Thursday 12/29/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Three-pointer: Fading out '16
By Tony Mejia

It’s always intriguing to see how teams handle this time of year, overcoming the pressures and distractions of the holiday with the normal routine of travel and games. With the new year on deck at the end of the week, it’s worth taking a look at the teams that have the toughest stretches to deal with in an attempt to project who to fade as the grind intensifies.

We've separated our top candidates into groups, Three-pointer style.

The Favored Fade

The Clippers entered the week in a foul mood regardless of how many presents they found stacked under their tree. Their dominance over the Lakers, an 11-game run that dated back to Oct. 2013, ended Christmas night without Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to aid the cause.

Paul, nursing a hamstring injury, then missed another game on Monday as L.A. fell to Denver at home. DeAndre Jordan was then involved in a car accident on Tuesday, although he wsn't injured. Griffin isn’t due back until the latter part of January. Key guard J.J. Redick is also dealing with a hamstring issue that has kept him out of action all week.

They left town after Monday’s date with the Nuggets for a three-game road trip that started on a sour note Wednesday in New Orleans and features a Friday-Saturday back-to-back at Houston and Oklahoma City. Paul returned, looking like his typical self with 21 points and eight boards and seven assists, but is on a temporary minutes restriction that limited him to just 30:36 on the floor.

It wasn't enough, so the Pelicans overcame a 25-rebound night from Jordan and 22 points ffrom Austin Rivers in a 102-98 win. For the first time since flaming out of the postseason after going up 2-0 in the first round on Portland, L.A. has dropped four straight games. All the losses have come to sub-.500 teams. It's the Clippers' longest regular-season losing streak since Feb. 2015 and matches the worst run under Doc Rivers. The Clips haven't lost five straight since 2011. That team lost 50 games.

"All in all, I think we're going to be okay," Paul said following the loss in New Orleans. "At the end of the day, we want to be healthy at the right time."

Redick could be back for the weekend's games and Paul's restriction sounds like it will last a few more nights, so there may be more trouble ahead. Odds are good that the Clippers might spend the first moments of 2017 on a charter looking to get out of Oklahoma unless the team decides to spend the night. Even if they were completely healthy, this would be a long week. If the losing continues, it could be downright dreadful.

The Test Cases

Toronto and Milwaukee are actually spending the entire week on the road, so it will be interesting to see whether not being home at all will help maintain a sense of normalcy this week since routines will remain the same for most. Both are exceptional test cases, but not identical. Neither had to play on Christmas Day, but while the Raptors celebrated the holiday in Portland, where they arrived to play the Blazers after opening a season-long six game road trip with a win in Utah. Meanwhile, the Bucks really got to cut loose after smoking the Wizards 123-96 on Friday and opened their week against Washington on Monday with a 107-102 loss to start a four-game swing.

Toronto entered Wednesday's loss to Golden State as arguably the league’s hottest team, sporting a 13-2 record over the last 15 games that no one else could match. The Warriors ran out to a 42-17 lead and then held off the Raps, handing them their first double-digit loss of the season. Still, forcing 20 turnovers suggests the visitors can play with anyone and have crashed the league's elite. The Raptors have covered the number in 12 of their last 13 wins to build up a resume that currently has them as the NBA’s most profitable bet this season.

The Raptors have been held below 100 points only once since Nov. 6, a span of 24 contests, so the over has been a great wager, prevailing 17 times and making a Raps/over parlay a very popular play. One thing to keep an eye on with them this week revolves around their 0-3 mark in Pacific Division road games since their next stops are at Phoenix on Thursday and back at Staples to play the Lakers on Jan. 1. The Clippers beat Toronto there 123-115 on Nov. 21. Toronto's season-low six-game road trip ends on Jan. 3 in San Antonio, providing them another opportunity for a statement win if they're not to weary to pull it off.

Milwaukee's loss to the Wizards started a trip that also features stops at Detroit, Minnesota and Chicago on a sour note. That’s not a taxing trip, even though the games against the Timberwolves and Bulls are a back-to-back. Spending New Year’s eve so close to home is also a luxury, so if they continue their mastery of the Bulls on Saturday, this could be a very happy group despite having to spend the entire week on the road. Milwaukee swept a home-and-home against Chicago in the middle of this month by a combined margin of 37 points and seems to have a significant edge on its Central Division rival due to its edge in length and athleticism.

Giannis Antetokounmpo put up eye-popping numbers against the Bulls in the dominant wins and has averaged 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists over his last five games after torching the Wizards for a career-high 39 points last Friday night. Since Dec. 10, he's averaged 27.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and six assists per game, numbers that will travel despite the fact the Bucks have been lousy 5-8 on the road. A 15-2 run helped the Wizards erase a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit on Monday, so the Bucks were predictably angry when they took the floor and trashed the Pistons 119-94 in Auburn HIlls on Wednesday. We'll see if they can maintain that intensity over their final two stops.

Looking Gassed

Four other teams that have been identified as potentially toxic come week’s end include the Pistons, Pacers, Knicks and Suns, teams that all could take losing streaks into the new year.

Detroit looked burnt out most of last week before a spirited performance in a home loss to Golden State, so they’re on this list despite snapping a five-game losing streak with a rout of LeBron James-less Cleveland on Monday before reverting back to their brutal form in the 25-point loss to the Bucks. After criticizing everyone's effort last week, Stan Van Gundy pointed to himself after the latest rout.

"This is entirely on me," Van Gundy said Wednesday. "We have had too many games where we're getting buried. I'm embarrassed right now, and I have a lot of thinking to do to find a way to get this fixed. This is brutal."

The Pistons will spend New Year’s Eve in Miami before playing the Heat on Jan. 1 after a Friday night game in Atlanta, so fading them that day would be a must even if they were playing well. With Jon Leuer starting instead of Tobias Harris, Van Gundy is tinkering and takes a cranky team on this two-game road trip. At least the locales will be fun. Maybe too fun.

Indiana has matched the Clips with an NBA-long four-game losing streak after falling in Washington in a game where they were outrebounded 54-34 and head coach Nate McMillan felt they were pushed around. Unlike the rest of these teams, the Pacers will be home this weekend, hoping to get right against the Bulls and Magic.

The Knicks fell short in Atlanta in a contentious game that went overtime despite Carmelo Anthony being ejected for punching Thabo Sefolosha in the second quarter. After losing at Madison Square Garden to the Celtics on Sunday due to an inability to get stops, the Knicks couldn't get a basket when they needed it and missed key free throws in losing to a Hawks team that had lost six of seven at home. New York is 5-10 on the road, heading to New Orleans and Houston for a weekend back-to-back that ensures they'll spend New Year's eve flying back home.

Lastly, the Suns certainly looked to fall off in a 119-98 loss in San Antonio, getting outscored 61-34 in the second half. After hosting Toronto on Thursday, they'll be at Utah on Dec. 31, which puts them in prime position to finish 2016 with the Western Conference's worst record.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA roundup: DeRozan sets Toronto scoring record in loss
By The Sports Xchange

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Klay Thompson scored 12 of his 21 points in Golden State's 42-point first quarter Wednesday night, and the early explosion propelled the Warriors to a 121-111 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Despite seeing a seven-game road winning streak end, the Raptors experienced a historic moment when DeMar DeRozan became the franchise's all-time leading scorer, surpassing Chris Bosh with the 15th of his team-high 29 points. DeRozan, currently in his eighth NBA season, finished the night with 10,290 career points, 15 more than Bosh, who played his first seven seasons for Toronto.
Kyle Lowry recorded a 27-point, 11-assist double-double, and Terrence Ross dropped in 24 points off the bench, but it wasn't nearly enough firepower to prevent Toronto's first loss in three games on its current six-stop trip.
Kevin Durant had a 22-point, 17-rebound double-double, and Stephen Curry poured in 28 points for the Warriors.

Wizards 111, Pacers 105
WASHINGTON -- John Wall had 36 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists as surging Washington fended off Indiana.
Otto Porter scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half for the Wizards, who are 8-3 in their last 11 games. Porter's 3-pointer with 1:40 remaining came in the middle of a 7-0 run after Indiana roared back from a 13-point deficit. Washington's seventh straight home win matched the Cleveland Cavaliers for the league's longest active streak.
Paul George scored 34 points with six 3-pointers for the Pacers. Indiana dropped its fourth straight game since beating Washington 107-105 at home on Dec. 19.

Nuggets 105, Timberwolves 103
DENVER -- Nikola Jokic had 16 points and 11 assists and eight rebounds, Danilo Gallinari scored 18 and hit a go-ahead jumper with 27 seconds left, and Denver beat Minnesota.
Wilson Chandler had 17 points and seven rebounds and also had a key block on Andrew Wiggins with 8 seconds left to prevent Minnesota from tying it.
The Nuggets are 4-1 at home and 5-2 overall since getting everyone healthy and changing the rotation.

Sprs 119, Suns 98
SAN ANTONIO -- LaMarcus Aldridge poured in 27 points and Tony Parker tied a season-high 20 as San Antonio defeated Phoenix at the AT&T Center, winning for the third straight game and eighth time in their past 10 outings.
Aldridge has been hotter than hot his last two games. On Wednesday, he hit 10 of his 12 shots from the floor, following up a 15-for-20 shooting, 33-point performance on Sunday in a win against Chicago.
The Spurs won despite the absence of leading scorer and two-time defending NBA Defender of the Year Kawhi Leonard, who was scratched due to illness just before the game. It was the first game Leonard missed this season.

Pelicans 102, Clippers 98
NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Davis scored 20 points and rookie guard Buddy Hield added 17, including back-to-back 3-pointers, to lift New Orleans to a victory over Los Angeles at the Smoothie King Center.
The Pelicans won for fourth time in five games, and they did it without head coach Alvin Gentry, who was ejected after picking up two technical fouls in the first half. Assistant Darren Erman took over with 4:06 left in the half and the Pelicans trailing 45-39.
The Clippers lost their fourth consecutive game despite getting 13 points and 25 rebounds by center DeAndre Jordan, who had a double-double in the first quarter.

Hornets 120, Magic 101
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Kemba Walker scored 21 points and Charlotte opened a 33-point lead in the second half en route to a victory over Orlando.
Nicolas Batum scored 20 points to go with nine rebounds and eight assists for Charlotte. Batum and Walker were each 8 for 12 from the field.
The Hornets went on a 20-6 run to open the second half and held the Magic to 5-for-22 shooting and 13 points in the third quarter.

Hawks 102, Knicks 98 (OT)
ATLANTA -- Dennis Schroder scored 27 points, including two clutch free throws with six seconds remaining, to give Atlanta an overtime win over New York at Philips Arena.
Atlanta led by as many as six points in overtime but could not put the game away. The Knicks cut the lead to 98-97 and had a chance to win with 16.2 seconds left, only to have Derrick Rose lose control on a drive under pressure from Atlanta's Thabo Sefolosha.
New York had to foul and Schroder made two free throws with six seconds remaining. The Knicks inbounded to Kristaps Porzingis, who was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer. He missed two of the three free throws with 3.6 seconds remaining, leaving the Knicks with a two-point deficit.

Bucks 119, Pistons 94
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Jabari Parker racked up 31 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and Milwaukee took control late in the first half and cruised to a victory over Detroit at The Palace.
Parker, who was two points off his season high, reached the 20-point mark in six of his last eight games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo supplied 23 points, eight asssists and five rebounds for the Bucks, who bounced back from a 107-102 loss at Washington on Monday. Ex-Pistons center Greg Monroe contributed 14 points, six assists and five rebounds off the bench.

Bulls 101, Nets 99
CHICAGO -- Jimmy Butler hit a buzzer-beater from just inside the 3-point line to lift Chicago to a win over Brooklyn.
Butler stepped back to hit the jump shot over the outstretched arms of Nets forward Bojan Bogdanovic as the buzzer sounded. He pumped his arms as teammates raced to congratulate him.
Butler finished with 40 points to match a season high. Chicago erased a seven-point deficit in the final three minutes of the game to earn its second win in a row.

Trail Blazers 102, Kings 89
PORTLAND, Ore. -- CJ McCollum scored 20 points and passed out seven assists as Portland ended a six-game losing streak with a victory over Sacramento at Moda Center.
Meyers Leonard came off the bench to match his season high with 16 points for the Trail Blazers, who had lost 10 of their previous 11 outings. Mason Plumlee added 10 points and 14 rebounds for Portland.
DeMarcus Cousins delivered 28 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Kings, who had won four in a row. Garrett Temple added 14 points for Sacramento.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Heat (10-22) at Hornets (18-14)

Date: December 29, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Motivated by a poor finish on Monday in Brooklyn, the Charlotte Hornets provided an effective response two nights later in Orlando.

It helped Nicolas Batum filled up the stat sheet and the defense made plays in the third quarter.

Now, Batum and the Hornets will look to put together a similar performance Thursday night when they host the Miami Heat -- two nights before a meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

At 18-14, the Hornets possess the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference but at times display bouts of inconsistency. Case in point, Monday night against the Brooklyn Nets.

Up 14 early in the third quarter, the Hornets could not get a game-changing run together and allowed the Nets to inch closer. The inconsistent night ended with a 120-118 Charlotte loss decided on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Randy Foye.

In Orlando, the Hornets won for the fourth time in five games with a 120-101 rout. This time, they had the run to put things out of reach with a 35-13 third quarter, highlighted by a 20-6 start after the defense allowed Orlando to shoot 59 percent before halftime.

While the Hornets are inconsistent at times, Batum has been a steady presence. He scored 20 points Wednesday, played the entire third quarter and nearly finished with a triple-double, recording eight assists and nine rebounds.

It was his 23rd game in double-figure scoring, eighth with 20 points and sixth instance with at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.

"Filling up the box score, that's every night with Nic," Charlotte guard Kemba Walker said. "Defensively, he can guard anybody, and offensively he can make any play on the court. People don't get to see us much and see how good he is, but we know how important he is to our team."

Walker rebounded from his 6-of-17 night in Brooklyn to shoot an efficient 8 of 12 at Orlando, and the Hornets placed six in double figures. The Hornets shot a season best 54.8 percent and more important, nobody played more than 30 minutes on the front end of Charlotte's seventh set of back-to-back games.

"We had to step up our defense," Batum said. "The way we played last game in Brooklyn wasn't us at all. In the first half, we did a better job. We had to step up our game. This team can score. We put our energy up and stopped them from getting easy baskets."

Miami is 1-5 in its past six games, a stretch that followed consecutive home wins over the Washington Wizards on Dec. 12 and the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 14. Injuries have played a major role in the Heat's 10-22 start, and health remains a problem.

Goran Dragic is questionable for Thursday due to lower back spasms, Dion Waiters will miss his 17th straight game with a groin injury, and Josh McRoberts is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his left foot after starting 14 games in a row before the a 106-94 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.

Miami is off to its worst 32-game start since beginning 2007-08 with 24 losses en route to 67 defeats. The Heat have already used 11 starting lineups, and no five-man group has started more than eight times.

Dragic did not play Tuesday. He sat after shooting 48.5 percent (34 of 70) in his previous four games, though he did fly to Charlotte.

"I don't know because the back, you don't know how it's going to react," Dragic said Wednesday. "I feel fine now. I still didn't do full speed, so that's going to worry me."

Without Dragic, Josh Richardson provided a bright spot Tuesday by tying his career high with 22 points when he was not running after triple-double machine Russell Westbrook on defense.

Like the rest of the Heat, Richardson dealt with injuries, missing six games earlier this month with a sprained ankle. However, until if Dragic is able to play, Richardson will run an offense that ranks at the bottom of the league in pace (94.4 possessions), points (98.4) and offensive rating (103.3).

"It's tough," Richardson said Tuesday. "We've had guys out. You see your brothers go down. We've been short-handed every game this year. You've got to persevere through it."

The low offensive numbers were on display Tuesday when the rest of the starting lineup combined to score 35 points on 13-of-30 shooting. It included Hassan Whiteside, who has 24 double-doubles and three games with 20-plus rebounds.

Tuesday was not one of those double-doubles, as Whiteside finished with 12 points and eight rebounds, which prompted critical comments from Miami broadcaster Ron Rothstein on a Wednesday radio show.

Miami won 16 straight against Charlotte from March 20, 2010, through March 3, 2014. Since LeBron James returned to Cleveland following the 2013-14 season, Charlotte is 5-4 in the teams' past nine meetings.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Celtics (19-13) at Cavaliers (23-7)

Date: December 29, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

By the time the Cleveland Cavaliers take the floor Thursday night, it will have been a full week since the last time DeAndre Liggins scored a point. Yet LeBron James heaped high praise on him in advance of their game against the Boston Celtics.

Liggins is 0 for 4 in his last two games as the starting shooting guard. He might be J.R. Smith's replacement while Smith is out with a fractured thumb, but he certainly can't replace Smith's game as a dead-eye shooter. Liggins' game is predicated on his defense and toughness. James says that's exactly what the Cavs have needed since Matthew Dellavedova left in free agency last summer.

"What Delly gave us was grit," James said. "Delly gave us a grit like, 'I don't care what y'all say, I'm out on this floor to defend, I'm out on this floor to make plays and no matter what y'all say that I can't accomplish, I'm gonna try to overachieve that.' We lost that in Delly and rightfully so for the first part of the season, first few weeks we was missing that. Liggs gives us that."

Coach Tyronn Lue keeps encouraging Liggins to shoot open 3s because he was a 43 percent shooter from deep last season in the Development League. James made clear, however, the Cavs aren't asking him to score. They're asking him to make life miserable on opposing point guards by defending them full court -- James joked that Liggins defends guards for 96 feet even though the court is 94 feet.

He most recently has held his own while guarding the Warriors' Steph Curry and the Pistons' Reggie Jackson. James trusts him to shoot when he's open, but wants him to concentrate on defense and grit.

"He gives us that pit bull out on the floor that's like, 'I'm here to just work. I'm going to make you work every single possession. I know you don't know my name yet, I know you don't know my game yet or what I'm about, but I'm going to make you work,'" James said. "We've got that in Liggs. And that's huge for our team. Obviously you know what Delly did for us the last couple years and Liggs has picked that up. It's been a diamond in the rough for us and we're happy to have him."

Liggins' next assignment will be Isaiah Thomas, who has guided Boston to wins in six of seven games since he returned from a groin injury. Thomas has averaged 29 points in those seven games.

"He's just relentless," Celtics center Al Horford told the Boston Herald. "Him just finding creative ways to finish, it really surprises me. ... He's at the point now that he's making reads on when to go score and when to kick the ball out, and basically he's putting it all together. That's hard to do, to have a good balance of scoring and kicking it out, and I think he's starting to recognize that because people are putting a lot of attention on him."

This is the Celtics' second trip to Cleveland after the Cavs beat them 128-122 in early November. Kyrie Irving missed practice for the Cavs on Wednesday because he was ill, although Lue said he is still expected to play Thursday against the Celtics.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Thunder (20-12) at Grizzlies (20-14)

Date: December 29, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

Newsflash out of Oklahoma City: The Thunder are alive and well despite the departure of the great Kevin Durant. There's still this Westbrook fella who has embraced the spotlight and is thriving pretty well.

"Just do whatever you got to do to put your body on the line for your teammates," Westbrook said after recording his 15th triple-double of the season in a win Tuesday against Miami. "That's what I try to do."

And this bit of news out of Memphis: The Grizzlies have survived a rash of injuries to key players and are now on the verge of getting healthy again.

The Thunder at 20-12 are first in the Northwest Division and have exceeded expectations in the first third of the season.

The Grizzlies at 20-14 also have done better than what was predicted despite Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, Chandler Parsons and Vince Carter missing significant time. They have stumbled to a 4-6 record the past 10 games, but their defense has been stellar, allowing only 98.1 points per game -- fourth best in the league.

Oklahoma City enters Thursday night's game in Memphis against the Grizzlies riding a four-game win streak and a three-game road winning streak. The Thunder have now strung together three four-game win streaks this season.

Every night the Thunder take the floor, all eyes are on Westbrook, the early choice for MVP this year. He is averaging a triple-double: 31.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 10.9 assists.

The Thunder have been a lot of fun to watch, especially Westbrook. And he has embraced the idea of letting it all hang out on the floor.

"I just go out and have fun," Westbrook said after the Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-100 on Sunday night. "I don't know if it's the most fun I've ever had, but it's definitely at the top because of the group of guys we have. Everybody is so unselfish. Everybody is willing to do great things. Everybody is willing to get better. We're young and blessed to be able to play this game. You can't do nothing but have fun."

In Tuesday's win against the Heat, Westbrook recorded his 15th triple-double this season -- the 52nd of his career. The rest of the league has totaled 18 triple-doubles in all.

No. 15 came pretty easy against the Miami Heat on Tuesday. Westbrook, who is attempting to join Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson as the only NBA players to average a triple-double for an entire season, had 29 points, a season high-tying 17 rebounds and 11 assists. He was just two rebounds shy of the triple-double by halftime.

When Robertson averaged a triple-double during the 1961-62 season, the Cincinnati Royals went 43-37 and finished 11 games behind the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Division. Westbrook is making his surrounding cast better and giving the Thunder more than a fighting chance against anyone, including KD, LeBron and Pop.

Fans, players and coaches are left in awe.

"From my perspective, some of the most impressive plays he made were diving in front of our bench, taking the charge at the end when they were up 12," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Every single possession is the most important possession to him."

During the Grizzlies' recent struggles, the defense simply has not been up to par. In three straight games, their opponents have cracked the 100-point barrier. Against Boston, the Celtics shot 48 percent.

Memphis has lost two straight and six of 10. Coach David Fizdale points to the team's defense, which has given up more than 100 points in three straight games. And with Westbrook and the Thunder's high-octane offense awaiting, the challenge is greater.

The evidence was again on display in the TD Garden, where Memphis allowed Boston to shoot 48 percent. The Grizzlies entered the game ranked second in the NBA in points allowed (97.7 per game) but have given up more than 100 points in three straight and four of the past five outings.

"Our defense wasn't at the level it should be," Grizzlies coach David Fizdale said after watching the Celtics score 28 points in each of the first three periods.

The Thunder are making a lot of defenses look ordinary. OKC coach Billy Donovan is running the offense through his talented center duo of Steven Adams and Enes Kanter to help take some pressure off Westbrook and the dividends are paying off.

In the win against the Heat on Tuesday, the duo combined for 34 points and 16 rebounds. During the four-game win streak, Kanter and Adams are averaging 32.5 points and 16 boards.

The Grizzlies can counter with Marc Gasol, who is having the finest season of his career. In the loss to Boston, Gasol did everything he could, scoring 26 points, grabbing four rebounds, dishing out nine assists, to go along with two steals, three blocks and three 3-pointers in 38 minutes.

Conley sat out that game with a toe injury and his status is uncertain for Thursday night.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: 76ers (7-23) at Jazz (19-13)

Date: December 29, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

SALT LAKE CITY -- It has taken longer than expected, but Utah appears to finally be on the verge of getting its roster back to full strength.

Starting point guard George Hill could return to the starting lineup for the Jazz when they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night. Hill missed 13 games while recovering from a sprained toe. He practiced with Utah on Monday.

Alec Burks practiced as well, although there's no timetable for his return. Burks has not played this season after having offseason ankle surgery.

Utah has struggled at times on offense in Hill's absence. The Jazz snapped a three game losing streak on Tuesday with a 102-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

"It's hard to play without your starting point guard and that's George Hill playing 34 minutes," Utah coach Quin Snyder said. "(In) those 34 minutes, I think the way he takes care of the ball will help."

Trading for Hill turned out to be one of the best offseason moves the Jazz could have made. Hill averages 20 points on 53.4 percent shooting, 4.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds. More importantly, he has been a steadying influence for the Jazz in crunch time.

If Hill is good to go, it could help Utah rebuild momentum and keep pace in a tough Western Conference. The Jazz started out on the right foot by prevailing against the Lakers. Utah had to overcome 20 turnovers -- leading to 24 points by Los Angeles -- to get it done.

"We needed this one especially with the losing streak we've been on -- kind of get us going back in the right direction." forward Gordon Hayward said. "It will be good to get some guys back and healthy. Tonight showed our depth and capability of guys to step up and make big plays."

The Sixers will be without their best player on Thursday night. Joel Embiid will rest against Utah and play against Denver on Friday. Philadelphia has not yet cleared him to play both games in a back-to-back this season.

It is a foreboding sign for the Sixers' chances against the Jazz. Embiid leads the team in points (18.7), rebounds (7.4) and blocked shots (2.4). Philadelphia is just 2-7 this season when he is not in the lineup.

"My body has been kind of tired," Embiid told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Wednesday. "So that played a part of making that decision (to rest Thursday as opposed to Friday). . . . I can get some rest, but I'll be fine."

Embiid's absence will mean more playing time for Nerlens Noel, who has fallen out of Philadelphia's rotation after missing 24 games with knee and ankle injuries. Noel is averaging career lows of 4.2 points and 2.0 rebounds in only 7.8 minutes per game.

Gerald Henderson will not play against Utah and Denver. Henderson is out because of left hip pain, depriving the Sixers of a much needed perimeter defender to send out against sharpshooters Rodney Hood and Joe Ingles.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Raptors (22-9) at Suns (9-23)

Date: December 29, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- The Toronto Raptors hope to regain their winning ways on the road Thursday night when they make the fourth stop on a six-game trip to face the Phoenix Suns.

The Raptors not only played Wednesday night, but were involved in a bit of a track meet with the Golden State Warriors in a 121-111 setback.

Guards Kyle Lowry (40) and DeMar DeRozan (39) both put in heavy minutes, and reserves Terrence Ross (34) and Patrick Patterson (33) also were called upon for extensive duty, leaving the Raptors in an unenviable position against the Suns.

Phoenix also played Wednesday night, but coach Earl Watson was much more stingy with the big minutes in a 119-98 loss at San Antonio.

None of the Suns starters played more than 29 minutes in the loss, during which the Phoenix reserves tallied 58 of the club's 98 points.

Despite the setback at Golden State, the Raptors seek to build upon what has been a historic start on the road. Toronto had won a franchise-record seven straight away from home before running into the West's top team Wednesday.

The Suns are at the other end of the West's spectrum. Their loss Wednesday dropped them to 9-23, tied with Dallas for the worst record in the conference.

No doubt, the highlight of Phoenix's consecutive losses at Houston and San Antonio on a three-day trip was the play of rookie Dragan Bender.

The No. 4 pick in June had been one of the biggest disappointments of the Top 10, limited to five points or fewer in 27 of the Suns' first 30 games, before living up to the pre-draft hype with 11- and 10-point outings against the Rockets and Spurs.

Fellow rookie Marquese Chriss, the No. 8 overall selection, also had a nice trip, recording 12- and 13-point games.

"We are a young group trying to establish a culture and that can't be done overnight," Watson noted after the game. "We have to be a defensive team all four quarters and keep our focus. Turnovers hurt us, but with a young team, turnovers are going to happen."

Suns fans hope to see more of the positives at home, where their club has recorded a league-low five wins this season.

Adding a sixth against the Atlantic Division leader won't be easy. Down by as many as 25 points Wednesday night, the Raptors made even the Warriors fight for their win.

"I like our fight. I love our grit that we showed," Raptors coach Dwane Casey told reporters after the game. "We could have given in. It was a 20-point game. They pounced on us. We kept fighting, and that will take us a long way."

The loss at Golden State had a historic moment for the Raptors when DeRozan's 15th of 29 points moved him past Chris Bosh and into the top spot on the franchise's all-time scoring list.

DeRozan, in his eighth NBA season, finished the night with 10,290 career points, 15 more than Bosh, who played his first seven seasons for Toronto.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Mavericks (9-23) at Lakers (12-23)

Date: December 29, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES -- A downward spiral continues to plague the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers attempt to reverse course when they face the struggling Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night at Staples Center.

Los Angeles (12-23) dropped five of its last six and 13 of 15 games in December, including Tuesday's 102-100 loss at home to the Utah Jazz. A 3-pointer by Utah forward Joe Ingles and the Lakers' inability to convert late possessions was the difference as the Jazz improved to 3-0 against Los Angeles this season.

"Obviously, it stings," Lakers coach Luke Walton said. "The players are hurt that we lost, but the message afterward was we played the most aggressive, in my opinion, the most aggressive defensive game that we've had in a long time. We're still going to make mistakes. That's just part of learning."

The lessons have become increasingly painful during the Lakers' tailspin. After a surprising 10-10 start, the Lakers have had little to savor this month. They endured a recent 1-6 road trip with four of the losses coming in double digits.

The Lakers' lone wins this month came against the undermanned Los Angeles Clippers and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Defense remains one of the Lakers' weaknesses. They ranked 27th in points allowed at 110.3 and last in opponents' field-goal shooting at 47.8 percent before Wednesday's games. The Lakers were 25th in turnovers at 15.3 per game.

The Mavericks (9-23), who have lost their last two, engaged in an intensive defensive posture in their last outing Tuesday night. Dallas lost 123-107 in a testy affair with the visiting Houston Rockets that featured skirmishes throughout. Eight technicals and two flagrant fouls, one of the latter being charged to Mavericks center Andrew Bogut for throwing a rugged pick on Rockets guard James Harden.

"Yeah, it was a hard screen and I set hard screens, but to get a flagrant for it is kind of head-scratching when I felt like (Mavericks forward) Justin Anderson had his wrist in a ju-jitsu hold four plays later and that was just brushed off like a regular foul," Bogut told the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram.

"You admire the effort the league's putting in Seacaucus (N.J.), that beautiful facility where they watch replays and watch TV and have leather chairs and all that kind of stuff, but you scratch your head at a lot of these things and it becomes very, very frustrating."

Dallas has tried to ease its frustrations recently from a 3-15 start to open the season. Injuries to Dirk Nowitzki, Bogut and J.J. Bare haven't hurt matters though.

The Mavericks, who have the worst record in the Western Conference, are 3-14 on the road. One of those wins was a 109-97 decision over the Lakers at Staples on Nov. 8. Harrison Barnes, who scored 31 points in that victory, leads Dallas in scoring at 20.4 points per contest.

Wesley Matthews has also been a key contributor with a 15.4 scoring average. Nowitzki returned from an Achilles injury on Dec. 23. He scored 17 points in 15 minutes in his first game back, helping Dallas beat the Clippers 90-88 at Staples. However, Nowitzki managed only 10 and seven points in losses to the New Orleans Pelicans and the Rockets.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Free NBA Picks: Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews

Kudos to Houston Rockets rookie Chinanu Onuaku. He temporarily brought the "granny style" underhanded free-throw shooting back to the NBA earlier this week, but if you follow the University of Louisville program then you know the big man also shot them there -- switching after a freshman season in which he hit only 46.7 percent. Onuaku isn't going to play much and was only called up from the D-League because of the injury to Houston center Clint Capela and was already sent back down. But I remember Hall of Famer Rick Barry, an underhand free-throw shooter in his career and one of the best shooters from the charity stripe in NBA history, saying he could turn Shaquille O'Neal or any other bad shooter currently like a Dwight Howard or Andre Drummond into the mid-70s percentage wise if they would just allow him to teach the granny style. But NBA players are too "cool" to shoot it that way in a game, which is ridiculous (I've heard some of those guys do try underhand during practices and are much better). Although in typical conceited Barry fashion, he said Onuaku's style wasn't quite right and the he could fix it if asked.


Heat at Hornets (TBA)

Charlotte was in Atlanta on Wednesday. Miami lost a second straight on Tuesday, 106-94 at home vs. Oklahoma City. Josh Richardson tied a career high with 22 points for the Heat. James Johnson scored 16 and Tyler Johnson added 15, both off the bench. Starting point guard Goran Dragic sat out with back spasms. Charlotte won the first meeting of the season 97-91 in Miami. The Hornets were down 19 in the third quarter. Kemba Walker led them with 24 points.

Key trends: The favorite is 6-2 against the spread in the past eight meetings. The "over/under" has gone under in the past six.

Early lean: Wait on Dragic -- keep in mind Heat play again Friday too.

Thunder at Grizzlies (TBA)

Oklahoma City won a fourth in a row Tuesday, 106-94 in Miami. Russell Westbrook got his 15th triple-double of the season already with 29 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists. The Thunder are now 12-3 when Westbrook has a triple-double. Guard Victor Oladipo missed his eighth game with a right wrist sprain and doesn't seem likely here. Memphis followed a loss in Orlando on Monday with a 113-103 defeat in Boston on Tuesday. Marc Gasol had 26 points and nine assists vs. the Celtics. Mike Conley (left big toe), Chandler Parsons (rest) and Brandan Wright (left foot) did not dress. First meeting between OKC and Memphis this year. The Thunder won two of three in the series in 2015-16.

Key trends: The home team is 7-1 ATS in the past eight meetings. The under is 5-2 in OKC's past seven on the road.

Early lean: Wait on Conley and Parsons.

Celtics at Cavaliers (-7.5, 216.5)

First of a TNT doubleheader. Boston won a second straight Tuesday, 113-103 over Memphis. Avery Bradley scored 23 points and Isaiah Thomas had 21 points and seven assists. Cleveland had a five-game winning streak snapped Monday in Detroit, 106-90. But you had to see that coming the night after beating the Warriors in the Cavs' regular-season game of the year and with LeBron James getting the Pistons game off. Cleveland is 0-3 without him this year, but James should be in there Thursday. Meanwhile, Tristan Thompson became the first player in franchise history to play in 400 consecutive regular-season games. Cleveland won the first meeting with Boston 128-122 on Nov. 3. LeBron had 30 points and 12 assists. It was the Cavs' second straight home victory in the series.

Key trends: The road team is 6-1 ATS in the past seven meetings. The under is 8-3 in the previous 11.

Early lean: Cavaliers and under.

76ers at Jazz (-12, 198)

Philadelphia lost a third consecutive Monday, 102-100 in Sacramento. Joel Embiid had his potential winning 3-point attempt blocked at the end. Embiid got the ball back but shot an airball at the buzzer. He had 25 points and eight rebounds. Gerald Henderson had to leave with an ongoing hip issue. Utah's three-game losing streak ended in a 102-100 victory at the Lakers on Tuesday. Joe Ingles hit the winning 3-pointer with 21.6 seconds left. Might surprise you to know he leads the league in 3-point percentage. Guard George Hill remained out with a sprained left big toe and has seen action in just 11 games but might actually play here. Utah is on a seven-game win streak vs. the 76ers and on an 11-game win streak vs. the 76ers at home. The Jazz won by 25 in Philly back on Nov. 7.

Key trends: The road team is 5-2 in the past seven meetings. The under is 5-1 in the previous six.

Early lean: Sixers and under.

Raptors at Suns (+8, 220)

Toronto was in Golden State on Wednesday so I wonder if perhaps a Kyle Lowry or DeMar DeRozan gets this game off. Phoenix was in San Antonio on Wednesday. Toronto and Phoenix have split the season series each of the past two seasons. Earl Watson made his head coaching debut against the Raptors in Phoenix on Feb. 2, 2016.

Key trends: The Raptors are 0-6 ATS in the past six meetings. The over is 5-1 in those.

Early lean: Suns and over.

Mavericks at Lakers (-4.5, 203.5)

Second TNT game. Dallas lost a second straight Tuesday, 123-107 to Houston and things got rather intense during that one and after. There were eight techincals called and the Rockets' Trevor Ariza was waiting outside the Dallas locker room for Mavs center Salah Mejri to throw hands or something. The one bright spot for the Mavs was the return of center Andrew Bogut after missing 11 games. The Mavericks had their projected starting five for just the fourth time. L.A. lost 102-100 at home to Utah on Tuesday. With a chance to win, D'Angelo Russell airballed a 3-pointer. Julius Randle had 25 points and 12 rebounds for his team-high ninth double-double for the Lakers. Dallas won in L.A. 109-97 on Nov. 8 and has taken 11 straight regular-season meetings with the Lakers. 16). It's the Mavs' longest active win streak against any team and their longest ever win streak against the Lakers.

Key trends: The Mavs are 4-1 ATS in the past five meetings. The under is 10-4 in the previous 14.

Early lean: Mavericks and under.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA

Thursday’s games

Hornets won four of last six games with Miami; teams split last four games played here. Last six series games stayed under total. Favorites covered six of last eight series games. Heat lost five of last six games; they’re 7-2 in last nine games as a road underdog. Under is 5-2 in last seven series games. Charlotte won three of last four games, covered four of last five as a home favorite- under is 6-4 in their last ten games.

Cavaliers won seven of last eight games with Boston (5-3 vs spread); Celtics lost four of last five visits here (3-2 vs spread). Under is 7-3 in last ten series games. Boston won six of last seven games; they’re 3-2 as road underdogs. Last five Celtic games went over total. Cleveland won five of its last six games; they’re 8-2 in last ten games as a home favorite- their last three games stayed under total.

Home side won five of last six Thunder-Grizzly games; Oklahoma City lost three of last four visits here. Favorites covered last six series games, with last three going over total. Thunder won/covered their last four games; they’re 3-4 as road underdogs. Four of last five OKC games went over total. Memphis lost five of last seven games overall, three of last four at home; they are 3-5 as home favorites. Four of their last five games went over total.

76ers lost their last eight games with Utah (3-5 vs spread); they lost last four visits to Salt Lake City (2-2 vs spread). Five of last six series games stayed under total. Philly lost five of its last six games; they covered four of last five games as a road underdog. Under is 7-2-1 in their last ten games. Jazz lost three of last four games; they’re 4-8 as home favorites. Under is 7-2 in their last nine games.

Suns won four of last six games with Toronto, but Raptors won three of last five visits to desert. Underdogs covered four of last five series games- five of last six went over total. Toronto lost in Oakland last night; they’re 8-2 in last ten games, 3-3 as road favorites, 2-1-1 if they played night before. Phoenix lost six of last seven games; they’re 5-5 as home underdogs. 2-2 if they played night before. Suns’ last five games went over the total.

Lakers lost their last ten games with Dallas (3-7 vs spread); Mavericks won last six series games played here. Under is 7-3 in last ten series games. Dallas lost five of last eight games; they’re 7-10 as a road underdog. Last two Dallas games went over total. Lakers lost five of last six games; they’re 1-3-1 as a home favorite. Four of their last six games went over the total.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Butler Bulldogs (11-1) at St. John's Red Storm (6-7)

Date: December 29, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

St. John's and No. 13 Butler open their Big East season when they meet Thursday at Carnesecca Arena on the St. John's campus in New York.

Butler (11-1) has posted two impressive wins over No. 18 Arizona (69-65) and No. 16 Indiana (72-71) as well as knocking off then-No. 22 Cincinnati (72-65). The Bulldogs have defeated their opponents by an average of 14.5 points.

"If I said, 'Naw, I expected this,' you would say you're full of crap," Butler coach Chris Holtmann said. "I am (surprised). I think we also recognize that league play is a different animal, but to say we expected to go 11-1, given our schedule, with this many new guys, I'd say I'm surprised."

Butler was picked to finish sixth in the conference in the preseason coaches poll. St. John's was chosen eighth.

This is the eighth matchup between the programs. The first meeting came in the 1958 NIT and the last six have been since Butler joined the Big East before the 2013-14 season. Butler has won the last four meetings and holds a 4-3 lead in the series.

St. John's (6-7) is coming off a rousing 93-60 win over Syracuse on Dec. 21. It was the worst loss suffered by Syracuse in the history of the Carrier Dome.

The win marked the first time that St. John's has won three in a row against Syracuse since 1993 and the lopsided affair was good enough for the second largest margin of victory over the Orange for the Red Storm in the 104-year history of the series.

"It was a good game, (but) we need to focus on being more consistent," St. John's coach Chris Mullin said. "Each game takes another tone and its own personality so it's on us to impose our will and our personality on that particular game.

"Butler is a really good team. They're solid up and down, and they don't turn the ball over. They have solid players at every position and they play well together, so we have a really tough game coming up and it's going to be important we play 40 minutes."

The Red Storm feature guard Shamorie Ponds, who picked up the National Freshman of the Week award after depositing 21 points with seven assists, six rebounds and four steals in the victory over Syracuse.

Forward Kelan Martin has led the Bulldogs in scoring in seven of the team's 12 games this season. He has scored 20 or more points in six of those games, including four of the last five as he has averaged 22.2 during that stretch.

Butler shot 57 percent from the field in the win over Vermont in its last outing.

Including five times this season, Butler is 23-0 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field under Holtmann, who picked up his 100th win at the school in the 81-69 victory over Vermont on Dec. 21.

Butler is shooting 49.5 percent from the field this season, which ranks 22nd nationally.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Kentucky Wildcats (10-2) at Mississippi Rebels (9-3)

Date: December 29, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

Eighth-ranked Kentucky (10-2) opens Southeastern Conference play on Thursday when the Wildcats travel to Oxford to face Ole Miss (9-3).

The Wildcats will be starting the quest for their 48th SEC regular season title and its third in a row. Ole Miss has never won the league title. In fact, Kentucky's 47 titles swamp the next closest school, LSU, with 11.

"The thing that jumps off the page when you see Kentucky is their team speed," Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said. "This is my 11th year so I've seen a lot of great Kentucky teams and a lot of great Kentucky players, but I don't know if I've ever seen one as fast as this team. And if you're fast on tape that means you're going to be doubly fast in person."

Kentucky will be looking to rebound from a 74-71 loss at Louisville on Dec. 23.

"We're playing on the road at Mississippi. Hard game," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "Where are we on the 29th of December on the road within our league? We'll find out. Not only find out, then it's where do we have to go? Where do we have to take this?

"I think it was more discipline," Calipari said. "I've been a little bit tougher in practice as far as holding them accountable. Making it clearer what we're looking for and then holding them accountable."

In Ole Miss, Kentucky will face a team that leads the SEC with a plus-6.6 rebounding margin, ranking second best in the league at 42 rebounds per game. The Rebels have out rebounded 11 of 12 opponents this year. They also rank ninth nationally at 6.5 blocked shots per game. For its part, Kentucky has a plus-5.6 rebounding edge.

"For us to have a chance, we've got to control the things that we can," Kennedy said. "The battle of the boards is going to be huge."

The Rebels are led by senior forward Sebastian Saiz, the only player in the SEC averaging a double-double at 15.2 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. His rebounding number is fourth best in the nation.

The top scorer for Ole Miss is junior guard Deandre Burnett at 19.2 points per game, third best in the league. Sophomore guard Terence Davis checks in at 12.8, junior guard Cullen Neal at 12.3 as the Rebels average 81.1 points per game.

Kentucky leads the SEC and ranks No. 4 nationally at 93.1 points per game. The Wildcats are led by freshman guard Malik Monk at 21.4 points per game. Next comes freshman guard De'Aaron Fox at 16.3, sophomore guard Isaiah Briscoe at 15.1 and freshman forward Bam Adebayo at 12.5 to go with a team best 8.0 rebounds.

"I forgot how hard some of the stuff is with what we're doing, playing all these young guys, knowing they need to be more disciplined, knowing shot selection, where to put the ball, what they're thinking about," Calipari said.

One stat where the two teams are vastly different -- turnovers. Kentucky leads the SEC with a plus-5.8 turnover margin, good for eighth best in the nation. Ole Miss, by contrast, is at minus-1.7, ranking 268th in America.

"I know that our guys came back excited because Kentucky brings that," Kennedy said. "SEC opener, national TV against one of the best teams in the country. They are the program by which you judge all others. They're the gold standard. It's an exciting way to open, but obviously very, very difficult because they're so good, again."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Florida Gators (9-3) at Arkansas Razorbacks (11-1)

Date: December 29, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

Two hot-starting SEC teams collide Thursday night when No. 25 Florida visits Bud Walton Arena to take on the streaking Arkansas Razorbacks and preseason conference player of the year Moses Kingsley.

At 11-1, Arkansas is off to its best 12-game start under coach Mike Anderson. The Razorbacks have responded to their only loss of the season -- 85-71 at Minnesota on Nov. 22 -- with eight straight victories, their longest win streak in the last six years.

The Gators (9-3) have played the tougher schedule, though, with two of their three losses coming against No. 7 Gonzaga and No. 5 Duke. Florida followed its loss to the Blue Devils by losing to Florida State on Dec. 11 but bounced back with consecutive blowout wins over Charlotte and Arkansas-Little Rock.

Florida has won the last five meetings with Arkansas but might not be at full strength in Thursday's matchup. Junior center John Egbunu, the team's leading rebounder, is considered a game-day decision. Egbunu has sat out the last two games with a hamstring injury and will be missed as the Gators try to battle Kingsley in the paint.

Kingsley is averaging 11.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. He is one of four Razorbacks averaging double figures in points and tied for third in the SEC in rebounding. Egbunu is fifth in the SEC in rebounding.

If the Gators are forced to sink into the paint to control Kingsley, the Razorbacks have sharp-shooters on the outside to take advantage. Dusty Hannahs and Daryl Macon have combined to hit 43 3-pointers this season for the Razorbacks, who are coming off what Anderson called his team's most-complete performance in a 90-56 win over Sam Houston State on Dec. 22.

"I was very proud of our guys, thought they came out with unbelievable energy and it just went throughout the whole game," Anderson told reporters after the win over Sam Houston State.

"Probably the most complete performance we've had this year, and I say that because we did all the little things defensively. Even from an offensive standpoint, I didn't think we got stagnant, had great ball movement, and got Moses involved."

Kingsley and Macon each had 17 points.

Florida, which had struggled scoring from beyond the 3-point arc, hit 16 3-pointers in its win over Arkansas-Little Rock last week.

"I guess I can't complain any more about not making shots beyond the arc," Gators coach Mike White quipped to reporters about his team's suddenly hot hand from beyond the arc. "We got that fixed, right?"

Sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen leads the Gators in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game. Junior forward Devin Robinson has been the team's most consistent outside threat, hitting 42.3 percent of his 3-point shots and is averaging 12.4 points per game.

The two teams met most recently in last season's SEC tournament, with the Gators overcoming a 33-point outburst from Hannahs to knock off the Razorbacks 68-61.

Arkansas is 6-4 at home against ranked teams under Anderson.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Pepperdine Waves (4-8) at Gonzaga Bulldogs (12-0)

Date: December 29, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

Pepperdine enters its West Coast Conference opener Thursday against No. 7 Gonzaga on a seven-game losing streak and without two of its better players because of injuries.

The Waves (4-8) are also in the middle of a six-game road stretch that had them play at Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 20 and then at Montana two days later before a holiday break. Now they must travel north again to Spokane, Wash., to face a Bulldogs team that is off to the best start in school history at 12-0.

What is the most upsetting for Pepperdine coach Marty Wilson, who signed a five-year contract extension last year, is that the Waves must play the rest of the season without senior captain Amadi Udenyi.

The point guard tore his right Achilles tendon against Portland State on Nov. 27 and is contemplating filing for a medical redshirt. He missed most of his sophomore season as well with a torn left Achilles tendon.

"He is the heart and soul of our team," Wilson said. "His unselfish attitude on offense and his physical toughness and competitive spirit are what we miss most on the floor."

The Waves are also without sophomore forward Kameron Edwards, who broke his jaw in November. Road-weary and playing short-handed against arguably Gonzaga's best team under coach Mark Few is not a recipe for success to start the conference season.

The Bulldogs went unscathed in a nonconference schedule that included Florida, Iowa State, Arizona and Tennessee.

Although Gonzaga has its share of capable offensive players in point guard Nigel Williams-Goss and guards Jordan Mathews and Josh Perkins, its defense is what is pleasing Few the most. Gonzaga is limiting opponents to 26.7 percent shooting from behind the arc, which tops the country.

"To get this far along with all the success this program has had, it's harder than heck to do something nobody else has done before," Few said regarding the best start in program history. "To go 12-0 ... especially with the nonleague slate we had, the opponents, and even the timing a little bit (a weeklong break during final exams), was an impressive job by these guys.

"For long stretches, we have played pretty darn good defense."

Pepperdine hopes to stand up against Gonzaga's size advantage. The Waves' top rebounder is 6-foot-7 forward Chris Reyes, a graduate transfer from Utah, who is pulling down 8.1 boards a game.

Gonzaga's 7-1, 300-pound post player Przemek Karnowski leads the Bulldogs with 6.3 rebounds a game and is shooting 54 percent from the field. Perhaps his most impressive feat -- indicating his deft passing ability -- is ranking of third on the team in assists with 23.

A fifth-year senior, Karnowski was one of the few players in Gonzaga's locker room who did not want to talk much about the Bulldogs' unbeaten start after a 102-65 drubbing of South Dakota on Dec. 21 before the holiday break.

"It doesn't matter, it's game by game," Karnowski said. "The next game is Pepperdine, and we got to focus on that."

Pepperdine has an NBA hopeful in senior guard Lamond Murray Jr., one of the WCC's best players. He is averaging 19.3 points and 5.4 rebounds a game. His torrid 3-point shooting, 47.8 percent, will test Gonzaga's defense.

The Bulldogs' top NBA prospect, per some scouts, is freshman 7-foot forward Zach Collins, who can stretch the floor with his offense. He is coming off a career-high, 21-point effort while making all nine of his shots in the win over South Dakota.

"I have a great team; we're all really unselfish," Collins said. "I mean, I guess they saw I had it going and they kept trying to get me the ball. I owe it to those guys for getting me the ball."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Saint Mary's Gaels (10-1) at Loyola Marymount Lions (7-4)

Date: December 29, 2016 11:00 PM EDT

Saint Mary's has beaten Loyola Marymount nine times in a row, but there are a few reasons the 19th-ranked Gaels should be wary when they step on the Lions' home court Thursday in both teams' West Coast Conference opener.

Loyola Marymount (7-4) has been playing good basketball of late, having won five of its past six games. And the one loss was a three-point defeat last Thursday to a Texas-Arlington team that had handled Saint Mary's rather decisively earlier this season.

The Gaels (10-1) trailed by as many as 20 points against Texas-Arlington on Dec. 9 and never got closer than 11 points in the second half of that 65-51 home loss.

However, the Lions rallied to get within two points of Texas-Arlington with 3:05 left, and missed two three-pointers in the closing seconds of the 50-47 loss.

"We once again played gutsy and came back right on top of them," Lions coach Mike Dunlap said. "Down two, we had two empty possessions. We had a chance but didn't score.

"This team knows how to push back and fight through adversity. We have done it all year. Playing with effort and will power has been the foundation of this team."

The Lions certainly know how to play close games. Six of their games have been decided by three points or fewer, and the Lions are 3-3 in those games. In fact, since its 79-64 loss at Nevada back on Nov. 14, Loyola Marymount has had a chance to win every game.

Its three losses since then have been by a combined seven points, and include a two-point loss to Connecticut.

Saint Mary's has played only one game in which the final margin was fewer than 14 points, and that was the 61-57 road victory over Dayton when the Gaels nearly blew a 20-point second-half lead.

The Gaels return all five starters who beat Loyola Marymount three times last season and shared the WCC regular-season title with Gonzaga. Center Jock Landale is not one of the five returning starters, but he leads the Gaels in scoring (17.9 points per game) and rebounding (9.5) after coming off the bench a year ago.

Saint Mary's survives on efficiency and teamwork at both ends of the court. The Gaels are fourth in the nation in scoring defense, yielding 57.5 points per game, and are fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.74). They are not a team that overpowers opponents with athletic superiority.

However, the Gaels have not always been as smooth and efficient as they were most of last season.

"I don't know what the deal is, but we're turning the ball over more than last year," coach Randy Bennett said.

Saint Mary's is still turning the ball over just 10.6 times a game, which ranks 14th in the country, but it indicates how high the Gaels' expectations are this season.

It makes you wonder whether the unfamiliar burden of being ranked every week this season has affected Saint Mary's play.

"I don't think so," Bennett said. "We're still trying to get some roles figured out. We're a little choppy. But I don't think (the ranking) is on their minds."

One thing Bennett expects in conference play is for opponents to use zone defenses.

"I do, I do, based on what we did tonight," said Bennett, following last Thursday's victory over South Carolina State.

The Gaels struggled mightily against the zone defense played by South Carolina State. And Bulldogs coach Murray Garvin said he went to the zone only because he had noticed that Saint Mary's had trouble against a zone in its previous games.

"It kind of stifled them," Murray said of his team's zone.

While Saint Mary's will be playing its conference opener after a seven-day layoff, Loyola Marymount got tuned up with a 70-49 victory over Morgan State on Monday.

"We held them under 35 percent from the field and under 50 points," Dunlap said. "We only turned the ball over three times in the second half. We did what we needed to do to put ourselves in the position to win.

"This game was just what the doctor ordered for us. We showed that we can win against different situations and that is huge for us."

The Lions' leading scorer is guard Brandon Brown, who is averaging 15.4 points and has scored at least 22 in four of the last six games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NCAAB

Thursday’s best 13 games

Oakland won four of last five games with Wright State, but lost 59-55 to Raiders in Horizon tourney last March. Wright lost last two visits to Oakland by 8-26 points. Grizzlies are 10-3 vs schedule #315; they’re 7-0 vs teams outside top 150, with five of seven wins by 13+ points. Oakland is #223 experience team that forces turnovers 20.6% of time. Wright State is 9-4 vs schedule #167; Raiders haven’t played a top 100 team yet; they lost by 22-13 to Penn State/Loyola IL, two best teams they’ve faced this season.

Green Bay won eight of last ten games with Cleveland State, winning last three by 20-17-12 points; they won three of last four visits to this gym. Green Bay is 6-6 vs schedule #94; they’re 2-4 in true road games, winning at Bowling Green/Toledo. Phoenix are 3-1 vs teams outside top 200, winning by 16-18-2 points. Vikings lost last three D-I games by 24-18-27 points; they’re 1-6 vs top 200 teams, with only win over Canisius by 3. State is shooting 28.3% on arc (#336), turning ball over 20.9% of the time (#275).

St John’s was 5-7 before they went to Syracuse and won by 33; very hard team to figure; Red Storm has played schedule #242- they’re #349 experience team that lost first four top 100 games by 6-11-6-8 points before winning at Syracuse. Butler won its last four games with St John’s, winning 73-69/83-56 in last couple of visits here. Bulldogs are 11-1 vs schedule #74; they’re #127 experience team- they’re forcing turnovers 22% of time, shooting 39.9% on arc. Butler won at Utah by 9, lost at Indiana State in its only two true road games.

Florida is 15-3 in its last 18 games with Arkansas, winning last five, with three of five by 4 or less points. Gators won three of last four visits here, winning by 5-30-2 points. Florida is 9-3 vs #17 schedule; they’re #71 experience team that lost by 5 at Florida State, won at North Florida by 31 in only true road games- this is first time this season they’ve been outside Florida. Arkansas is 11-1 vs schedule #244; they’re 4-1 vs top 100 teams, with only loss at Minnesota by 14 back in November. Razorbacks are #28 experience team; they won last eight games overall.

Kentucky hasn’t played in 8 days since 73-70 loss at Louisville, its first true road game of year; they’re 3-2 in last
five games, with win over UNC mixed in there. Kentucky is 3-2 vs top 100 teams, with both losses to teams in top 15 (UCLA/Louisville). Rebels are 9-3 vs schedule #196; they’re 1-3 vs top 100 teams, with only win by 8 over Memphis. Wildcats are 15-2 in its last 17 games with Ole Miss, winning last seven meetings, with five of last six series wins by 13+ points. Wildcats won 84-74/84-70 in last two visits here.

Georgia is 1-2 in true road games, losing by 10 at Clemson, 7 at Oakland with win over Ga Tech in there; Dawgs are 0-4 vs top 100 teams, with losses by 10-11-10-7 points. Georgia is 10-2 vs schedule #170; they’re #322 experience team in country. Auburn won its last four games, with wins over Oklahoma/UConn; they’re 6-5 in last 11 games with Georgia; three of last four series games were decided by three or less points. Dawgs lost four of last five visits here, losing by 19-8-7-3 points. Tigers are 2-1 in top 100 games, with wins over Texas Tech/Oklahoma.

Home side won five of last six Loyola-Drake games; Ramblers lost two of last three visits here but are 3-1 in last four series games overall, with wins by 3-5-5 points. Last four series games were decided by 5 or less points or in OT. Loyola is 10-3 vs schedule #268; they lost last game in OT at Toledo, after being taken to OT by UIC in game before that. Drake is 1-10 vs D-I teams, has already changed coaches; they’re 2-10 vs schedule #310; Bulldogs are turning ball over 20.5% of time; six of their last seven losses are by 8 or less points.

Texas A&M is 8-3 vs schedule #278, playing #339 pace; Aggies are #295 experience team- they are 1-3 vs top 100 teams, with win over Va Tech, only team they’ve beaten ranked above #170. Tennessee is 1-5 vs top 100 teams, with only win at East Tennessee State by 4 in last game- they’re 2-1 in true road games, with only defeat by hoop at North Carolina. Texas A&M won last four series games, all by 6 or less points; Vols split last two visits here, with both games going to OT. Tennessee is forcing turnovers 22% of time (#39).

LSU is #327 experience team that is 8-3 vs schedule #162, losing 110-76 at Wake Forest in last game last week. Tigers are 3-3 vs top 100 teams, with all three losses by 11+ points. LSU is turning ball over 20.8% of time, shooting just 33% on arc. Vanderbilt is 6-6 vs schedule #56; they’re shooting 39.1% on arc but turn ball over 20.2% of time. Commodores are 5-1 vs teams ranked outside top 100. LSU won its last five games with Vanderbilt, with three of five wins by 6 or less points; Vandy lost 57-56/81-55 in last two visits to Maravich Center.

St Mary’s is 20-1 in last 21 games with LMU, winning last eight, with six of eight by 11+ points. Gaels won last 10 games in Gersten Pavilion, with 8 of 10 wins but 13+ points. St Mary’s is 10-1 vs schedule #281; they’ve got whole team back from LY, are strong rebounding team that does not force lot of turnovers. LMU is 7-4 vs schedule #302, but they’re #20 experience team; Lions have former NBA coach; they’re 0-3 vs top 100 teams, losing by 15-1-3 points. Four of their last five games were decided by three or less points.

Road team won five of last eight Omaha-South Dakota games; Omaha won three of last four visits here. Mavericks are 5-3 in last eight series games, winning last two meetings by 6-13 points. Omaha is 7-6 vs schedule #40; they’re 5-0 vs teams ranked beneath #175- their worst loss was was 94-77 at #121 Eastern Michigan. South Dakota is 4-6 in its last ten games; they are #294 experience team that shoots 30.6% on arc, plays #86 pace. Coyotes are 7-2 vs teams ranked outside the top 150.

After being 30-63 the last three years, Jacksonville State is much improved at 7-7- they won five of last six games with Tenn-Martin, going 2-1 in last three visits here- home side won last three series games. JSU is playing 8th true road game in row; they still haven’t played D-I game at home this season. Skyhawks are 7-0 vs teams ranked outside top 200; worst team they’ve lost to is #182 Southern Illinois. Martin is turning ball over 22.7% of time; they’re #14 experience team with new coach- they’re playing pace #73, are 6-1 at home.

Weber State won nine of last ten games with Montana State, winning last six, last three by 3-3-8 points. Wildcats won last three visits to Bozeman, winning by 9-18-3 points. Weber State is 5-6 vs schedule #106; they’re #126 experience team that is 2-1 vs teams ranked outside top 200. Montana State lost its last six games, with four of them by 8 or less points; they lost last game 106-103 at home to Central Michigan. Bobcats are 5-8 vs schedule #251; they’re experience team #291 that is 1-6 vs top 200 teams, with only win by point over UL-Lafayette.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Sharps are closely monitoring these early college football bowl games
By STEVE MERRIL

Each week during the college football season, Steve Merril looks at the NCAAF odds and tells you which spread to bet now, which one to bet later, and which total to watch as the week plays out. This week he takes a look at some of the season's early bowl games.

Spread to bet now

Birmingham Bowl - South Carolina (+10.5) vs. South Florida

South Florida was 10-2 SU (8-4 ATS) this season, but they now have distractions in this bowl game as head coach Willie Taggart has left to take the head coaching job at Oregon. This means co-offensive coordinator T.J. Wiest will be the interim coach for South Florida in the Birmingham Bowl. The Bulls will face a solid South Carolina defense that allowed just 24.8 points per game on 5.6 yards per play this season (versus opponents that averaged 28.8 ppg and 5.9 yppl).

South Carolina was just 6-6 SU (5-6-1 ATS) this season, but they faced a tough SEC schedule of opponents. The Gamecocks will now be taking a step down in class and should have more offensive success against a weak South Florida defense that permitted 31.0 points per game on 5.8 yards per play this season (versus opponents that averaged just 28.5 ppg and 5.5 yppl).

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Betting action is heating up early for college football bowl season
By PATRICK EVERSON

The College Football Playoff and the other four bowl games comprising the New Year’s Six are getting a lot of attention, and rightly so. But some of the lesser lights in bowl season have certainly gotten early attention from bettors, as well. We talk with John Lester, senior lines manager, and Jason Simbal, vice president of risk management for CG Technology in Las Vegas, about where the bowl season action has been hot.

Citrus Bowl

No. 20 Louisiana State Tigers vs. No. 13 Louisville Cardinals – Open: +2.5; Move: +3.5; Move: +3

Leonard Fournette announced that he is taking his talents to the NFL, but not before taking the field for LSU in this New Year’s Eve game in Orlando. The Tigers (7-4 SU, 5-6 ATS) got through a bumpy season in which Les Miles was fired and replaced by Ed Orgeron. LSU finished up on Nov. 24 with a 54-39 road victory over Texas A&M giving 6.5 points.

Louisville was in the CFP conversation throughout the season, but limped to the finish line with two stunning upset losses. The Cardinals (9-3 SU, 5-6-1 ATS) got blasted at Houston 36-10 as a 17-point chalk, then tumbled at home to Kentucky 41-38 as a huge 28.5-point favorite.

“This game opened at (LSU) -2.5. You saw then what happened was the announcement of Leonard Fournette entering the draft. But he did say he’s gonna play in this game, so obviously, that’s a big difference,” Simbal said. “You have the defense of LSU against the high-powered offense of Louisville, and so far, the smart bettors are backing the defense.”

Orange Bowl

No. 11 Florida State Seminoles vs. No. 6 Michigan Wolverines – Open: -8; Move: -7.5; Move: -7

Michigan ended up one of the bridesmaids in the College Football Playoff decisions and will head to Miami on Dec. 30 for one of the four non-CFP New Year’s Six contests. The Wolverines (10-2 SU, 6-6 ATS) finished the season with one of the most riveting performances of the year – but they lost. Jim Harbaugh’s troops came up just short in double overtime at Ohio State, falling 30-27 as a 4.5-point ‘dog.

Florida State (9-3 SU, 7-4 ATS) won its final four games after a 37-34 home loss to Clemson as a 4.5-point pup. The Seminoles capped the season with a 31-13 victory over Florida as a 9-point home fave.

“This game is really interesting because people on our oddsmaking team made this game all the way from Michigan -6.5 to Michigan -8.5,” Simbal said of the opening-line debate for CG’s books, including The Cosmopolitan, M and the Venetian. “We actually settled at an opening line of Michigan -8, mainly because of how much public action Michigan gets. That number proved to be too high. We saw some sharp action immediately on Florida State as a ‘dog at +8, which is why that number’s now down to +7.”

Peach Bowl

No. 4 Washington Huskies vs. No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide – Open: -11; Move: 13.5; Move: -14; Move: -15; Move: -16; Move: -15.5; Move: -15

Alabama (13-0 SU, 9-4 ATS), winner of 25 in a row SU and the defending national champion, belted Florida in the SEC Championship Game 54-16 as a 24-point neutral-site chalk Dec. 3. Washington (12-1 SU, 7-6 ATS) crushed Colorado 41-10 laying 8.5 points on a neutral field in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

In just the past week, this New Year’s Eve College Football Playoff opener has seen significant action and movement, but that only begins to tell the story. CG books had potential CFP matchups on their betting boards weeks ago, and in those, Alabama was a 10.5-point chalk. Many bettors got on board with ‘Bama at that number.

“We had potential matchups of playoffs up for quite a while, and Alabama was -10.5 in all of these scenarios,” Simbal said. “So of course, when this matchup got finalized, we opened it at -11, not even close to being where the market was. Some other folks went up with 13.5 at that time, and we ended up going from 11 to 13.5 right away. Still didn’t stop them. This number got bet all the way up to 15.5, 16.

“So if you had the foresight to think that this match was gonna happen, you could have laid 10.5 with Alabama and taken 16 with Washington. But unfortunately now, you’re stuck having to lay the big number if you want to lay on Alabama.”

Simbal noted that primarily sharp money drove Alabama’s price up for this contest in Atlanta, though he doesn’t see the game going much higher and could envision a scenario in which it comes down a bit.

“A lot of people are gonna bet the ‘dog on the moneyline, I feel, come game day, and that’ll bring the price down a little bit,” Simbal said.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Need-to-know betting notes for college football bowl teams
By JOE FORTENBAUGH

Indulge me for a moment as I impart one piece of advice upon you before we dive into this year’s 80 need-to-know betting notes for each of the 80 college football bowl teams: above all else, put an increased emphasis on the motivation factor when handicapping each of these 40 matchups.

Why? Because there’s some easy money to be made during bowl season. Every year we are blessed with at least a handful of matchups that feature one team experiencing unbridled enthusiasm to play in its respective game against an opponent that has virtually no interest whatsoever in trying to win the showdown in question.

Case in point: Alabama’s 45-31 loss to Oklahoma in the 2014 Sugar Bowl. The Crimson Tide couldn’t have cared less about that game after watching an 11-0 season go up in smoke thanks to a 34-28 upset loss at Auburn which prevented the Tide from advancing to the SEC Championship Game.

Let’s go to work. Happy holidays to all!

Birmingham Bowl: Thursday, December 29 (2 p.m. ET)

South Carolina Gamecocks (6-6 SU, 5-6 ATS): Will Muschamp’s Gamecocks have a bad taste in their respective mouths after falling 56-7 to in-state rival Clemson in the season finale. Is there any gas left in the tank, or will South Carolina pack up shop and start looking ahead to 2017?

South Florida Bulls (10-2 SU, 8-4 ATS): The Bulls are 15-6-1 ATS over their last 22 games overall, but bettors should exercise caution in their handicapping here. Head coach Willie Taggart bolted for the Oregon job, so the possibility exists that his former players mail this one in. On the other hand, new head coach Charlie Strong (Texas) will be keeping a close eye on which players show up and make a strong case for playing time next season.

Belk Bowl: Thursday, December 29 (5:30 p.m. ET)

Arkansas Razorbacks (7-5 SU, 5-7 ATS): Which Arkansas team will show up for the Belk Bowl: the one that defeated Florida and TCU or the version that got smoked by Auburn and LSU? Note that the Razorbacks are just 3-8 ATS over their last 11 neutral site showdowns.

Virginia Tech Hokies (9-4 SU, 7-6 ATS): The Hokies concluded their 2016 campaign with a 2-1 SU and perfect 3-0 ATS record, with that lone defeat coming by way of a 42-35 loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship game. Take note that Virginia Tech is 7-3 ATS over its last 10 games played in the month of December.

Valero Alamo Bowl: Thursday, December 29 (9 p.m. ET)

Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-3 SU, 7-5 ATS): Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy has won four of his last six bowl games and has guided the Cowboys to a 4-1 ATS mark over his last five matchups against teams with a winning record.

Colorado Buffaloes (10-3 SU, 10-3 ATS): After covering the number in 10 of their first 11 games this season, the Buffaloes failed to beat the spread in each of their final two contests. Whether or not the bookmakers have caught up to this squad is a good question. Another good question would be asking whether or not this team was crushed by missing out on the Rose Bowl after getting shellacked by Washington 41-20 in the Pac-12 title game.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'Birmingham Bowl'

The Birmingham Bowl set for December 29 at 02:00 EST features AAC South Florida Bulls (10-2, 8- ATS) against the SEC's South Carolina Gamecocks (6-6, 5-6-1 ATS). The Bulls racking up 43.6 points/game on 515.1 total yards are lead by duel threat QB Quinton Flowers tossing 2546 yards, 22 TD's, 6 Int along with 1,425 rushing yards, 15 TD's. On the other side of the ball, Bulls allowed 31.0 points/game on 482.3 total yards.

The Gamecocks' behind a carousel of QB's lead by Jake Bentley (1030 PY, 6 TD's, 2 Int), Perry Orth (661 PY, 0 TD, 2 Int), Brandon Mcllwain (660 PY, 2 TD, 1 Int) managed a lowly 19.2 points/game. Defensively, Gamecocks' ranked 45th in points allowed surrender 24.8 per/contest.

Bulls entering with plenty of momentum having won its last four (3-1 ATS), seven of eight down the stretch (5-3 ATS) along with carrying a nation-leading streak of 16 straight games scoring at least 30 points won't be denied. Consider laying the expected -10.