm sure the fans all around the world are excited just like I am."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Hawks (19-16) at Pelicans (14-22)

Date: January 05, 2017 8:00 PM EDT

NEW ORLEANS -- The New Orleans Pelicans' four-game commitment to small ball has been born out of necessity.

Neither 7-foot starting center Omer Asik nor 7-foot-2 backup Alexis Ajinca has been able to carry his weight, much less his height, to provide 6-10 forward Anthony Davis with consistent protection around the rim or even a hint of scoring punch, prompting coach Alvin Gentry to slide Davis over to center and go with a smaller lineup in winning three of the last four games.

All that may change as the Pelicans (14-22) host the Atlanta Hawks (19-16) on Thursday night at the Smoothie King Center.

On Tuesday, the Pelicans signed 7-0 Donatas Motiejunas, an unrestricted free agent who can run the court, shoot from the perimeter, work effectively in the pick-and-roll and deliver timely passes -- all the things Asik, a shot-blocker and rebounder, has not been able to deliver.

Davis said Wednesday he has never played with anyone similar to Motiejunas, the former Rocket who was coveted by the Lakers and Timberwolves but chose to sign a one-year contract with the Pelicans at the $1.1 million veteran's minimum.

The acquisition of Motiejunas, who played only 37 games last year because of a nagging back injury, could give the Pelicans the creative, one-two inside punch they have lacked.

Motiejunas will play limited minutes until he rounds into game shape, but Davis clearly is excited by the prospect of adding someone who will draw defensive attention away from himself. Motiejunas shot 36.8 percent from 3-point range in 2014-15, his last full season.

"It gives me the opportunity to get out on the floor and roam," Davis said Wednesday. "I'll be able to step out and shoot the ball or be able to attack more. He brings a lot to our team, and it's the stuff that we're looking for. He's got all of that in his arsenal, so it's definitely good to have him. He definitely fits in the small ball, because he can run the floor pretty well, too. That helps us in the way we want to play."

Neither Asik nor Ajinca played a minute in the last four games for New Orleans. When Davis and Motiejunas are on the court together, Gentry said his new 7-footer will be "a center for us. There's a possibility that he might play some (forward), but if he's on the floor with AD, it's more than likely that he's going to be the center."

In beating the Orlando Magic 111-92 on the road Wednesday night, the Hawks have won four straight, five of their last six and nine of their last 13.

The Hawks shot 52 percent from the field and had their trademark balanced scoring, placing five players in double figures. Point guard Dennis Schroder led the way with 18 points and seven assists, and Kent Bazemore had 17 points, Paul Millsap 16 and Dwight Howard 13 points and 12 rebounds.

The Hawks made 10 of 19 from behind the arc.

"We're playing well overall," Schroder said. "Dwight is doing his job; Paul Millsap is an All-Star doing his job. We're playing together as a team and playing Atlanta Hawks basketball."

Asked about the swirling trade rumors involving Millsap, Schroder said: "At the end of the day, it's a business, but Paul Millsap is taking it well. He's dying for the team. He's doing whatever it takes on the court and off the court to make us better. ... We want him to keep playing with us."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Suns (11-25) at Mavericks (11-24)

Date: January 05, 2017 8:30 PM EDT

Though they're two of the worst teams in the Western Conference, the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns aren't ready to throw in the playoff towel.

Thursday night's clash at American Airlines Center will leave one of the cellar dwellers with a winning streak. Yes, it'll only be two games, but such success hasn't come around often for either side this season.

The Mavericks (11-24) are the hotter of the two squads, having won five of their last nine games to nudge their way out of the West basement. Phoenix (11-25) is the second game in Dallas' three-game homestand.

After playing host to Atlanta on Saturday, the Mavs have three games in a span of a week against fellow West weak sisters. They face the Suns in Mexico City on Jan. 12 sandwiched in between matchups with Minnesota.

The Mavericks see this stretch as a time to make up ground.

"We can," veteran guard Devin Harris said. "We are getting some guys back from injury. We are starting to build a little team chemistry.

"The games are a bit stretched out now and not on top of each other and it is a favorable schedule. So, yes, we feel like we can win some of these games."

Dallas beat Washington 113-105 on Tuesday behind Harrison Barnes' 26 points. Dirk Nowitzki has not only taken a backseat to Barnes in the attack, the franchise's all-time leading scorer is more impressed with the team's current scoring leader with each passing game.

Nowitzki noted that Barnes is making more plays, either scoring or finding teammates, from the top the key than earlier this season.

"He's finding shooters on the perimeter," Nowitzki said. "He knows he's getting double-teamed some when he gets too deep on those (isolation) plays, and he's making good plays.

"Like I said, I don't think he made those plays a few weeks ago. He's got more experience. I think the game slows down for him a little bit. He just knows how to get his shots up, but if not, where his open guys are. Give him credit."

Phoenix is coming off Tuesday's 99-90 home victory over Miami. The Suns have become stingy defensively lately, having allowed 91 points or fewer in three of their past four games.

Tyson Chandler had his third 20-rebound game of the season against the Heat, becoming the first Suns player to have at least three in a season since Charles Barkley had five in 1993-94.

Rookie forward Marquese Chriss scored a career-high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting against Miami. He ranks fifth among rookies in scoring (7.2 points per game) and has reached double figures nine times.

The Suns have won their last three at home, but arrive in Dallas with a six-game road skid.

"We want to win on the road too, as well as at home," Chriss said. "I think it's good for us to build up a little reputation. We're in a groove right now and have a little confidence in our next couple of games coming up.

The Mavs and Suns will face off three more times this season, including next week's clash south of the border. Dallas' four-game winning streak in the series incorporates all three meetings last season.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Spurs (28-7) at Nuggets (14-21)

Date: January 05, 2017 9:00 PM EDT

Gregg Popovich has a habit of resting players for select games throughout the season with the aim of keeping fresh legs for the playoffs.

After San Antonio cruised to an easy 28-point victory over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, the Spurs coach might not need to use Thursday's game against the Denver Nuggets as a breather for his stars.

The Spurs (28-7) own the second-best record while hoping to improve on their 16-3 road record. This is only the second of three road games in 12 contests overall, and they are going to a building where they've had plenty of success of late. They are 5-1 in the last three seasons at Pepsi Center and have won 10 of 11 overall against Denver.

The Nuggets (14-21), meanwhile, are trying to break a three-game losing streak that includes two losses at home to teams with sub-.500 records. Their most recent setback, 120-113 against Sacramento on Tuesday, was the third straight game of allowing 120 or more points.

"We have the worst defense in the NBA. It's the bottom line," Denver coach Michael Malone said after the loss to the Kings. "It's embarrassing how we go out there and attempt to defend every night. That is something we have to try to fix as soon as possible. It's at an all-time low. It is a huge concern of mine."

It should be facing a San Antonio team that looks every bit as dangerous as it has the past 20 seasons. The Spurs won 10 of their last 12, with the 110-82 victory over the Raptors being one of the more impressive ones this season.

"They came out and just out worked us, outplayed us," Raptors guard Kyle Lowry told The San Antonio Express-News after Tuesday's game. "They did what they wanted to do and we couldn't do what we wanted to do. ... They just came out and beat our (butt)."

Kawhi Leonard, the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, shook off a stomach illness that plagued him during the loss in Atlanta on Sunday to score a team-high 25 points on the Raptors. He looked back to form, which is not good news for the Nuggets.

"Kawhi felt like himself tonight," Popovich told The Express-News. "He gets a lot of credit for pushing himself through the Atlanta game, but tonight he was back to normal."

The Nuggets will need everyone to try to slow down the Spurs. Forward Darrell Arthur returned to the lineup after missing a game with a sore right knee but the status of forward Kenneth Faried is unknown. He has missed the last two games with a back injury.

Malone said Faried was close to playing against the Kings but they want to be cautious with his back.

If Faried can play, it will help on the defensive end and the boards. Denver outrebounded the Kings overall but grabbed only six offensive boards, and that's also an area Faried could help.

Where they miss him more is defensively, where the players are searching for answers for their lack of effectiveness.

"I'm trying to figure it out," guard Emmanuel Mudiay said. "We just have to probably communicate better. I don't think we communicate as much as we should."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Lakers (13-25) at Trail Blazers (15-22)

Date: January 05, 2017 10:30 PM EDT

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Luke Walton would like to bottle up what Julius Randle had in him in Tuesday's 116-102 victory over Memphis and bring it with him to Moda Center Thursday night when the Los Angeles Lakers face the Portland Trail Blazers.

The 6-9, 250-pound Randle came through with the third triple-double of his career -- and his second this season -- against the Grizzlies, collecting 19 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.

"The thing I liked most was he was alert the whole game," Walton, the Lakers' first-year head coach, told the media.

"I just took what the defense gave me," said Randle, 22, who is averaging 13.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists this season. "I was trying not to force anything, (to) get my guys going and make the right reads. I had a lot of energy."

In his last eight games, Randle is averaging 17.4 points, 8.1 boards and 5.8 assists while shooting .541 from the field.

The Lakers (13-25) ended a three-game losing streak with only their third win in the last 18 games.

Nick Young, who scored 20 points on 6-or-11 shooting from 3-point range, has made 42 shots from beyond the arc in the last nine games. D'Angelo Russell chipped in 18 points, six assists and four rebounds. And center Timofey Mozgov played a season-high 38 minutes, contributing 14 points and five rebounds before fouling out late in the game.

The Lakers made a season-high 17 3's and had 34 assists against the team with the NBA's best defensive rating and opponents' field-goal percentage.

"That's the most complete game we've put together in a long time," Walton said. "And against a really good defense team, which hopefully reinforces the idea that when we play to make plays for each other, we're tough to guard."

The Trail Blazers are tough to guard when CJ McCollum is on a roll like his current one.

With backcourt mate Damian Lillard missing his fifth straight game with a sprained left ankle, McCollum bombed in 35 points in a 125-117 loss at Golden State Wednesday night.

After scoring 43 points in a 95-89 win at Minnesota on Monday, McCollum was bidding to become the first Portland player with back-to-back 40-point performances since Clyde Drexler in 1989.

Offense has not been the problem with Portland. The Blazers (15-22) are only 3-12 since Dec. 7, primarily because of lackluster defense that has them last in the league in defensive efficiency rating and in the bottom six in every major defensive statistical category.

"It's about guarding your guy one-on-one, taking the challenge," McCollum said. "We understand what we have. Now it's about effort, our intensity and following the game plan each night out."

Lillard may be able to play Thursday against the Lakers. He was able to go through parts of Portland's Tuesday practice, and also went through a workout prior to Wednesday's game at Oracle Arena. The Blazers' All-Star point guard said he doesn't want to return until he's at least close to 100 percent.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Free NBA Picks: Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews

I'm not happy the bowl season is over -- Monday's National Championship Game technically isn't a bowl game -- but am somewhat glad I don't have any college football distractions on Thursday because I'll be focused on the Oklahoma City-Houston game and the spectacular matchup of the two leading MVP candidates and triple-double leaders in the NBA: Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook and Rockets counterpart and former teammate James Harden. Westbrook is the slight MVP favorite at all the books, generally around +120 with Harden at +180. It's going to be one of these two guys barring injury. Westbrook is No. 1 in scoring and second in assists, while Harden is No. 4 in scoring and No. 1 in assists. Westbrook has a sizable lead in triple-doubles. The vote could literally come down to how they play against each other if the record of each team is similar and the overall statistics are. But right now, Houston is a superior team.

Nets at Pacers (-10.5, 218.5)

Brooklyn lost a third straight Monday, 101-89 at home to Utah. It was tied after three quarters. Trevor Booker led the Nets with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Indiana won a third in a row Tuesday, 121-116 at Detroit. Paul George had 32 points. The Pacers are 2-0 at Detroit this season and 3-13 in all other road games. The Pacers earned a 118-97 home win over the Nets on Nov. 25, tied for their largest margin of victory this season. Indiana has won three straight and five of its last six regular-season home games in this series.

Key trends: The home team is 4-0 against the spread in the past four meetings. The "over/under" is 4-0 in Indiana's past four.

Early lean: Nets and over.

Jazz at Raptors (-6, 205)

Utah saw a four-game winning streak end in losing 115-104 in Boston in the second of a back-to-back Tuesday. Gordon Hayward led Utah with 23 points. Rudy Gobert had 13 rebounds, extending his streak of 10 or more to 21 consecutive games. George Hill sat out with concussion-like symptoms. So did Alec Burks in the second of a back-to-back after making his season debut Monday. Toronto concluded a six-game road trip and looked out of gas in a 110-82 loss at San Antonio on Tuesday. Kyle Lowry had a season-low six points and the Raptors scored a season low in points. Toronto won in Salt Lake City 104-98 on Dec. 23. Lowry had 36 points. Utah lost by 10 in Toronto last year.

Key trends: The Jazz are 0-7 ATS in the past seven meetings. The over is 8-2 in the previous 10.

Early lean: Raptors and over.

Hornets at Pistons (-3, 201)

Charlotte hosted Westbrook's Thunder on Wednesday. Detroit hosted Indiana for the final time at the Palace of Auburn Hills -- site of the infamous Malice at the Palace brawl between Indiana's Ron Artest and fans in 2004; the Pistons are moving downtown next season -- on Tuesday and lost 121-116. Tobias Harris led the Pistons with 22 points. These two teams have split two meetings this season. Detroit has won two of the last three games at home against Charlotte.

Key trends: The home team is 6-1 ATS in the past seven meetings. The over is 12-3 in Charlotte's past 15 in the second of a back-to-back.

Early lean: Pistons and over.

Hawks at Pelicans (-2.5, 210)

Atlanta was in Orlando on Wednesday. New Orleans had a four-game winning streak snapped in a 90-82 defeat in Cleveland on Monday. Anthony Davis had 20 points and 17 rebounds but the Pelicans blew a 10-point third-quarter lead. That's a game the Pelicans need to win with Cleveland not having Kyrie Irving. In their first meeting of the season in Atlanta, New Orleans led by as many as 35 points on the way to a 112-94 victory.

Key trends: The Hawks are 2-6 ATS in the past eight meetings. The under is 7-0 in the Pelicans' past seven vs. the East.

Early lean: Pelicans and under.

Thunder at Rockets (-7.5, 222.5)

First of the TNT doubleheader. Westbrook and Co were in Charlotte on Wednesday and I'll break my TV if Westbrook gets this game off, but that's not happening unless he gets hurt. Houston won a fifth straight Monday, 101-91 over Washington. Harden had 23 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his third straight triple-double and ninth of the season. Eric Gordon, a terrific offseason addition, had 31 points. Guard Patrick Beverley, who would probably guard Westbrook (Harden is terrible on defense), missed a second straight game with a sprained right wrist. These teams have split close two meetings this year in OKC. Harden is averaging 17.0 points, 12.5 assists and 8.0 rebounds. Westbrook is averaging 28.5 points, 9.5 assists and 8.5 rebounds. Houston has won the past four at home in the series.

Key trends: The Thunder are 0-8 ATS in the past eight meetings. The over is 6-1 in the Rockets' past seven.

Early lean: Thunder and over.

Suns at Mavericks (-4.5, 206.5)

Phoenix ended a two-game losing streak with a 99-90 home win over short-handed Miami on Tuesday. Devin Booker had 27 points and rookie Marquese Chriss a career-high 18. Brandon Knight sat out with a sprained right wrist. The Suns hadn't beaten the Heat since Nov. 3, 2009. Dallas beat visiting Washington 113-105 on Tuesday. Harrison Barnes had 26 points and Deron Williams, who was questionable, had 21. Andrew Bogut banged knees with a Washington player and had to leave but said after the game he was OK. First meeting of the season between Phoenix and Dallas. The Mavs have taken the past four overall and three at home.

Key trends: The Suns are 3-12-1 ATS in their past 16 vs. the West. The over is 6-2-1 in the Mavs' past nine at home.

Early lean: Mavericks and over.

Spurs at Nuggets (+6.5, 213)

San Antonio took advantage of a tired Toronto team and rolled the Raptors 110-82 on Tuesday. The Spurs' excellent defense held the Dinos 29 points below their season average. Kawhi Leonard had 25 points, and LaMarcus Aldridge added 23. Denver lost a third straight Tuesday, 120-113 at home to Sacramento -- the Nuggets have allowed at least 120 points in each loss. Danilo Gallinari led Denver with 24 points. Forward Kenneth Faried missed his second consecutive game with a back injury. First meeting between San Antonio and Denver this season. The Spurs took three of four last year but did lose the most recent one in Denver.

Key trends: The favorite is 4-1 ATS in the past five meetings. The over is 5-2 in the previous seven.

Early lean: Spurs and under.

Lakers at Trail Blazers (TBA)

Second TNT game. Portland was at Golden State on Wednesday with Damian Lillard doubtful. Los Angeles ended a three-game losing streak with a 116-102 home win over Memphis on Tuesday. The Lakers made a season-high 17 3-pointers, all but one coming in the first three quarters. Julius Randle had a triple-double of 19 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. First meeting of the season between L.A. and Portland. The Trail Blazers have won eight straight games against the Lakers, matching their longest winning streak vs. L.A. in franchise history. The past six have been by double digits.

Key trends: The favorite is 6-0 ATS in the past six meetings. The over is 11-5 in the previous 16 in Portland.

Early lean: Wait on Lillard.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA

Thursday’s games

Brooklyn lost eight of its last nine games, is 7-8-1 vs spread as a road underdog. Five of Nets’ last six games stayed under total. Indiana won/covered its last three games; they’re 8-5 as home favorites. Over is 5-1-1 in Pacers’ last seven games. Home side won six of last seven Net-Pacer games; Brooklyn lost by 7-24-21 in last three visits to Indy. Over is 8-2 in last ten series games.

Utah won four of last five games; they’re 1-7 as a road underdog- favorites are 15-2 vs spread in Jazz road games. Under is 7-2 in their last nine games. Toronto lost three of last four games but they’re 6-2 vs spread in last eight home games. Over is 11-6 in their last 17 games. Raptors won six of last seven games with Utah; Jazz lost last three visits to Toronto by 10-24-18 points. Over is 8-2 in last ten series games.

Hornets are 3-5 in last eight road games, 5-1-2 vs spread as road underdogs. Five of last six Charlotte games went over total. Pistons lost eight of last ten games, are 1-5 in last six games as a home favorite. Three of their last four games went over. Home side won six of last seven Charlotte-Detroit games; Hornets lost by 39-7 points in last two visits here. Three of last four series games went over total.

Oklahoma City lost three of last of last four games; they’re 3-7 as road underdogs. Four of their last five games stayed under total. Rockets won their last five games (4-1 vs spread); they’re 9-6 as home favorites. Six of their last seven games went over the total. Thunder lost seven of last ten games with Houston; they’ve lost last four visits here (0-4 vs spread). Three of last four series games stayed under.

Hawks won three of last four games; they covered last four tries as a road underdog. Over is 6-2-1 in their last nine road games. New Orleans won four of last five games; they’re 5-8 as a home favprite. Four of their last five games stayed under the total. Pelicans are 5-3 in last eight games with Atlanta; Hawks won three of last five visits to Bourbon Street. Over is 5-3 in last eight series games.

Phoenix lost its last six road games (1-5 vs spread); they’re 10-9 overall as a road underdog. Suns’ last four games stayed under total. Mavericks are 6-5 in last 11 home games, 1-0 as a home favorite. Over is 6-2 in their last eight home games. Suns lost their last four games with Dallas (1-3 vs spread); Phoenix lost by 3-10 points in last two visits here. Under is 3-2 in last five series games in Dallas.

Lakers lost nine of last ten road games, are 4-8 in last 12 games as a road underdog. Over is 3-1 in their last four road games. Portland lost three of last four home games; they’re 8-3 as home favorites. Blazers’ last six road games stayed under the total. Lakers lost their last eight games with Portland (1-7 vs spread); LA lost its last four visits to Moda Center, by 4-16-12-18 points. Five of last seven series games stayed under.

San Antonio won five of last six games; they’re 11-6 as road favorites. Four of Spurs’ last five games stayed under total. Denver lost its last three games; they’re 2-2 as home underdogs. Last three Nugget games went over the total. Nuggets lost nine of last ten games with San Antonio; over is 5-2 in last seven series games. Spurs won/covered four of last five visits to Denver.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'Raptors good bets after a spanking'

Utah Jazz at Toronto Raptors January 5, 7:30 EST

Toronto Raptors return to the comfort of the Air Canada Centre after a six game road swing which ended with its worst defeat of the season a 110-82 thumping in San Antonio.

The best thing Toronto supporters can do after the spanking is "fuhgeddaboudit". That's because, Raptors will put that dissaster behind them and get back to they're old money-making ways. Raptors the second best ATS team in the league at 21-12-1 have shown a habit of recovering cash for supporters after a loss. In ten losses prior to the defeat in San Antonio the Raptors rebounded the next effort winning seven with a profitable 6-3-1 record against the betting line.

NBA handicappers keeping tab on Toronto will be quick to note, Raptors learn lessons after playing San Antonio as they're 7-0 SU, 5-2 ATS after running the hardwood against Spurs. Those digging deeper will also point out, Raptors returning to home court following a road loss have been a good choice going 5-2 SU, 4-2-1 ATS and are 3-1 ATS in front of the home audience following a loss by 15 or more points. A final betting nuggets favoring Toronto. The Raptors have been money in the bank facing Jazz cashing six of seven tickets (6-0-1 ATS). Currently Raptors can be had for -6.5 (-$1.10) at most shops.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Purdue Boilermakers (12-3) at Ohio State Buckeyes (10-4)

Date: January 05, 2017 7:00 PM EDT

Ohio State faces a tall task when the Buckeyes play host to No. 15 Purdue on Thursday night at Value City Arena in Columbus.

Literally, and a tall task in many ways.

Not only does Purdue's frontcourt of 6-foot-9 Caleb Swanigan and 7-2 Isaac Haas tower over the Buckeyes' frontcourt, the Boilermakers statistically are better than the Buckeyes in almost every category.

But the Boilermakers have won only once in 14 trips to Value City Arena. The Buckeyes have won four straight in Columbus against the Boilermakers.

As they say, the game's not played on paper, it's played on the field, or in this case on the court, and despite the statistical advantage, Purdue's coach Matt Painter doesn't need to be reminded of that.

Purdue (12-3, 1-1 Big Ten) had its seven-game winning streak snapped on Sunday when the Minnesota Gophers posted a 91-82 overtime road victory despite Swanigan dropping 28 points and grabbing 22 rebounds.

Purdue fell behind early and scrambled in the second half to get back in the game. Swanigan sent the game into overtime with a four seconds left in regulation. Minnesota used an 11-0 run early in overtime to pull away and win at Purdue for the first time since 2005.

"Minnesota did everything well early, and they got into a nice rhythm," Painter said. "It felt like we were down 10 or 12 at the half, but we were fortunate to be down only three. Their guards played very well, but we made defensive mistakes as the game wore on.

"It's also a real shame that Swanigan gets 28 and 22 and that doesn't lead to a win."

Swanigan now has four 20-20 games this season as he builds a solid All-America resume. He's a matchup nightmare for most teams, and the Buckeyes are no different.

Swanigan and Haas often overshadow Vince Edwards, but the 6-8 forward completes one of the most dynamic frontcourts in the nation by posting 12.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

Guard Dakota Mathias has taken a significant step forward averaging just under 10 points per game. Painter has integrated freshman guard Carsen Edwards into the lineup and he has paid dividends with under 11 points a game.

Freshman Micah Potter and 7-footer Trevor Thompson will be faced with the tall task of trying to control Swanigan (18.5 ppg, 13.0 rpg) and Haas (13.9 ppg). The Boilermakers' offense is humming to the tune of 84.5 points (20th in the country), 40.3 rebounds (31st) and 20.3 assists (second).

Ohio State (10-4, 0-1) opened Big Ten play dropping a 75-70 decision to Illinois, a team they had defeated six straight times. The loss was Ohio State's third of the season by less than five points.

JaQuan Lyle scored 26 points, 18 in the second half, to lead the Buckeyes out of a double-digit first-half hole. Lyle took over five minutes into the second half and scored 16 straight OSU points to put the Buckeyes up 58-57 with 8:35 to play.

But as quickly as Lyle provided a spark, the magic vanished. Enigmatic senior forward Marc Loving and junior guard Kam Williams added 10 points apiece.

Loving and Williams are capable of huge offensive games if they get off to a good start. Their first few shots must fall, otherwise confidence becomes a factor.

The Buckeyes' defense -- ranked 35th, allowing only 63.9 points per game -- will have to play much better against a Boilermakers offense that's one of the best in the nation.

The schedule makers didn't do the Buckeyes any favors. Ohio State hits the road next week to play Minnesota and Wisconsin. Waiting in the wings is the always dangerous Michigan State.

"Right now, we're 0-1 in the Big Ten and it's definitely something that we need: a win under our belt," Loving said. "There's not really much after that. We need to get a win."

Ohio State coach Thad Matta said the Buckeyes need to shoot better and pay attention to detail if they have a chance to pull off the upset and avoid going 0-2 to start conference play.

"We have to play better than we played the other night and when you're playing a team like Purdue -- I think they're really, really good -- we've got to do all the little things and we've got to do all the little things for 40 minutes."

Jae'Sean Tate is the heart and soul of the Buckeyes and at 6-4 might just cause some trouble for the taller Boilermakers. Tate, who leads the Buckeyes in scoring at 13.9 ppg, is one of two Power 5 Conference players 6-4 or shorter averaging more than six rebounds per game (Markelle Fultz from Washington is averaging 6.2). Overall, Tate is tied for 11th nationally among players 6-4 or shorter with 6.9 rebounds per game.

Four other players average double figures, giving Matta plenty of balance.

Before playing Minnesota, Purdue welcomed back fifth-year senior guard Spike Albrecht after the one-time Michigan player missed seven games. His return gives the Boilermakers some much needed experience at the guard position.

He played nine minutes on Sunday and is expected to see more playing time on Thursday.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Cal Golden Bears (10-4) at UCLA Bruins (14-1)

Date: January 05, 2017 9:00 PM EDT

UCLA coach Steve Alford and California coach Cuonzo Martin share a past coaching at Missouri State and playing for Big Ten teams Indiana and Purdue, respectively, during their college careers in the Hoosier State.

Coming off a split last weekend to start Pac-12 play, Alford and Martin now share the same objective -- stay in pace with the young conference race.

The fourth-ranked Bruins (14-1, 1-1 Pac-12) are coming off an 89-87 loss at Oregon and a 76-63 win over Oregon State. Alford called the victory over the Beavers a "must-win" situation after losing on a last-second 3-pointer made by Oregon guard Dillon Brooks.

"Any time you lose for the first time getting that win the next time is not easy, especially with the heartbreaking way we lost to Oregon," Alford said in a press conference this week. "The way we responded against Oregon State, which tried to shorten the game by slowing things down, I'm really proud of how we played.

"We needed a good bounce-back win."

After losing at home to Arizona, Martin's team also got back on track with an 81-65 win over Arizona State. More promising for Cal (10-4, 1-1) is that it started a game-turning 21-4 run in the second half against the Sun Devils with sophomore standout post player Ivan Rabb on the bench in foul trouble.

"It's really big for us," said Grant Mullins, a graduate transfer guard from Columbia. "It gives our guys confidence. While we have a ton of confidence in him, he can't play 40 minutes a night or he'd just be too tired. When he's off the floor, other guys have to step up, and everyone showed us that tonight."

Cal and UCLA are gradually getting their personnel healthy and prepared to play.

The Golden Bears will soon add much needed depth to their interior game with 7-foot-1 junior center Kameron Rooks, out with a knee injury since Nov. 30, cleared to practice this week. His availability for the UCLA game is questionable.

UCLA center Thomas Welsh returned during the Oregon trip after missing four games with a bruised right knee. He totaled 20 points and 10 rebounds against the Ducks in his first game back.

The Bruins have also cleared this week guard Prince Ali (torn meniscus in his right knee last July) and forward Alex Olesinski (stress reaction in left foot) to start practicing with the team.

"It's seemed like we didn't know a timetable (for the return of Ali and Olesinski), and all of a sudden we get back from the Oregon trip and both Prince and Alex are out on the floor practicing again," Alford said. "They look great so now it's about just being with them, talking to them and making sure they know their options and we support whatever that is."

It will be difficult for Ali and Olesinski to crack Alford's existing eight-man rotation headlined by freshmen T.J. Leaf, a wing player who leads the Bruins with 17.5 points a game, and point guard Lonzo Ball, who had 37 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds in the games in Oregon.

UCLA ranks third in the nation with 93.9 points per game and the Bruins top the nation shooting 54.2 percent from the field.

"UCLA wants to get out and go really quickly," said Cal guard Sam Singer, who is now the team's sixth man after Mullins started in his place against Arizona State. "I don't think we're necessarily going to slow it down, but we have to be smart with how fast we want the game to go."

Based on the stats, Cal should make it difficult for UCLA to get second chances around the basket. The Golden Bears rank No. 1 nationally in defensive rebounding percentage (82 percent).

Rabb ranks in the top 30 in the country in defensive rebounds per game (10th, 7.92), rebounds per game (24th, 10.3) and double-doubles (28th, 6), and is 43rd for field goal percentage (56.3 percent).

"Rabb is a special player and I like their toughness in the backcourt," Alford said of Mullins, Singer and freshman guard Charlie Moore (second on team with 15.3 points per game). "Mullins is a fifth-year guy who knows how to play and shoot the ball.

"Cuonzo's teams are always very good defensively and they are very physical. Like all games, we have to be better in this one than the last one. "

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Gonzaga Bulldogs (14-0) at San Francisco Dons (11-4)

Date: January 05, 2017 9:00 PM EDT

Fifth-ranked Gonzaga is aware that the target only grows bigger with each victory it records.

Recalling last season's visit to San Francisco also serves as a huge reminder.

The Bulldogs (14-0, 2-0) aim to fight off the upset bid and continue the best start in school history on Thursday when they visit the University of San Francisco in West Coast Conference play.

Gonzaga is 32-4 against the Dons during Mark Few's tenure as coach but San Francisco's solid season has caught the squad's attention.

The Dons (11-4, 1-1) are enjoying their best start since opening 12-3 during the 1999-2000 campaign but haven't defeated a top five program since knocking off No. 2 Wichita State on Dec. 29, 1981.

Yet San Francisco needs only to look back to last season's home contest against Gonzaga to realize an upset is possible.

The Dons held a 16-point lead with 8:49 left in regulation before the margin evaporated and the Bulldogs rallied to post a 102-92 overtime victory.

Now San Francisco will make another bid as it begins a tough three-game stretch in which it hosts WCC powers Gonzaga and Saint Mary's before finishing with a road game at Brigham Young.

"It's a major challenge," first-year coach Kyle Smith said. "Believe me, I haven't been sleeping as well as I normally would this week. We have the fifth-ranked team in the nation coming into our gym and we're trying to keep the team loose, confident and prepared."

Meanwhile, Bulldogs junior point guard Nigel Williams-Goss may not be at full strength after dealing with the stomach flu.

Williams-Goss leads Gonzaga in scoring (13.8), assists (4.7) and steals (24) while expertly guiding an offense that averages 84.9 points per game.

Shooting guard Jordan Mathews is in the midst of a hot streak by making 16 of 33 3-point shots over the past four games. The transfer from Cal leads the Bulldogs with 37 3-pointers while ranking fourth on the team in scoring at 10.6 per game.

Senior center Przemek Karnowski (12.7 points, team-best 6.3 rebounds) looks to follow up a strong effort in Saturday's 81-61 win over Pacific. Karnowski contributed 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting and a career-best seven assists.

Sophomore guard Josh Perkins (10.9) and backup freshman power forward Zach Collins (10.5) also average in double figures. Collins is shooting a scintillating 72.5 percent from the field.

The victory over Pacific was Gonzaga's first true road contest of the season. And there were issues as the Bulldogs trailed by eight points early in the second half before using a 25-4 burst to change the complexion of the game and win going away.

"It's a challenge not only for the new guys, just the intensity these teams are coming at us with and you don't get do-overs, but we have some other guys that come from programs that haven't won and quite frankly haven't fared well on the road," Few said. "They need to learn the characteristics that do make you fare well on the road. It's not just our young guys."

San Francisco is led by senior guard Ronnie Boyce, who is averaging 16 points per game and has notched five 20-point outings. Freshman guard Charles Minlend (11.3) and junior forward Chase Foster (10.9) also average in double digits.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Utah Utes (10-3) at Arizona Wildcats (13-2)

Date: January 05, 2017 10:00 PM EDT

No. 17 Arizona is a more complete team than it was through most of its non-conference schedule. So, too, is Thursday night's opponent, Utah.

The Wildcats (13-2, 2-0 Pac-12) have won seven in a row and got back point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright last week from a high ankle sprain. Utah (10-3, 1-0) is coming off a 76-60 home win over Colorado and is a more dangerous squad since adding post David Collette and guard Sedrick Barefield at the semester break.

Collette, a transfer from Utah State, and Barefield, from SMU, have played in five games and have combined to average about 30 points per game.

"I look at them as one of the top four teams in our conference," Arizona coach Sean Miller said.

"If you think about the firepower Utah just added, you almost have to judge them only on the games that those two guys played. Both guys have a chance to be all-conference players."

The Wildcats, who opened conference play with a road sweep of Stanford and California, have eight available scholarship players with Jackson-Cartwright's return. He had missed six full games because of the injury. Jackson-Cartwright played a total of 42 minutes over the weekend, with 10 assists and three turnovers, although he made just 1 of 7 shots from the field.

"He didn't have any setbacks over the weekend," Miller said. "But I think his conditioning will continue to come back and his confidence shooting the ball will continue to develop. We're happy to have him back, for sure. We played a long time without him."

Arizona is still expected to be without guard Allonzo Trier, who has not played this season because of an unspecified eligibility issue. The school has not announced a timetable for a potential return.

Collette is averaging 15.4 points and is shooting 65.4 percent from the field. Forward Kyle Kuzma averages 14.4 points and 9.8 rebounds, helping the Utes to a plus-10.1 rebounding edge, which is the eighth-best mark in the country. Kuzma returned against Colorado after missing most of three games with an ankle injury.

Barefield is averaging 14.2 points per game.

With a lot of lineup shuffling, Utah has six players averaging in double-figure points, although coach Larry Krystkowiak would like to see more consistent guard play.

"I haven't been pleased with our assist-to-turnover ratio and I think some guys are putting their heads down," he said. "We have some scoring-minded guards, and even sometimes our posts get a little bit thirsty for scoring points."

Arizona is led in scoring by a trio of freshmen -- power forward Lauri Markkanen (15.8), wing Rawle Alkins (12.7) and guard Kobi Simmons (12.5). Center Dusan Ristic has been hot, hitting 41 of 63 shots (65.1 percent) in the past seven games, increasing his scoring average to 11.2 points.

This will be the only meeting of the season between the teams in an unbalanced conference schedule. The Wildcats will not make a return trip to play at Utah and Colorado. The Utes snapped a 12-game losing streak against Arizona last season with a 70-64 victory in Salt Lake City.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: BYU Cougars (11-4) at Saint Mary's Gaels (12-1)

Date: January 05, 2017 11:00 PM EDT

Neither Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett nor Brigham Young coach David Rose is completely satisfied with the state of his team, and both hope their teams find their comfort zone this week.

They know mediocre play won't do the trick when the No. 19 Gaels host the Cougars in a pivotal West Coast Conference game on Thursday in Moraga, Calif.

"I don't think we're anywhere near a finished product," Bennett said after a 72-60 home victory over San Diego on Saturday.

Even though Saint Mary's is 12-1 overall and 2-0 in the WCC, Bennett knows it will take a better effort against a team like BYU, which is having problems finding its groove as well.

"After 15 games, there should be more continuity than we actually have," Rose said, according to the Deseret News. "I think everyone's looking forward to the next two weeks to see how it kind of all evolves. Hopefully during that process we can win some games so we can stay in this (West Coast Conference) race."

BYU (11-4) is also 2-0 in the conference, but it had to rally from an 18-point deficit to beat Loyola Marymount on Saturday. The Cougars scored the final 11 points of the game to escape with an 81-76 road win.

BYU's leading scorer, 6-foot-10 sophomore Eric Mika, struggled mightily in that game, going 4 of 17 from the field. Nonetheless, Mika leads the team in scoring at 20.2 points per game and rebounding at 8.9 boards per game.

Mika's matchup against 6-11 Saint Mary's center Jock Landale will garner plenty of the attention because Landale leads his team in scoring (17.6 points per game) and rebounding (9.7) while shooting 63.8 percent from the field.

Rose leaves little doubt what he wants to do.

"Right now, the emphasis with this team is to play to our strength. And our strength is to pound that ball inside," he told the Deseret News.

The Cougars' inside game suffered a bit when they lost starting forward Kyle Davis on Nov. 26 when he suffered a season-ending knee injury. But they recently added 6-10 forward Corbin Kaufusi, who played on the BYU football team this season. He joined the basketball team after the Cougars' Dec. 21 Poinsettia Bowl win over Wyoming.

Kaufusi, who started 23 games last season, played a total of just five minutes in his first two games last week, but his playing time should gradually increase.

For Saint Mary's, the wild card is redshirt freshman Tanner Krebs. He was a virtual non-factor in the Gaels' first nine games, making just 3 of 18 3-points shots in limited playing time. But over the past four games Krebs is 9 of 14 from long range, and his 4-of-4 3-point shooting against San Diego was pivotal in the Gaels' victory.

He was part of the Gaels' strong bench performance in that game. Saint Mary's reserves scored 35 points against the Toreros compared with the 37 scored by the starters, and the bench players' 6-of-9 3-point shooting was considerably better than the starters' 1-of-7 accuracy from long range.

"It's good to see the bench come in and perform well," Krebs said.

It was the kind of scoring depth the Gaels had been lacking.

"We were good offensively after the first eight to 10 minutes of that game," Bennett said after the San Diego game. "We looked more like ourselves tonight."

The Cougars have looked more like themselves from 3-point range in WCC conference play.

BYU always relies heavily on outside shooting, but they were made just 29 percent of their 3-point shots in the first nine games. The Cougars turned that around last week, hitting 18 of 35 (51.4 percent) from beyond the arc in their two WCC games.

"We're playing inside-out right now, and when we get the ball into them, they get double-teamed and they're kicking it out to us," BYU guard Nick Emery told the Deseret News. "We're getting open shots. When a guy's in your face, it's harder to knock down a shot than when you're open. So I attribute that to our bigs."

Emery is the team's second-leading scorer at 15.7 points per game and is part of strong offensive squad that averages 84.4 points per game.

"They're always high octane," Bennett said. "I know they'll be able to score."

Scoring against Saint Mary's is difficult, however, as the Gaels limit opponents to 57.8 points per game, which ranks fourth in the nation.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Stanford Cardinal (8-6) at USC Trojans (14-1)

Date: January 05, 2017 11:00 PM EDT

USC tries to bounce back from its first loss of the season when the No. 25 Trojans host Stanford in a Pac-12 Conference game Thursday night at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.

The Trojans (14-1, 1-1 Pac-12) hope to produce a much better performance after struggling in key areas of an 84-61 loss to No. 15 Oregon on Friday.

Stanford (8-6, 0-2) lost three of its last four games and five of seven. The Cardinal are coming off back-to-back losses to Arizona State and No. 17 Arizona.

Neither coach was pleased with his team's most recent outing. Stanford shot 33.9 percent from the field, made 3 of 16 from 3-point range and committed 17 turnovers while allowing Arizona to shoot a sizzling 62.5 percent, including 10 of 14 from beyond the arc.

"Our team was confident coming into this game," Stanford coach Jerod Haase said. "Our practices really have been good, but it didn't carry over to the game. Things went well for Arizona. They are an elite-level team."

USC shot 31 percent against Oregon. The Trojans also committed 17 turnovers. The Ducks shot 46.4 percent, made 8 of 20 from long distance and committed only six turnovers.

"We started out by missing a couple layups and some easy shots in the paint, and then they got hot and we couldn't make a shot," USC coach Andy Enfield said.

The Trojans knew they were in for a tough test against a red-hot Oregon squad that had upset No. 4 UCLA two days earlier. The Ducks, one of four ranked teams in the Pac-12, were the preseason conference favorites. Their win over USC was their 35th consecutive victory at home.

"We're upset that we lost, but I'm sure the other 34 teams that they beat here consecutively were upset, too," Enfield said after the game. "There's a reason they were ranked in the top five in the country preseason and there's a reason they've won 35 straight here, because they're a very good team."

USC, which entertain California on Sunday, is led by Elijah Stewart, Jordan McLaughlin and Chimezie Metu. Stewart is averaging 14.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. McLaughlin averages 14.1 points, 5.0 assists and 3.9 rebounds. Metu averages 12.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.

Stewart, McLaughlin and Metu all struggled offensively in the loss to Oregon. They combined for 24 points on 5-of-25 shooting from the field. Metu missed 11 of his 12 field-goal attempts.

Reid Travis and Dorian Pickens have led the way for Stanford, which visits UCLA on Sunday. Travis is averaging 17.5 points and 9.6 rebounds. Pickens averages 13.2 points and 4.1 rebounds.

Travis was held to 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting against Arizona. Pickens had 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting and missed five of his six 3-point attempts. Stanford's starters combined to make 12 of 36 field-goal attempts.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NCAA Basketball Expert Predictions: Three Interesting Jan. 5 Opening Lines
by Alan Matthews

It's fairly unusual for a head coach to get fired at this point in the season as conference play has just begun around the country and there's still plenty of time to turn things around. But the University of South Florida has pulled the plug on Orlando Antigua. The former assistant to John Calipari at Kentucky was 23-55 in his tenure at USF, which started in the 2014-15 season. The Bulls are 6-7 this season, and their best player, Jahmal McMurray, transferred out of the program last month. I actually think this has more to do with the fact that USF is facing an NCAA investigation into the program regarding academic fraud. Over the summer, Orlando's brother Oliver resigned from his position as an assistant for his role in that. Assistant coach Murry Bartow, who needs to buy a vowel, will take over as the interim head coach. USF is next in action Saturday at SMU.

UConn at Memphis (-6.5)

American Athletic Conference game at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Memphis actually opened AAC play on Dec. 27 with a 58-54 home loss to SMU but then went back out of conference on Friday and beat a pretty solid South Carolina team 70-54, although the Gamecocks were missing their best player. Markel Crawford had a career-high 28 points vs. USC for the Tigers and Dedric Lawson added 19 points, 15 rebounds and a career-high eight assists. Lawson is the team leader in points (20.6) and rebounds (11.1) per game, leading the American in scoring and second in rebounding.

The bloom is suddenly off the rose of Huskies coach Kevin Ollie as his 5-8 team (0-2 in conference) seems likely to miss the NCAA Tournament barring a run to the conference tournament title. UConn beat Memphis three times last season, including 72-58 in the AAC Championship Game in Orlando. But this year's team enters on a three-game losing streak, two of those in overtime. Four of UConn's losses this season have come by four points or fewer while it has three wins by three points or less. Nonconference home losses to Wagner, Northeastern and Auburn aren't going to help that NCAA Tournament resume. UConn is 6-2 vs. Memphis since joining the American in 2013.

Key trends: UConn is 2-9 against the spread in its past 11 games. Memphis is 4-10 ATS in its past 14 on Thursday.

I'm leaning: Memphis.

Minnesota at Northwestern ( -3 )

Big Ten game at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The two losses for Minnesota are both quality, coming at now-ranked Florida State back in November and then in overtime to Michigan State in the Big Ten opener last Tuesday, and the Gophers blew a nice lead in that one. They are off an impressive 91-82 overtime win at No. 15 Purdue on Sunday. Junior captain Nate Mason became the first Minnesota player to record at least 31 points and 11 assists in a game. He landed right on both numbers and added six rebounds with just one turnover. The Golden Gophers had lost eight in a row at Purdue. Mason was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week.

Northwestern remains the only Power 5 school yet to make the NCAA Tournament but just might this year at 12-3 overall and with solid wins over Texas and Dayton and very close losses to Notre Dame and Butler. NU is 1-1 in the Big Ten after a 61-52 loss at Michigan State last Friday. The big story here for the Wildcats is the return from injury of starting center Dererk Pardon. He has missed five weeks following wrist surgery. The sophomore leads the team with 7.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game and averages 6.9 points while shooting 57.6 percent from the field.

Key trends: The Gophers are 1-5 ATS in their past six vs. the Big Ten. Northwestern is 5-1 ATS in its past six conference games. The Gophers are 2-7 ATS in their past nine at Northwestern.

I'm leaning: Minnesota.

Cal at No. 4 UCLA (-11)

A 9 p.m. ET tipoff in the Pac-12 on ESPN. California ended a two-game losing streak with an 81-65 home win over Arizona State on Sunday. That was huge with the two-game swing through Los Angeles against the ranked Bruins and USC up next. All-American candidate Ivan Rabb dominated the Sun Devils with 20 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. Rabb has grabbed at least 10 rebounds eight times in his 12 games this year. Meanwhile, Grant Mullins got a spot start and responded with a season-high 20 points. California is 0-2 vs. ranked teams this year, losing to then-No. 12 Virginia, 56-52, on Dec. 21 and to then-No. 18 Arizona, 67-62, on Dec. 30. The Bears are looking for their first road win over a Top-5 team since March 2007 in the Pac-10 Tournament over UCLA.

UCLA bounced back from its lone loss of the season at Oregon last Wednesday, on a buzzer-beater, with an 76-63 victory at Oregon State on Friday. Freshmen were the stars again for UCLA as Lonzo Ball, a lock Top-5 pick in this year's draft, scored a career-high 23 points to go with seven assists and six rebounds, and TJ Leaf had a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Ball is the only player in the country averaging at least 10 points, five rebounds and eight assists per game. UCLA and Cal met just once last year and the Bears won 75-63 at home. The Bruins shot 33 percent in the first half and never led.

Key trends: The Bears are 2-9-1 ATS in their past 12 vs. teams with a winning record. UCLA is 8-1 ATS in its past nine home games. The home team is 6-1 ATS in the past seven meetings.

I'm leaning: UCLA has won each of its last four games in Pauley Pavilion against California, will do so again and cover.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NCAAB

Thursday’s games

Purdue is 12-3 vs schedule #182; they lost by 7 at Louisville in only true road game this season. Boilermakers lost last game at home in OT to Minnesota, snapping their 7-game winning streak. Purdue is 2-3 vs top 100 teams, beating Notre Dame/Iowa. Home side won last four Purdue-Ohio State games; Boilers lost last four visits to Columbus, by 23-3-18-4 points- they’re 2-7 in last nine series games. Buckeyes split last eight games after a 6-0 start; they’re 1-3 vs top 100 teams, with only win by 5 over Providence.

Davidson won three of four games with George Washington, splitting pair here; they lost 79-69 here LY, have series wins by 2-11-7 points. Wildcats lost four of last six games overall, losing A-14 opener by hoop at home to Richmond; they’re 1-2 in true road games, winning at Mercer, losing at Charleston/UNC. GW has an interim coach this year; they’re 8-6 vs schedule #147, losing last two games to Miami by 8, St Joe’s by 5. Colonials are 2-4 vs top 100 teams, with wins over Temple/Central Florida.

Rice is 11-4 this year, after being 36-89 the last four years; Owls are #279 experience team that has played schedule #287; they lost to Pitt by 10, Texas Tech by 1 in only top 100 games this year. Home side won last three Middle Tennessee-Rice games; Blue Raiders lost in double OT last time they were here, in ’15. MTSU is 3-1 in true road games, winning at Ole Miss, Belmont; they’re #34 experience team that is playing pace #329 (Rice plays pace #63). Rice starts two sophomores and a freshman; they’re shooting 39.6% on arc, have #18 eFG%.

Home side won six of last seven Cal-UCLA games; Golden Bears lost last three visits here, by 14-12-19 points, but they won last two over UCLA, by 2-12 points. Bruins are 8-0 at home, with 14 points the closest of those games. UCLA plays pace #12, is shooting 42.4% on arc (#3), 61.7% inside arc (#1)- they’re 5-1 in top 100 games, winning by 11-7-5-18-13 points. Cal has #8 eFG% defense, holding teams to 41.7% inside arc; they play pace #256 pace, have future NBA player in big man Rabb, so curious to see which team gets tempo they want here.

Northwestern won nine of last ten games, losing last game by 9 at Michigan State; Wildcats are 4-3 in top 100 games, 2-3 in top 50 games- they’ve got #15 eF% defense. Northwestern won five of last six games with Minnesota, winning last three, by 6-25-24 points. Gophers lost six of last seven visits to Evanston. Minnesota split its first two Big 14 games, both in OT, winning at Purdue, losing at Michigan State. Gophers lost only other true road game by 8 at Florida State. Minnesota is 13-2 vs schedule #99, despite being experience team #307.

Nebraska won its first two league games, both on road, at Indiana/Maryland by total of 6 points, after 1-6 skid in December that included a loss to Gardner-Webb. Cornhuskers force turnovers 20.8% of time, shoot only 30.6% on arc. Iowa won its last five games with Nebraska, all by 10+ points; Hawkeyes won two of last three visits here. Hawkeyes won six of last seven games, beating Michigan in OT in last game; Iowa is 0-2 in true road games, losing at Notre Dame by 14, Purdue by 22- they’re #345 experience team in country.

Colorado is 10-4 vs schedule #129; they’re 2-2 in true road games, winning at Portland/Air Force, losing at BYU/Utah. Buffaloes are 7-1 vs teams ranked outside top 100, with only loss to Colorado State. Colorado won three of last four games with Arizona State, with wins by 9-6-10 points; Buffs lost last three visits to Tempe, by 9-21-6 points. Sun Devils are 1-5 vs top 100 foes, with only win by 11 at a sub-par San Diego State team- they’ve got #305 eFG% defense, are 6-7 in their last 13 games. ASU allowed 87 pts/game in its first two Pac-12 games.

Arizona is somehow 13-2 despite having #325 experience team whose bench plays #294 minutes; they got PG Cartwright back two games ago which greatly helps their depth. Wildcats allowed 57 pts/game in sweeping trip to Bay Area by 5-39 points. Arizona won nine of last ten games with Utah; they lost 70-64 in Salt Lake City LY. Utes lost last four visits to Tucson by 9-3-9-18 points. Utah is 1-2 vs top 100 teams, beating Colorado, losing by 9 to Butler, 8 to Xavier; they split two true road games, winning at Hawai’i, losing at Xavier.

St Mary’s is 12-1 vs schedule #299; they’ve got whole team back from LY, are 2-1 vs top 100 teams, beating Nevada by 18, Dayton by 4 back in November- their only loss was at home to UT-Arlington on Dec 8. Home side won six of last seven BYU-St Mary’s games; Cougars lost four of last five visits here, losing last two by 5-11 points. BYU won its last four games overall, scoring 85 pts/game in winning first two WCC games- they’re #319 experience team but generally have older players, because so many of their players take Mormon missions.

Stanford lost five of last five six D-I games; they lost by 15 at Kansas, 23 at SMU in only two true road games this season. Cardinal gave up 94.5 pts/game in losing pair of home games to the Arizona schools last week. USC was 13-0 before losing by 23 at Oregon in last game; Trojans have played #208 schedule, are #328 experience team- they’re 4-1 vs teams in top 125, with best win by 5 over SMU. Stanford won its last five games with USC, with four of five by 8+ points. Cardinal won 79-71/79-76 in last two games in Galen Center.

Belmont is 7-0 vs teams ranked outside top 200, with five wins by 8 or less points; they’re 3-1 at home, with only loss to Middle Tennessee. Bruins is #46 experience team that shoots 61.7% inside arc, only 30.3% on arc. Belmont won its last four games with UT-Martin, three by 10+ points; Skyhawks lost 90-53/72-67 in last two visits here. UTM is 3-4 in its last seven games, 4-4 in true road games; they’re turning ball over 22% of time (#316) but are #11 experience team- they split first two OVC games, beating Morehead State in OT last game.

Jacksonville State is 9-7 against schedule #102; this is their first D-I home game of the year (they player a non-D-I home game Nov 22). Gamecocks are much-improved with Harper as its new coach, are 9-7 after being 30-63 the last three years. Murray State is 20-1 in its last 21 games with JSU, winning eight of last nine played here. Racers won last three series games by 9-27-15 points. Murray is 0-6 in true road games, with five losses by 6 or less points or in OT; that includes losses at So Dakota State, Bowling Green, Evansville, Middle Tennessee.

Eastern Washington won five of last six games with Montana State; Bobcats lost last four games here, by 17-4-5-24 points. Eagles are 9-5 vs schedule #124; they won Big Sky opener by 7 at Idaho- they’re 5-0 vs teams ranked outside top 200, are also 4-0 in OT games. Montana State snapped 7-game skid with win over Idaho State in last game; Bobcats are 0-5 in true road games, with four of five losses by 8 or less points. MSU is #298 in experience in a league where most of teams have lot of returning players this season.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Streaking Blue Jackets chase NHL history Thursday at Capitals
By ROB HANSEN

The Columbus Blue Jackets are certainly the biggest surprise of this 2016-17 National Hockey League season.

The Jackets are riding a 16-game winning streak and will look to move into a tie for the all-time league record Thursday night when they visit the Washington Capitals. The current NHL record for consecutive wins is 17 by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins.

If hockey bettors wagered $100 on each of the 16 games via the Blue Jackets' moneyline odds, they would be up $1,242.68 heading into Thursday's contest.

Columbus extended their streak to 15 on New Year's Eve with a 4-2 victory over the host Minnesota Wild. Coming into Saturday's game the Wild were riding a 12-game streak of their own and the game marked the first time in major North American sports history (NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS and WNBA) that two teams squared off with active winning streaks of 12 games or longer.

On Tuesday night, the Blue Jackets climbed to within one win of the record with a 3-1 victory over the formidable Edmonton Oilers.

Columbus will face a very tough task in their attempt to equal the powerhouse Penguins team from the early-90's when they travel to D.C. to take on the Capitals. The Caps own a 23-9-1 overall record, including an impressive 14-5 on home ice, and are coming off an exciting 6-5 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

Moneyline betting for Thursday's game opened Wednesday evening with the Capitals pegged as -135 favorites to put an end to the Jackets' historic streak.

John Tortorella's Blue Jackets are currently listed at 10/1 (Westgate LV Superbook) to hoist the Stanley Cup this summer, after opening the season at 30/1.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

At the Gate - Thursday
By Mike Dempsey

A field of seven was entered for Saturday’s $100,000 Sham (G3) at Santa Anita, the next Road to the Kentucky Derby points race.

The race kicks off the major prep races for Derby hopefuls at Santa Anita. The other races the $150,000 Robert B. Lewis (G3) on Feb. 4, the $400,000 San Felipe (G2) on Mar. 11 and the marquee event of the meeting, the $1 million Santa Anita Derby (G1) on Apr. 8.

The John Shirreffs trained Gormley is looking to bounce back off a disappointing effort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) where he faded to finish seventh at 5-1, beaten 16 ¼ lengths by the winner Classic Empire.

The colt had won the Frontrunner (G1) at Santa Anita on Oct. 1 in gate to wire fashion in his second career start. That race made him one of the early betting favorites for the Kentucky Derby (G1) but his priced has drifted up, currently at 55-1.

His main foe in the Sham figures to be the Bob Baffert trained American Anthem, an impressive maiden winner in his debut at Del Mar on Dec. 3. The colt was a $435,000 purchase, by Bodemeister out of a A.P. Indy mare.

The colt is down to 25-1 in early Derby wagering, but that could change after Saturday.

I will have selections for the Sham in Saturday’s column.


Here is the opening race from Gulfstream Park to get the day off to a good start:

GP Race 1 Md $20,000 (12:35 ET)
#9 Great Skellig 3-1
#3 Bourbon City 2-1
#4 Twistcat Candy 6-1
#1 Leroy's Image 10-1

Analysis: Great Skillig raced near the back of the pack early last out in his local debut and came with a good late rally to finish fourth, beaten 1 1/2 lengths for the top spot for the Clement barn. The gelding was third two back at Belmont Park over yielding ground against $40,000 state breds. It looks as if the extra ground here going 7 1/2 will suit this guy. He is out of a stakes placed Danehill mare that has dropped one other foal to race, a turf winner.

Bourbon City returns off a four month break here for the Romans barn that is 10% winners with runners coming back off a 61-180 day layoff. The gelding was a decent third two back at a mile at Churchill Downs and last out checked in seventh over yielding ground at the Spa against open $40,000 maiden claimers. The winner of that race was Twenty Four Seven, who beat $50,000 starter allowance foes in his next outing on Sept. 25. This guy is out of a Saint Ballado mare that has dropped four winners including a couple of turf winners.

Wagering
WIN: #9 to win at 5-2 or better.
EX: 3,9 / 1,3,4,9
TRI: 3,9 / 1,3,4,9 / 1,3,4,7,9

Today’s Featured Race of the Day from Gulfstream Park:

GP Race 9 OClm $62,500C (4:32 ET)
#8 Summation Time 9-5
#6 Captain Gaughen 4-1
#2 Run for Logistics 3-1
#7 Platinum Prince 8-1

Analysis: Summation Time tracked the early pace, battled on gamely in the stretch and cold not match strides late with the winner in a runner up finish last out in the Gin Rummy at GP West. He was nearly six lengths clear of the rest of the field in the effort. He makes his third start of his current form cycle and his last trip over the turf here was a good second in the Sunshine Millions Turf Sprint last January. Looks well spotted here for Clement.

Captain Gaughen checked in sixth last out going two turns against NY bred Alw-2 optional claimers and cuts back to a sprint. He makes his first start for the Servis barn that is 47% winners (with a +ROI) with newcomers to the barn. He has run well in turf sprints, his last win coming at six furlongs at Belmont Park against Alw-2 foes. The barn hits at a 37% clip (with a +ROI) overall in turf sprints.

Wagering
WIN: #8 to win at 9-5 or better.
EX: 6,8 / 2,6,7,8
TRI: 6,8 / 2,6,7,8 / 2,3,6,7,8

Live Longshots:
These are price plays for exotic players looking to find a couple of extra contenders to use in their trifecta and superfecta wagers. Or for those with smaller bankrolls, you might want to get in a small win-place wager.

Gulfstream Park
R1: Leroy’s Image 10-1
R2: #6 Starship Impulse 8-1
R3: #2 Latent Princess 8-1
R6: #8 In Closing 10-1
R7: #12 All About Yasom 15-1
R8: #12 Slava 15-1
R8: #2 Gold Crescent 8-1
R9: #7 Platinum Prince 8-1
R10: #5 Sigmet 8-1

Good luck today!

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Handicapped by Chatsworth Consortium at Dover Downs

Always check program numbers.
Odds shown are morning line odds.

Race 4 - Post: 5:30 - 1 mile. PACE - Class Rating: 86 - Purse:$7000 - HORSES/COLTS/GELDINGS CLAIMING $15,000 WITH ALLOWANCES
CONSORTIUM*CHOICES

# 2 RALBAR 5/2
# 5 MOVIE IDOL 7/1
# 1 JL JOE 7/1

Look no further than RALBAR as the wager in this one. The brain trust saw this horse's name in a newspaper. Call it our coffee house play, worth a small wager. That 86 speed figure clocked in the most recent race puts this solid standardbred in the mix this time. Win percent for this driver/trainer is a sparkling 24 percent - strong chance. MOVIE IDOL - Starters win from this post at Dover Downs with better than average regularity, suggesting this tremendous play. Seems to have a competitive class edge based on the standardbreds he has raced against. JL JOE - When the trainer Ell puts Stafford up for the drive good things happen. All you need to do is look at the 8 pct return on investment.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Handicapped by Chatsworth Consortium at Freehold Raceway

Always check program numbers.
Odds shown are morning line odds.

Race 9 - Post: 3:10 - 1 mile. PACE - Class Rating: 72 - Purse:$3300 - FILLIES & MARES NON-WINNERS $1,500 IN LAST 5 STARTS NON-WINNERS LAST 3 ALLOWED $500 HORSES THAT RACED FOR PURSE OF $6,500 OR HIGHER LAST 2 STS INEL. AE: N/W 3 EXTENDED PARI-MUTUEL RACES LIFE.
CONSORTIUM*CHOICES

# 7 DOUBLE JOY 2/1
# 1 FOUR STARZ ROE 3/1
# 2 SMOOTH FINISH 8/1

DOUBLE JOY sure does look ready to score. She has been racing solidly and the TrackMaster Speed Ratings are among the best in the group of horses. This mare has been squaring off versus some of the most competitive horses in this field recently. Certainly should be given a look based on the good speed fig earned in the last gathering. FOUR STARZ ROE - When starting from the 1 slot, an above average win percentage has resulted. This standardbred has shown us some prior ability, just look at the 79 avg class statistic. Should play well today. SMOOTH FINISH - The group always likes a proven player. This horse's high winning statistic is confirmation of that.