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ACCESS
PICKS FOR TODAY TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2018 |
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NCAAF |
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12/18/2018 |
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FOUND
1
GAME |
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COMING
UP
7:00 PM EST |
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12/18/2018 7:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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+113
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+2.5 (-110)
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Over 42.5 (-110)
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-133
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-2.5 (-110)
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Under 42.5 (-110)
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NBA |
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12/18/2018 |
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FOUND
4
GAMES |
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COMING
UP
7:08 PM EST |
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12/18/2018 7:08 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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+711
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+12.5 (-110)
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Over 205.5 (-110)
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OFF
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-12.5 (-110)
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Under 205.5 (-110)
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GAME PREVIEW
Dec 17, 2018INDIANAPOLIS -- As far as Indiana Pacers point guard Darren Collison is concerned, there are several factors responsible for the team's seven-game winning streak."We're moving the ball a little better," Collison said. "We're caring about each other, not just about ourselves. Everybody is making the right plays. It comes down to defense. We play defense the way we've been playing, we can get whatever we want on the offensive end." Shooting guard Victor Oladipo watched the first four games of the winning streak from the bench while sidelined a sore right knee, but has been able to play the past three games."We're playing great team ball," Oladipo said. "At the end of day we're playing for one another. We've brought our defense all seven games. Now we have to bring our defense night in and night out." The Pacers (20-10) will face visiting Cleveland (7-23) Tuesday night. Indiana didn't pull away from the New York Knicks (9-22) until late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 110-99 victory."This is the NBA, they're going to come in a bring it as much as New York did," Collison said of the Cavaliers. "Anybody can get a win. We have to have that humble mentality and understand that is going to be the case Tuesday night and be ready to play." Tighter defense in the fourth quarter has been key for the Pacers during close games in the winning streak."(Assistant coach) Dan Burke had done a good job with us all year long of helping us be where we need to be every single day," Collison said. "It's just something embedded in our heads now where we have to be in the spots to help our teammates." During the winning streak, Indiana has held opponents to 97.4 points per 100 possessions.Cleveland coach Larry Drew used his 12th different starting lineup Sunday as the injury-plagued Cavaliers lost to visiting Philadelphia 128-105. The starters were outscored 90-55."Defensively I need them to be more sound," Drew said of the starters. "We have not been a sound defensive ball club at the start of the game and have not brought the type of physicality that I think a starting team should bring at the very beginning of the game. Your bench is supposed to bring energy, and supposed to bring defense and if that starting group is not going good, they are supposed to kind of pick up the pace." Against Philadelphia, the bench did provide a spark. Cleveland's bench outscored Philadelphia's bench 50-38."We have an energized bench and I love that about those guys," Drew said. "(The starters) have to be more physical, much more aggressive and they have to move the basketball. When the ball sticks that's when we get in trouble. We have to move the ball from side to side. I was talking some of our coaches and with our team, margin for error is small. We have to accept that. I'm talking about bad shot selection. I'm talking about not making the extra pass and defensively not getting back. We have to do all the little things because those little things sum up to be things for our ball club." Cavaliers rookie starting guard Collin Sexton, who averages 15.3 points, said the team has to keep moving and sharing the ball to improve offensive play."I felt we did some things good at certain points, but we have to do it consistently and throughout the entire game," Sexton said. "We got stagnant (offensively) in the fourth quarter." The Cavaliers will be without Tristan Thompson, who has missed the last three games with a left foot sprain.The Pacers played without backup guard Tyreke Evans, who was sidelined with a bruised knee. His status is questionable for the game with the Cavaliers.Meanwhile, Oladipo had the best game since he returned with 26 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-8 3-pointers.Oladipo said he is nearly 100 percent physically after missing 11 games with the knee injury.
 Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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COMING
UP
7:38 PM EST |
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12/18/2018 7:38 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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-135
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-2.5 (-110)
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Over 227.5 (-110)
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+115
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+2.5 (-110)
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Under 227.5 (-110)
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GAME PREVIEW
Dec 17, 2018NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn Nets are on their longest winning streak in three-and-a-half years -- five games - and next up is a meeting with LeBron James.Except for this time, it will not be in the colors of the Cleveland Cavaliers but the purple and gold of the Los Angeles Lakers.James makes his latest visit to Brooklyn Tuesday night when the Lakers visit the Nets, who are on a five-game winning streak.The Nets are on their longest streak since March 25-April 3, 2015, when they were coached by Lionel Hollins. The current run follows a frustrating eight-game skid that saw the Nets struggle to close out games.The run began with an overtime win over the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 7, continued with road wins over the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers before the Nets returned home to beat the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks.The Nets have scored at least 120 points in three straight games, getting enough offense despite allowing at least 54 percent shooting. They are the first team to do so since the Houston Rockets in 1987-88.During the streak, the Nets are averaging 122.8 points, shooting 50.2 percent (217-of-432) from the floor, 40.4 percent (63-of-156) from 3-point range while averaging 27.4 assists and assisting on 63.1 percent of their baskets.Those averages increased significantly when the Nets recorded a 144-127 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. In their latest win, Brooklyn shot 55.7 percent and totaled 34 assists."I think we're really sharing the ball," coach Kenny Atkinson said after the Nets scored their second-most points in a regulation game in franchise history. "Thirty-four assists two games in a row. That's high level, making the extra pass, good to great, playing with the pass, all the stuff we have been preaching since the beginning and then, obviously, that thing is going in. I would add to that, our drive game. We are an aggressive driving team and that opened stuff up for our shooting." The Nets are also getting effective guard play out of D'Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie.Russell scored 32 points Sunday and is averaging 18 points on 49.4 percent (38-of-77). Dinwiddie finished with 15 in his second game after signing a contract extension Friday and is averaging 24.6 points on 52 percent (39-of-75) shooting."I think just our commitment for wanting to see each other do better," Russell said. "Everybody is aggressive at the appropriate time but still wanting to make that extra pass for the next guy, still having your teammates' back on the defensive end, that rotation. We're making those plays." The Nets played their last two games without Allen Crabbe, who is questionable with a right knee sprain. Rookie Rodions Kurucs started for Crabbe in those games and scored 11 points Sunday.Los Angeles concludes a four-game road trip with its visit to Brooklyn and hopes to rebound from a 128-110 loss on Sunday in Washington. The Lakers trailed by as many as 27 points while James was held to a season-low 13 points on 5 of 16 shooting."We have to get some rest," James said after being held under 20 points for the fourth time this season. "We have two days so no excuses obviously with the game being on Tuesday. I watched the game before we played. They put up 140 something points, so we have to be ready to defend for 48 minutes." Sunday's loss followed a 28-point win in Charlotte the previous night when James and Lonzo Ball both recorded triple-doubles but the Lakers could not produce an effective follow-up performance as they committed 22 turnovers.Kenatvious Caldwell-Pope led the Lakers with 25 points while Kyle Kuzma added 20. Those showings occurred on a night when the starting backcourt of Ball and Josh Hart combined for 14 points on 6-of-21 shooting."Not a lot of good to take from that other than the lesson of you don't show up to play in the NBA you will not win," Lakers coach Luke Walton said. "Whether it was a back to back. I don't know it was. We did not have the proper energy to win an NBA game tonight." The Lakers were without Brandon Ingram, who missed his sixth straight game with a sprained left ankle while JaVale McGee also did not play due to a last-minute illness.Los Angeles has won 16 of the last 20 meetings, including eight of 12 since the Nets moved to Brooklyn in 2012.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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COMING
UP
7:38 PM EST |
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12/18/2018 7:38 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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-155
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-3 (-110)
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Over 237.5 (-110)
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+135
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+3 (-110)
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Under 237.5 (-110)
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GAME PREVIEW
Dec 17, 2018Two of the coldest teams in the NBA get together on Tuesday night when the Atlanta Hawks host the Washington Wizards for the second time in a two-week period.The Hawks (6-23) are coming off a three-game road trip that saw them drop a trio of games, most recently 144-127 to Brooklyn on Sunday. Atlanta has lost seven of its last eight games. The Wizards (12-18) saw their four-game losing streak end on Sunday when they beat the Los Angeles Lakers 128-110.The Wizards beat the Hawks 131-117 on Dec. 5 in Atlanta. The two clubs split their four-games series a year ago.Washington won that first meeting without even having John Wall available. The guard, who missed that game with personal reasons, has returned and is coming off a 40-point, 14-assist effort against the Lakers."When he gets going, it really sets the tone for us," said Washington's Sam Dekker, a recent acquisition.Wall and Bradley Beal are one of the most prolific guard tandems in the NBA. Beal scored 25 against the Lakers and went off for 36 points against Atlanta in their first meeting. Beal has 23 games of at least 20 points this season.Beal was last week's Eastern Conference Player of the Week. He averaged 30 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists from Dec. 3-8. During December, Beal has three 30-plus games and eight 20-plus games.Atlanta is trying to figure out how to get off to a better start. The Hawks have allowed 42 points in the first two quarters of their last two games, against the Celtics and Nets. Atlanta was never in the game against Boston, but got as close as eight points against Brooklyn before running out of gas."It's all about figuring a way to get us going," Bazemore said.Atlanta's most consistent player has been second-year forward John Collins, who had his streak of double-doubles end at six on Sunday. Collins missed the first 15 games of the season with a left ankle injury. Since returning, he is averaging 17.7 points and 9.4 rebounds.Bazemore, who had 20 points against the Nets, is averaging 12.9 points and rookie Trae Young is averaging 15.5 points and 7.1 assists. The club is missing Taurean Prince, their No. 3 scorer (15 points), who has missed four games with a left ankle sprain."The hole that we put ourselves in was a big issue," said first-year Atlanta coach Lloyd Pierce. "We just have a way of getting off to slow starts. For some reason, we don't have that urgency." Washington played Sunday without Otto Porter, who has missed three straight games with a bruised knee. Markieff Morris left at the half with the neck strain and will be re-assessed on Tuesday. Atlanta is also playing without Omari Spellman (hip) and Alex Poythress (ankle).The Wizards are awaiting the completion of a trade with Phoenix that would send Kelly Oubre and Austin Rivers to the Suns for Trevor Ariza. Neither Oubre nor Rivers played on Sunday while the trade was pending.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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COMING
UP
9:08 PM EST |
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12/18/2018 9:08 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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+172
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+5 (-110)
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Over 208 (-110)
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-205
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-5 (-110)
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Under 208 (-110)
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GAME PREVIEW
Dec 17, 2018The Denver Nuggets have proven their mettle against the top team in the Eastern Conference and some of the best in the West.Now they put their top seed in the Western Conference on the line against one of the surprise teams in the NBA.The Dallas Mavericks are in town for a Tuesday night matchup, and despite having lost two in a row they are in contention in the ho-hum Southwest Division. Dallas (15-13) is a half-game behind first-place Memphis heading into Monday's schedule.One of the big factors for Dallas turning things around is the arrival of teen sensation Luka Doncic, whom the team acquired in a draft-day trade back in June. Doncic is the heir apparent to veteran Dirk Nowitzki and he has lived up to the hype 28 games into his rookie year.Doncic, like Nowitzki, is a special player coming out of Europe at a young age. The 19-year-old Slovenian leads the Mavericks in scoring at 18.2 per game and is coming off a 28-point, nine-assist game in a loss to Sacramento on Sunday night.He also got to play with the 40-year-old Nowitzki, who made his season debut against Phoenix on Thursday night after missing the first 26 games recovering from left ankle surgery. He has played just six and eight minutes, respectively, in his first two games.Nowitzki is in the twilight of his career and he's helping his young teammates even when he has been sidelined."Off the court, he's been great. I've learned a lot," rookie Jalen Brunson told the Dallas Morning News. "To see the type of effect he brings on the court is amazing. He came in and made that shot off the glass like he was in a rhythm. He just knows what to do with the ball." Nowitzki most likely won't see much playing time against the surging Nuggets, who have won two straight and eight of their last 10 despite having a depleted lineup. Opening night starters Paul Millsap (broken toe), Gary Harris (hip) and Will Barton (core muscle surgery) are all out, but Barton could be back in the next two weeks.Denver (20-9) has dug deep into its bench to fill the holes, and the players have responded."Everybody is being aggressive, taking shots, nobody is complaining," backup point guard Monte Morris said after Sunday's 95-86 win over Toronto, the top team in the East. "We've got the ball moving and we're having fun." The Nuggets have relied on center Nikola Jokic and guard Jamal Murray to lead the way and they have responded. Jokic leads the team in points (17.7), rebounds (9.9), assists (7.5) and steals (1.4), and Murray is averaging 17.5 points and 14.7 assists.Forward Juancho Hernangomez, a third-year forward out of Spain, has logged major minutes with the injuries and Morris has also played well behind Murray.Dallas could be without two of its guards. J. J. Barea has missed two straight games with a left ankle sprain and Dennis Smith Jr. has a sore right wrist that has kept him out of three of the last four.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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NCAAB |
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12/18/2018 |
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FOUND
28
GAMES |
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COMING
UP
6:00 PM EST |
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12/18/2018 6:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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OFF
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+30 (-110)
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Over 158.5 (-110)
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OFF
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-30 (-110)
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Under 158.5 (-110)
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GAME PREVIEW
Dec 17, 2018DURHAM, N. C. -- Duke was on such a roll before a layoff for exams that the second-ranked Blue Devils might not have wanted a break.But now there's business for coach Mike Krzyzewski's team to tend to before another gap in the schedule."Come back and finish off these two games before Christmas," Krzyzewski said of the objective for this week.It begins with Tuesday night's home game against Princeton. Duke will face a top-10 showdown with undefeated Texas Tech on Thursday night in New York.Duke (9-1) leads the country in scoring margin (plus-27.2 per game) and blocked shots (7.5). This wraps up the Blue Devils' five-game homestand that hasn't had a result closer than a 21-point whipping of Indiana at the start of the stretch."I know that the crowd can really help us in games, especially like this, where we're playing really good teams," Duke forward Jack White said. "They give us energy and we feed off that. ... If you're the opposition in here, you almost feel like everything is against you when we're like that and when the crowd is like that." Princeton (5-4), which marks the second straight Ivy League team to visit after Duke drilled Yale 91-58 on Dec. 8, has had up and down results but there are signals that the Tigers might be coming together.Princeton freshman guard Jaelin Llewellyn is averaging 19.5 points across two games after missing the first seven games because of illness or injury.Llewellyn poured in 22 points in Saturday's comeback victory against Iona in Atlantic City, N. J."We missed him," Princeton coach Mitch Henderson said. "We missed him bad for a while. He changes our whole dynamic. He changes our whole group." Senior guard Devin Cannady is the team's most accomplished player, rating eighth in career scoring for the Tigers with 1,373 points.Cannady said playing alongside newcomers -- including freshman forward Drew Friberg -- who contribute has been encouraging."They don't seem like freshmen out there," Cannady said. "They're comfortable. They're playing their game and I love the lift they give us." The recent layoff from games for Duke might have been a good recovery period for freshman guard Tre Jones, who seems to be ailing at some point in each game.Krzyzewski said Jones banged knees and got hit in the quad in the last game. He said Jones' tenacity tends to mean he's going to put his body on the line regularly."He'll be fine," Krzyzewski said.This is Duke's final non-conference home game prior to Atlantic Coast Conference play, though St. John's visits in February."Princeton returns a lot of guys," Krzyzewski said. "This has been good for us. We'll get to see who we are before we take a break for Christmas, analyze what we're doing and make the appropriate adjustments as we get into the ACC." Duke's final exams wrapped up Monday, while Princeton doesn't take first-semester finals until January.Duke is 18-1 in the series with Princeton, winning the most-recent meeting in November 2010. For that game, Duke held the No. 1 national ranking.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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COMING
UP
6:30 PM EST |
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12/18/2018 6:30 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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+506
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+11 (-110)
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Over 165 (-110)
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-700
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-11 (-110)
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Under 165 (-110)
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COMING
UP
7:00 PM EST |
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12/18/2018 7:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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OFF
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+27 (-110)
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Over 145 (-110)
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OFF
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-27 (-110)
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Under 145 (-110)
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GAME PREVIEW
Dec 17, 2018COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Never let it be said that basketball players aren't tough guys.Ohio State's Andre Wesson crashed face-first onto the court early in the second half of Saturday's game against Bucknell and lost three front teeth in the process. Before heading to the locker room after the nasty fall, Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann found one tooth after stepping on it."I didn't know it was three," Holtmann said.But that wasn't the end of Wesson's day. Trainers fitted him for a mouthguard, he shrugged off the pain and came back with just 3:08 having elapsed from the scoreboard clock.The junior forward went on to finish with a career-high nine rebounds and help No. 15 Ohio State hold on for a 73-71 victory over Bucknell in a closer-than-expected test.Wesson will be back in action Tuesday night when Ohio State (9-1) plays host to in-state opponent Youngstown State (4-8) at Value City Arena.Holtmann said Monday that Wesson likely will have more dental work done on Wednesday and should be ready for Saturday's date with UCLA in Chicago."He's fine and able to do everything that we need him to do," Holtmann said.Wesson's younger brother, Kaleb, joked after the game as only a sibling could, "Ain't nothing wrong with him." Kaleb Wesson played a big part in the narrow escape against Bucknell with a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds for his second career double-double.Ohio State had trouble putting away Bucknell after faltering near the end of both halves. The Buckeyes fell behind at halftime after leading by 12 in the opening half and then nearly frittered away an 11-point lead in the final four minutes of the game."I feel like toward the end of halves we either get passive or we're just trying to close it out to where we're trying to get to the halftime or to the end of the game," Kaleb Wesson saidHoltmann was relieved the Buckeyes were able to hold on and avoid the upset."Those are great learning opportunities," he said. "Thank God it happened after a win. But if you can really appreciate that experience and learn from it, it will be worthwhile. That's why we schedule games like that. They really challenged us in a lot of areas." Youngstown State might not be as much of a challenge as Bucknell. The Penguins can score, averaging 78.1 points per game, but they're one of the lowest-ranked teams in the country defensively, giving up 82.2 points per game.Garrett Covington is the only Youngstown State player averaging in double figures at 12.8 points per game. Three others average between 8.6 and 9.9 points.Former West Virginia assistant Jerrod Calhoun is in his second season as head coach at Youngstown State, which ended a four-game losing streak with a 58-48 victory over Binghamton on Saturday for the Penguins' first road win of the season."We're young in a lot of areas and this group can only get better," Calhoun said.Youngstown State has never beaten a Top 25 team since it moved up to Division I in 1981-82 and is 0-18 against Big Ten opponents.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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COMING
UP
7:00 PM EST |
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12/18/2018 7:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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-145
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-2.5 (-110)
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Over 133.5 (-110)
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+125
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+2.5 (-110)
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Under 133.5 (-110)
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COMING
UP
7:00 PM EST |
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12/18/2018 7:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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+894
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+14.5 (-105)
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Over 163.5 (-110)
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OFF
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-14.5 (-115)
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Under 163.5 (-110)
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COMING
UP
7:00 PM EST |
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12/18/2018 7:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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-105
|
+1 (-115)
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Over 166 (-120)
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-115
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-1 (-105)
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Under 166 (-101)
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COMING
UP
7:00 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 7:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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+588
|
+11.5 (-110)
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Over 154 (-110)
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-850
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-11.5 (-110)
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Under 154 (-110)
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COMING
UP
7:00 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 7:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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+876
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+14.5 (-110)
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Over 141 (-110)
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OFF
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-14.5 (-110)
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Under 141 (-110)
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COMING
UP
7:00 PM EST |
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12/18/2018 7:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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+477
|
+10.5 (-105)
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Over 143.5 (-110)
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-650
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-10.5 (-115)
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Under 143.5 (-110)
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COMING
UP
7:00 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 7:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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-245
|
-5.5 (-110)
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Over 134.5 (-110)
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+203
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+5.5 (-110)
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Under 134.5 (-110)
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COMING
UP
7:00 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 7:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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-103
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+1 (-110)
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Over 158 (-110)
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-117
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-1 (-110)
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Under 158 (-110)
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COMING
UP
7:30 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 7:30 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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+105
|
+1 (-105)
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Over 135 (-110)
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-125
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-1 (-115)
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Under 135 (-110)
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COMING
UP
7:30 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 7:30 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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+211
|
+6 (-115)
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Over 154 (-110)
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-255
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-6 (-105)
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Under 154 (-110)
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COMING
UP
8:00 PM EST |
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12/18/2018 8:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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-175
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-3.5 (-105)
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Over 154 (+102)
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+151
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+3.5 (-115)
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Under 154 (-123)
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COMING
UP
8:00 PM EST |
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12/18/2018 8:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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+144
|
+3.5 (-115)
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Over 143.5 (-118)
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-165
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-3.5 (-105)
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Under 143.5 (-102)
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GAME PREVIEW
Dec 17, 2018The upper New York chapter of the David/Goliath story will have a new twist when No. 14 Buffalo makes the 152-mile drive across I-90 to Syracuse on Tuesday.Perennial 20-win program and 2003 NCAA tournament champion Syracuse is the team bringing the sling into the match at the Carrier Dome.No. 14 Buffalo (10-0) remained one of nine undefeated Division I teams with a 73-65 victory over Southern Illinois on Saturday, when national sixth man of the year candidate Nick Perkins had 20 points and 11 rebounds.Syracuse (7-3), meanwhile, fell out of the AP Top 25 after a 68-62 home loss to Old Dominion, when the Orange lost a 13-point lead and were outscored by 16 in the second half.Adding fuel is the fact that the Bulls have a score to settle. They have lost the last 18 games in the series, including an 81-74 defeat last season in which Syracuse closed on a 14-6 run. The Bulls have not beaten the Orange since 1963.The Bulls, who have won 10 straight for the first time since 1964-65, will meet No. 20 Marquette on Friday, the second of three teams on their Power Five menu. They vaulted into the AP Top 25 after a 99-94 overtime victory at West Virginia on Nov. 9."It's the biggest week of our nonconference season," Buffalo coach Nate Oats told reporters after the Southern Illinois game."I don't want to call it a make-or-break week, because it's not going to break our season if we don't do what we've been doing. But it's certainly a make week. If we can take care of business this week, we can pretty much guarantee ourselves an at-large bid, in my opinion." Buffalo won the Mid-American Conference tournament to qualify for the NCAA tournament last season, then swamped Arizona in the first round before losing to Kentucky. Barring injuries or a big-time slump, the Bulls are on a similar path.The Bulls ran into some difficulty when Southern Illinois went to a zone defense Saturday, as the Bulls lost a 19-point lead in the first half before recovering. That is notable inasmuch as Syracuse's 2-3 zone defense is its forte."We did get a little passive and it's something we've got to work on in practice," Perkins told the Buffalo News."If you work on zone offense, you've got to work on zone defense. It's something we're going to see against Syracuse, obviously, and it's something we're going to see all year, so we've got to work on it." The Bulls shot 43.5 percent from the floor and made 7 of 30 3-point attempts against SIU. Perkins and leading scorer CJ Massinburg were 13 of 24 from the field but others struggled, and the Bulls overcame a 35-26 rebounding disadvantage by turning 22 Saluki turnovers into 23 points. They drew eight charging fouls.Massinburg, who played with a wrapped right hand after suffering a jammed finger in practice Tuesday, had 14 points, including his 1,500th at Buffalo.Syracuse had a five-game winning streak stopped by Old Dominion, its third nonconference loss this season after falling to Connecticut and then-No. 13 Oregon. The Orange have had as many as three nonconference losses six times in the previous 27 seasons, and they did not make the NCAA tournament in five of those."Every game is important,'' Syracuse forward Oshae Brissett told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "but it holds high value now. We want to get that win and show everyone again that we're still the same team.'' Brissett was the ringleader in the Orange's victory over Buffalo last year, scoring 25 points and making all 16 free-throw attempts, including six down the stretch. He set a Carrier Dome record for most makes without a miss.Tyus Battle had 23 points while playing the full game against Old Dominion and Elijah Hughes had 15, but Syracuse made only 33.3 percent from the field and was outrebounded 38-33.The 'Cuse can rally around the fact that it already has beaten a ranked team, stopping then-No. 16 Ohio State in Columbus on Nov. 28. Battle scored 20 points and Hughes had 18, including four of the team's 11 3-pointers. The Buckeyes shot 32.6 percent.Of the Syracuse zone defense, Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said afterward: "It's like going to the dentist, and not just for a cleaning. You have to be able to endure that and weather that." Buffalo has the Orange's attention."Buffalo's a really good team,'' Battle told reporters. "Really good defensively. They play fast. They've got good guards and they're ranked. We just have to be ready to play.''
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
COMING
UP
8:00 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 8:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+894
|
+14.5 (-102)
|
Over 146 (-114)
|
|
|
OFF
|
-14.5 (-118)
|
Under 146 (-106)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
COMING
UP
8:00 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 8:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
OFF
|
+15.5 (-105)
|
Over 132.5 (-110)
|
|
|
OFF
|
-15.5 (-115)
|
Under 132.5 (-110)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
COMING
UP
8:00 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 8:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
OFF
|
+22 (-110)
|
Over 140 (-110)
|
|
|
OFF
|
-22 (-110)
|
Under 140 (-110)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
Dec 17, 2018Three Kansas players scored in double figures and accounted for all but six points in an emotionally charged win against Villanova over the weekend.The scoring imbalance reflected the offensive limitations the No. 1 Jayhawks confront.Although Bill Self knew the unevenness offensively would dominate storylines, the Kansas coach was impressed nonetheless by a contributor who struggled to score."We have Marcus Garrett,'' Self said. "We get four steals and he gets all four of them. He guards (Eric) Paschall and does an unbelievable job on him with the size (differential). It was just a great, great team win.'' Offensively, the Jayhawks (9-0) might tread a fine line as long as 7-foot junior center Udoka Azubuike is sidelined with a sprained ankle.His absence prompted the promotion of Garrett, a 6-5 sophomore guard, into the starting lineup. As the Jayhawks' top defender, Garrett's role is to shut down opponents' top threats.That responsibility, as well as the free-wheeling artistry of primary scorers Dedric Lawson and Lagerald Vick, will be displayed again Tuesday when Kansas greets South Dakota at Lawrence, Kansas."(Garrett) is a good player. If he had a consistent stroke, he would be our best player,'' Self added. "I mean, all-around player. He can play and he's got fast hands and he's tough and does all the right things.'' Although the win over Villanova was the third against a ranked opponent and boosted the Jayhawks' home winning streak to 39 when ranked No. 1, Self stated from the outset of the season Kansas must continually improve on defense.Unsung contributors such as Garrett and backup forward Mitch Lightfoot provide defensive pick-me-ups, especially since it is imperative Lawson (20.1 points per game) and Vick (17.7) stay out of foul trouble."When you look at the stat sheet, (Garrett) only had one point (against Villanova),'' said Lawson, a junior forward. "But he does so much for this team. He's so valuable to us. Things like that really don't go unnoticed in my eyes.'' South Dakota (6-5) faces a quick turnaround after winning Sunday at Colorado State, 68-63.Senior forward Trey Burch-Manning leads the Coyotes in scoring (13.5) and rebounding (7.1), while also recording team highs for steals (20) and 3-point field goals (17).Ten Coyotes have averaged at least 10 minutes for first-year coach Todd Lee. Sophomore guard Stanley Umude came off the bench to lead South Dakota with 15 points against Colorado State.In the preseason Summit League poll, the Coyotes were picked to finish second behind reigning champion South Dakota State.Last week, South Dakota announced 6-10 senior center Tyler Hagedorn will miss the season with a medial plantar fascia tear. The injury prevented Hagedorn, an All-Summit League second-team pick last season, from playing this season. The South Dakota staff had hoped Hagedorn could make his season debut at Kansas, but the decision to redshirt could eventually be a plus."It will give Tyler another year with our system, another year with his teammates,'' Lee said. "While it is disappointing for this year, we are excited to have Tyler back next year and leading our program.''
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
COMING
UP
8:30 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 8:30 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+188
|
+5.5 (-110)
|
Over 153.5 (-110)
|
|
|
-225
|
-5.5 (-110)
|
Under 153.5 (-110)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
COMING
UP
9:00 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 9:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+215
|
+6.5 (-115)
|
Over 158 (-110)
|
|
|
-260
|
-6.5 (-105)
|
Under 158 (-110)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
COMING
UP
9:00 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 9:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+125
|
+2.5 (-105)
|
Over 153 (-106)
|
|
|
-145
|
-2.5 (-115)
|
Under 153 (-114)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
COMING
UP
9:00 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 9:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
OFF
|
+27.5 (-105)
|
Over 153 (-110)
|
|
|
OFF
|
-27.5 (-115)
|
Under 153 (-110)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
Dec 18, 2018Gonzaga's early-season run through the gauntlet is over -- with mixed results.Now, the No. 8 Bulldogs face three relatively easy foes, beginning with Texas-Arlington on Tuesday night in Spokane, Wash., before West Coast Conference play gets under way.The Zags (9-2) ascended to the top spot in the country thanks to an 89-87 win over then-No. 1 Duke in the Maui Invitational final. Wins at noisy Creighton and against Washington's tricky 2-3 zone defense followed.But then Gonzaga, which has been without backup point guard Geno Crandall since last month and last year's leading scorer, Killian Tillie, all season, had some flaws exposed."Defense is our main priority," point guard Josh Perkins told the (Spokane) Spokesman-Review after the Bulldogs' 103-90 loss to North Carolina on Saturday. "We score the ball well but if they're scoring with us it's never good."And we have to fix this rebounding thing, too. They were plus 20, which is unacceptable. That's a collective effort one through five." The Zags couldn't hold a late lead in a Dec. 15 loss to then-No. 7 Tennessee and simply couldn't stop the Tar Heels. North Carolina had 14 offensive rebounds to Gonzaga's 16 on defense.They tumbled seven spots in the Top 25 over the past two weeks after their first back-to-back losses since 2014.The Volunteers' Admiral Scofield scored 25 of his 30 points in the second half, and North Carolina's Cameron Johnson hit six 3-pointers on the way to a career-high 25 points.Perkins was held scoreless for the first time since Gonzaga's 2017 Final Four matchup with South Carolina."Obviously, I'm a little upset we lost last week and (Saturday), but put it in perspective: We've had the toughest schedule in America," Perkins said. "We're in good hands. Overall, the team morale is really good." UT Arlington (3-7) visits the McCarthey Athletic Center ahead of North Alabama, Denver and Cal State Bakersfield to complete the Zags' non-conference schedule.The Mavericks, who have finished with 20-plus wins in each of the past three seasons, come to Spokane with six straight losses, five of which came on the road.First-year coach Chris Ogden is leading a program for the first time."Exciting, but also nerve-wracking at the same time," Ogden said of his coaching transition, according to the (Fort Worth) Star-Telegram. "You start thinking of what you are going to say at your press conferences, and then what you want your program to really believe in." Junior guards Brian Warren (14.9 points per game) and Edric Dennis (14) are the Mavericks' leading scorers.UT Arlington, which has played at home just once since Nov. 18, has two more road games before starting the Sun Belt Conference schedule at home on Jan. 5 against preseason favorite Georgia State.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
COMING
UP
9:00 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 9:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
OFF
|
+23.5 (-105)
|
Over 157 (-110)
|
|
|
OFF
|
-23.5 (-115)
|
Under 157 (-110)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
Dec 18, 2018Western Carolina has played every Big Ten team except Michigan, Michigan State and Rutgers and has a 1-20 overall mark.On Tuesday, the Catamounts will have their hands full when they travel to Iowa City to take on the No. 23 Iowa Hawkeyes. For Iowa, the Catamounts are the first of what appears to be a series of easy tuneups before the Hawkeyes (8-2, 0-2 Big Ten) return to conference play.After the Catamounts, Savannah State comes to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday, followed by Bryant on Dec. 29. Last week Savannah State lost to South Dakota State 139-72.Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said the Hawkeyes would not take their next three opponents lightly. But there are some specific goals and fundamentals he expects his team to work on."Consistent play at both ends of the floor," McCaffery told Hawkcentral.com. "Ball movement. Unselfishness. A mixture of jump shots and post feeds. Good transition defense. Good ball-screen defense. Good defense against their actions. And five guys working as one. Anything short of that in our league is problematic." The Catamounts (3-9) average 70.7 points per game and give up 79.1 per game -- ranked 309th in the nation. They've lost four of their past five games, although one of those defeats was a double-overtime loss to No. 24 Furman.That caught the attention of the Hawkeyes."We need to keep that same mental focus that we had in New York. Every team's going to give us their best shot," Iowa forward Luka Garza said. "We see a lot of teams going on the road and beating high majors. Like (Saturday), Syracuse goes down (to Old Dominion)."It's happened a lot. So we're just going to make sure that's not us. We're going to lock down those wins and make sure we come out and treat them like it's Duke or it's Gonzaga." Western Carolina last played Saturday and suffered an 86-59 loss at High Point. Onno Steger recorded a career-high 18 points for Western Carolina. Kameron Gibson finished in double figures for the seventh time this season with 17 points.Carlos Dotson leads the Catamounts in scoring (13.3 points) and rebounds (9.0) and shoots 59.6 percent from the field. The 6-foot-7, 265-pound Dotson could be a challenge for Iowa's big men -- Garza and Tyler Cook.Dotson, a junior college transfer from Central Florida Community College, said the move to Western has been better than he ever imagined. Playing for head coach Mark Prosser has made him a better player and a better person, he said."It has gone well so far for me personally, but I would trade some of my big individual performances in losses for wins," he told midmajormadness.com."For the most part I was excited about the challenge with playing against quality big guys in Division I. The only way to make you better is to make your team better. They go together," he added.He struggled last time out, scoring just four points against High Point. He'll get another chance to make his team better against the Hawkeyes, but it will be far from easy.Iowa led by as many as 29 points in a 77-54 victory over Northern Iowa on Saturday. Garza finished with 17 points while Cook posted a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds."Cook is playing about as well as anybody in the country," Northern Iowa head coach Ben Jacobson said. "There can't be but a handful of guys doing all that he does for their team." Cook has scored in double figures in 52 of his 70 games, including 13 games of 20 points or more. He is averaging 14.3 points a game for his career and 16.6 points this season, along with 8.9 rebounds.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
COMING
UP
9:00 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 9:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
OFF
|
+22 (-110)
|
Over 145 (-110)
|
|
|
OFF
|
-22 (-110)
|
Under 145 (-110)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
Dec 18, 2018MILWAUKEE -- The Marquette Golden Eagles went into the Finals break on a high note, knocking off in-state rival and 12th-ranked Wisconsin in overtime.Now, after a week off, the No. 21 Golden Eagles get back on the court for a pair of non-conference matchups before diving into Big East play beginning Tuesday night against North Dakota.Forward Joey Hauser was named Big East Freshman of the Week after the Wisconsin game after averaging 15.0 points on 10-of-13 shooting with a 4-for-6 showing from beyond the arc in victories over UTEP and the Badgers. Overall, the 6-foot-9 Hauser is averaging 10.7 points per game this season -- good for third on the team -- and is second with 5.3 rebounds."Joey is not a freshman," teammate Markus Howard said after the victory over UW. "It might say on paper that he is a freshman but, to me, he is not a freshman."I call him just a basketball player. He plays beyond his years. Just to see the poise he has game-in and game-out is unbelievable." His older brother, junior forward Sam Hauser, isn't shocked by Joey's quick progress."For viewers, it's probably surprising to them," Sam Hauser said. "But for me, I've seen that growing up, so I'm not very surprised at all."I figured there would be a little adjustment period here and there. Which there has been. It hasn't been noticeable. He's playing well."I think having me around helps him play more comfortable and with ease. And he doesn't put too much pressure on himself." The Fighting Hawks (6-5) come into the game riding a two-game winning streak, their third of the season, but head coach Brian Jones is still trying to acclimate a roster that includes 11 new players."From a record standpoint, I think we're right where we thought we'd be when we put this schedule together," Jones said last week. "We won a game on the road, which is hard to do. But we lost a game at home, which you never want to do."But we're making strides. Some days, it's slower than other days. Maybe the needle isn't moving as fast as you'd like it to move, but it's moving." Cortez Seales is one of the few holdovers in the program. A sophomore on the Hawks' 2016 Big Sky Championship squad that clinched the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth, he's now one of just two seniors and helping Jones create a cohesive unit."The way these guys compete reminds me of the year we went to the tournament," said Seales, the Hawks' scoring leader with 13.4 points per game. "There were a lot of young guys on that team that were able to compete. We have a competitive nature and as long as we keep a chip on our shoulder, we'll be fine."These guys have a lot of potential; that's why they're here." The two teams have faced off five times previously with Marquette winning each of them. A victory Tuesday would not only be North Dakota's first over Marquette but also the Fighting Hawks' first-ever against a ranked opponent.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
COMING
UP
9:00 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 9:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+245
|
+6.5 (-105)
|
Over 152.5 (-105)
|
|
|
-300
|
-6.5 (-115)
|
Under 152.5 (-115)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
COMING
UP
9:05 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 9:05 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
-310
|
-7 (-110)
|
Over 153 (-110)
|
|
|
+252
|
+7 (-110)
|
Under 153 (-110)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
COMING
UP
10:00 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 10:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
-436
|
-8.5 (-115)
|
Over 147.5 (-110)
|
|
|
+341
|
+8.5 (-105)
|
Under 147.5 (-110)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
COMING
UP
10:00 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 10:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
OFF
|
+18 (-115)
|
Over 140.5 (-110)
|
|
|
OFF
|
-18 (-105)
|
Under 140.5 (-110)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NHL |
|
|
12/18/2018 |
|
FOUND
11
GAMES |
|
|
|
|
COMING
UP
7:08 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 7:08 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+155
|
+1.5 (-175)
|
Over 6.5 (-115)
|
|
|
-180
|
-1.5 (+151)
|
Under 6.5 (-105)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
Time: 7:00 PM EST Venue: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pa., 19148 / It became official on Monday, ending long hours of impending drama. Dave Hakstol was fired -- finally -- as the coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. Lehigh Valley Phantoms coach Scott Gordon will coach the team in Tuesday night's home game against the Detroit Red Wings. He is the interim coach -- and will, according to new general manager Chuck Fletcher, be doing it "for the rest of the year." Joel Quenneville? Who knows?Quenneville, fired earlier this season after his long, proud run behind the Chicago Blackhawks' bench, was reported over the weekend to be replacing Hakstol as the Flyers lost the last four games of a five-game road trip.(Quenneville) is under contract to Chicago," Fletcher said. "I have not asked Chicago for permission and have not spoken to Joel in about two years." The team flew home from Vancouver on Sunday. Hakstol was still the coach. The team took the ice -- for the first NHL practice of goaltending prospect Carter Hart -- and Hakstol was missing." I felt pretty strongly I would need to make a change, and it was better sooner than later," Fletcher said. The Flyers (12-15-4) are in last place in the Eastern Conference. When Hart goes into the net, likely as early as Tuesday, he will become the sixth Philly goaltender to play this season. Fletcher admitted this wasn't "the ideal situation" to bring up a 20-year-old goalie. The circumstances dictated the move and now it's up to the players in front of the goaltender." Make no mistake about it; we recognize where we are at," Fletcher said. "It is a tight team. I recognize our inconsistencies and our talent." It wasn't long ago that it looked like Detroit's Jimmy Howard would be headed for Philly. Instead, he headed into Philly with the Wings, who have dropped three straight after Saturday night's shootout loss on Long Island." We came in here for two points and at the end of the day, you have to be happy with the one," said Tomas Vanek, who scored the goal that got his team the point. "Especially with (six) power plays (against), usually when it's like that, you're not going to get a point or two at all." Howard is 5-4-1 with a 3.59 goals-against average and .922 save percentage lifetime against the Flyers, while backup Jonathan Bernier is 4-3-0 with 4.23/.890 against them. Bernier was outstanding (45 saves) Saturday night for the Wins, who are 14-15-5 on the year as they head into the second game of a three-game road trip. The Flyers placed Anthony Stolarz on injured reserved Monday with a lower body injury and he's slated to miss 2-4 weeks. Alex Lyon was returned to the minors and Michal Neuvirth is back from paternity leave. Starter Brian Elliott returned home from the west coast for further examination of his hip injury and could be out a long time." Brian has made progress but not as much as we have liked," said Fletcher ... "We'll have conversations about what the best approach is moving forward. At this point, I would suggest that nothing is imminent at this point." Neuvirth is 4-3-0 with 3.15/.904 lifetime against the Red Wings.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
COMING
UP
7:08 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 7:08 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+108
|
+1.5 (-245)
|
Over 6 (-117)
|
|
|
-128
|
-1.5 (+203)
|
Under 6 (-103)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
Time: 7:00 PM EST Venue: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, N. Y., 14203 / The Florida Panthers were not home for long, but they hope the stopover was good enough to point themselves in the right direction when they open a four-trip Tuesday night against the surging Buffalo Sabres. After losing twice in a row on the road, the Panthers (12-13-6) returned home to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in overtime Saturday night. Aleksander Barkov, who scored his first NHL hat trick Saturday in the winning goal, warned that the Panthers have not always followed up on good efforts." A couple of times, we have been beating pretty good teams and the next games haven't been that good," the center said. "We need to make sure we come hard and play the same way we did against Toronto. They're probably one of the best teams in the league right now. We need to build on this and should feel confident right now." The Sabres (20-9-5), meanwhile, seemed to have stabilized. After winning 10 in a row, they were 0-3-2 over the next five games, but with their 4-2 road win over the Boston Bruins Sunday on the strength of three third-period goals are on a 3-0-1 roll. The Sabres continue to prove that they are for real this season and intend to keep it that way Tuesday at the KeyBank Center." For one, I think we've obviously been through a lot of adversity together, and I think we're probably sick of it," said Sabres center and captain Jack Eichel, who had two goals and two assists Sunday. "The past few years, it's not been easy, but you know, with the way our season has started this year, I think we have the confidence in each other and the belief, and we think we can win every game we play, so you know, it was no different (Sunday). We thought if we do the right things long enough and don't break, we'll give ourselves the chance to win, and we did that." Eichel has 10 goals and 16 assists over his past 16 games for the Sabres, who lost 3-2 in overtime to the Panthers in the previous meeting between the teams this season. Barkov scored the winning goal at Sunrise, Fla., on Nov. 30. Panthers left winger Jonathan Huberdeau is second in the NHL with 21 points (five goals, 16 assists) since Nov. 24 and has a team-leading 38 points on the season. Defenseman Matt Hunwick was in the Sabres lineup for the first time of the season Sunday. Acquired in an offseason trade with Pittsburgh Penguins, Hunwick suffered a neck injury before the start of training camp. He had been skating with the team since the end of November and played in two American Hockey League games Wednesday and Friday on a conditioning loan." We just rotated him around a little bit," Sabres coach Phil Housley said. "I liked Matt's game (Sunday) for coming back after all that he's been through. ... to come into (Boston) and in a very, very big game, a divisional game, had a really good solid game for us." Sabres defenseman Nathan Beaulieu missed the game Sunday with an upper-body injury from the 4-2 shootout loss in Washington to the Capitals on Saturday. On Monday, the Sabres returned defenseman Matt Tennyson to Rochester of the AHL. Tennyson, 28, was a healthy scratch Sunday. He was minus-three Saturday and defenseman Brendan Guhle was recalled from Rochester for the game Sunday. Panthers coach Bob Boughner will try to have his team repeat the effort displayed against Toronto on Saturday that ended a four-game losing streak." I think we knew we were in a tough game against a real good team and that's the only thing that could have maybe equalized things was to check all the boxes," Boughner said. "Whether it is a blocked shot or taking a hit or giving a hit or clearing out the net in front, I really like the way we came to play (Saturday). We had a good sense of urgency and at the end of the day, I think that was probably the difference."
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
COMING
UP
7:08 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 7:08 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+106
|
+1.5 (-250)
|
Over 6 (+105)
|
|
|
-126
|
-1.5 (+207)
|
Under 6 (-125)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
Time: 7:00 PM EST Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, N. Y., 10001 / NEW YORK -- A couple of backup goalies could get their chance to perform on the big stage Tuesday night, when the New York Rangers host the Anaheim Ducks at Madison Square Garden. The Ducks will be playing the second game of a back-to-back road set after earning their fourth straight win Monday by beating the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-2, on Monday night. The Rangers were off Monday after falling to the visiting Vegas Golden Knights, 4-3, on Sunday afternoon. Both teams likely tipped their hands Monday regarding their goalie decisions for TuesdayBy starting John Gibson for the third straight game -- Gibson earned the win against the Penguins by making 28 saves -- the Ducks (19-11-5) all but ensured Chad Johnson will make his debut with the club against the Rangers. Johnson was claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 11, two days after Anaheim lost backup goalie Ryan Miller to a sprained knee. Once Johnson takes the ice for the Ducks, he'll have suited up for more than a quarter of the 31-team NHL. Anaheim will be the eighth team for whom Johnson has played in a career that began with the Rangers in December 2009." At the end of the day, I look at it that I'm in the NHL," Johnson told The Athletic on Sunday. "I've had a 10-year career from my first game with the Rangers when I was 23 and I'm 32 now. I look at it -- there's obviously more that I always feel like I have and can offer if it was the right situations that I get myself into. But I'm OK with it." I have a good living. I'm in the NHL. Hey, somebody always wants me. When that stops, then that stops." At 22-year-old Rangers backup Alexander Georgiev has had a far less circuitous career than Johnson thus far. He's also been far busier lately. Georgiev was recalled Monday from Hartford of the American hockey League. He was sent there Dec. 3 and played in five straight games while New York played just four games, all of which were started by Hall of Fame-bound Henrik Lundqvist." It was great to get that kind of workload and just get into the rhythm," Georgiev told Newsday following practice Monday. "It's a bit easier to get into the game when you play every few days." With the 36-year-old Lundqvist sidelined with what the Rangers (14-13-5) termed a maintenance day Monday, there's a good chance Georgiev will get into an NHL game Tuesday. Head coach David Quinn didn't announce a starter but said Georgiev would play "soon." Georgiev hasn't played for New York since Dec. 1, when he took the defeat after recording 36 saves in a 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Johnson is 1-1-0 in three career games against the Rangers. Georgiev earned the win in his lone appearance against the Ducks on Nov. 1, when he stopped 28 shots in New York's 3-2 shootout victory.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
COMING
UP
7:08 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 7:08 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
-160
|
-1.5 (+151)
|
Over 6.5 (-125)
|
|
|
+140
|
+1.5 (-175)
|
Under 6.5 (+105)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
Time: 7:00 PM EST Venue: Prudential Center, Newark, N. J., 07102 / NEWARK, N. J. -- John Tavares and Taylor Hall were top overall picks one year apart with the New York Islanders in 2009 and Edmonton Oilers in 2010, and both are playing on the second teams of their careers. Tavares and the Toronto Maple Leafs started off quickly and have maintained a winning record while Hall and the New Jersey Devils are struggling of late following a quick start in the opening weeks of the season. Tavares and Hall may not oppose each other for the second time this season Tuesday night when the Maple Leafs visit the Devils. Toronto (21-10-2) started with six wins in its first seven games then won 12 of 15 from Nov. 3-Dec 4. The Maple Leafs make their first visit to New Jersey 1-2-2 in their last five games and are hoping to avoid their first three-game losing streak since a four-game skid Feb. 26-March 5. Tavares, who is in his first year of a seven-year contract with Toronto, following nine seasons with the New York Islanders, leads the Maple Leafs with 20 goals and is third on the team with 34 points. He has three goals during this mini five-game slide and scored his 20th goal in the third period of Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss at Florida. Mitchell Marner scored twice but coach Mike Babcock was not thrilled with the effort, especially after the Leafs allowed at least four goals for the fourth time in five games,"I don't sit here and come walk out to this and say, 'Jeez, the wheels are off here.' I don't see that at all," Babcock said. "We weren't good enough, that's it. Didn't play hard enough." Besides effort, Babcock will be hoping to see some improvement on the power play. Toronto was 0-for-4 Saturday and is 2-for-21 in its last seven games since getting three power-play goals in a 5-3 win over the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 28." Obviously, we're trying to make adjustments, but at the same time we're not trying to do too much either," Tavares said. "You don't want to get too far away from what makes you successful and it's just finding that right balance. Sometimes that's just the way it goes, doesn't bounce your way and other times it seems like everything is bouncing your way. We just have to stay with it and find a way to generate some results from that to give us a better chance in these games." Toronto will try to correct those things before it spends a significant portion of the next few weeks at home. After Tuesday, the Maple Leafs play 14 of their next 19 games at home. Hall missed the last two games with a lower-body injury when the Devils rallied from a three-goal deficit in a 5-4 overtime win over Vegas Friday and then scored the tying goal late in the third period of a 2-1 shootout loss at Nashville on Saturday. While Hall sat out, Brian Boyle scored the tying goal with 91 seconds left in regulation and Keith Kinkaid made 27 saves." It's one of the best teams in the league and I thought we certainly could have come out with two points," Devils center Blake Coleman said. "I thought we deserved better. If we deserve two points every night, they are going to start to come." Hall practiced on the first line Monday with Nico Hischier and Kyle Palmieri and will participate in the morning skate to see if he can return. Hall leads the Devils with 31 points but his eight goals are fourth on the team. He has one goal in his last seven games through Hall also has seven assists in that span. The Devils are 7-13-7 since winning their first four games and 5-8-6 in their last 19 games since they were last over .500 following a 5-1 win at Pittsburgh on Nov. 5. One of those losses was a 6-1 defeat in Toronto on Nov. 9 when Tavares scored and was among 10 players with at least a point. While Hall could return, the Devils will not have Cory Schneider available since he was placed on injured reserve with an abdominal strain. He was pulled from Friday's game after allowing three goals in the opening 10 minutes and is 0-5-1 with a 4.66 goals-against average since returning from offseason hip surgery. Tavares has 14 goals in 38 career games against the Devils and his team is 13-4 in the last 17 games he has played against them.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
COMING
UP
8:08 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 8:08 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
-102
|
+1.5 (-250)
|
Over 6 (-115)
|
|
|
-118
|
-1.5 (+207)
|
Under 6 (-105)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
Time: 8:00 PM EST Venue: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN, 55102 / On Monday, the Minnesota Wild got some good news on the injury front as well as bad news. They will regain the services of captain Mikko Koivu for Tuesday night's visit from the San Jose Sharks, but will have to do without Matt Dumba this week after he suffered an upper-body injury in the first period of Saturday's 2-1 loss to Calgary. The loss of Dumba for the next three games won't be insignificant at all. He leads all NHL defensemen in goals with 12, putting him on pace for about 30. But Minnesota (17-13-2) at least has a proven option to replace him for the short term. Veteran Nate Prosser was paired with Nick Seeler at practice Monday and figures to draw into the lineup. Prosser has skated in 341 games during a 10-year NHL career, but just of them have been this season. The Wild simply haven't needed him, what with their defensemen being productive and healthy." I just want to get in and play that game like I can, play hard and like I did last year, just come in and play my game and be steady, be solid and mistake free," Prosser said. "That's where I'm at in my career and with this organization, I knew it coming in and I knew it while I was sitting and just skating and working to get into the lineup." Koivu missed the last four games after absorbing a knee-to-knee hit from Calgary captain Mark Giordano during the third period of a 2-0 defeat Dec. 6. Koivu considered returning for the Saturday game against the Flames, but the team decided to give him a couple of extra days. Koivu will skate with veteran Jason Zucker and young center Luke Kunin, who has just 22 games of experience over the last two seasons, including three last week after being recalled from AHL Iowa. Kunin's speed has impressed coach Bruce Boudreau." Here's a young guy, he's playing with two pretty good hockey players, so it's a chance for him to show what he's got," Boudreau said of the 21-year old Kunin. While Minnesota tries to finish its four-game homestand with a 3-1-0 mark, San Jose (18-11-5) aims for a fifth straight win. The Sharks shrugged off a shaky first period from goalie Martin Jones Sunday night in a 7-3 win at Chicago, getting goals from seven different players. Jones faced four shots and stopped only one in 13:53 of playing time before getting the hook for Aaron Dell after ceding a tie-breaking marker to Brandon Perlini. Dell saved all 16 shots he saw as San Jose took advantage of the concussion suffered by Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford for five unanswered markers in the final two periods." That's one that could have gone off the rails pretty easily," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "I thought we had a lot of composure on the bench ... there was a confidence to it. There wasn't a panic to it, even when we were down."
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
COMING
UP
8:38 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 8:38 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
-125
|
-1.5 (+215)
|
Over 6 (-115)
|
|
|
+105
|
+1.5 (-260)
|
Under 6 (-105)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
Time: 8:30 PM EST Venue: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX, 75219 / DALLAS -- The Calgary Flames and Dallas Stars meet Tuesday night at American Airlines Center in a game featuring clubs heading in different directions. Calgary (22-10-2, 46 points), which sits first in the Pacific Division, has won three straight contests, including a 7-2 win at St. Louis on Sunday. The Flames, who are 11-7-0 on the road, are also 12-2-1 over their past 15 games." We're starting to develop a confidence in ourselves individually and in the group collectively," Calgary coach Bill Peters said after Sunday's win. "They conduct themselves properly and they're holding themselves accountable too." Sunday's victory, one which saw Calgary lead 4-0 after one period, marked the fourth time this season the Flames have scored at least seven goals, tying them with Tampa Bay for most in the NHL. Calgary, which averages 3.59 goals per game, fifth-best in the league, and allows 2.71 goals per game, third-lowest, is 2-0-0 on its current road trip and the Flames have outscored their first two foes 9-3. That potent Calgary attack is led by Sean Monahan, tied for ninth in the NHL with 20 goals, and Johnny Gaudreau, tied for sixth in the league with 45 points. Dallas (16-14-3, 35 points) is slogging through a four-game losing streak after a winless road trip, but this is a Stars team that has won four straight and six of their last eight against the Flames. The most recent of those victories came November 28 in Calgary when the Stars edged the Flames 4-3 in overtime." We'd like to have a good start again (like we did in St. Louis). We know they have a good team," Flames center Mikael Backlund told the team's official website Monday. "We learned that the last time we played against them. We got to play our game-play hard, play fast." The Stars last played Saturday, losing 6-4 at Colorado, capping an 0-4-0 road trip." (I saw) a lot of good and a lot of areas we need to improve on," Dallas rookie coach Jim Montgomery said of the road trip on Monday. "Offense got better on the trip, defense got worse." And while Dallas has struggled away from the Lone Star State, the Stars have been a much different club at home, where they are 10-3-1. In practice on Monday, Montgomery had rookie forward Denis Gurianov skating on Dallas' top line alongside the Stars' top offensive duo of captain Jamie Benn and perennial All-Star Tyler Seguin." Just his instincts, speed, ability to shoot in stride (are what we like)," Montgomery said of Gurianov. "He's looking like he's an NHL player. He's not just a player that's good in flashes. He just seems to be good all the time now. He's looking dominant now." Montgomery also said Monday he hopes to have injured defenseman John Klingberg (hand), out the past 17 games, back for Thursday's game with Chicago but at the latest Klingberg will return for Saturday's visit to Minnesota. Dallas will play seven of its next nine at home.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
COMING
UP
8:38 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 8:38 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
-157
|
-1.5 (+166)
|
Over 6 (-119)
|
|
|
+137
|
+1.5 (-195)
|
Under 6 (-101)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
Time: 8:30 PM EST Venue: United Center, Chicago, Ill., 60612 / CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks have already endured their share of hardships this season. Now as they prepare to face the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, they'll have to move forward as even more uncertainly surrounds their starting goalie, Corey Crawford. Crawford left Sunday's 7-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks at the end of the first period with a concussion. Crawford, who missed nearly 10 months after sustaining a concussion last December, suffered the injury in a collision with teammate Dylan Strome and was placed on injured reserve (concussion protocol) on Monday. The Blackhawks recalled goaltender Colin Delia from their American Hockey League affiliate on Monday in a corresponding move." (Crawford is) such a big part of our team and to lose him, it's not good," defenseman Connor Murphy told reporters after Sunday's loss, according to the team's official website. "You just feel for him because a game like that, we left our goalies hung out to dry. And for them to take guys crashing on him is not even fair either." The Blackhawks have been struggling even with Crawford in the lineup. Chicago has dropped 10 of its past 11 games and has lost two straight since snapping an eight-game skid with a win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Now, despite how well captain Jonathan Toews has played lately, the Blackhawks will again have to play without Crawford. Cam Ward, who made 30 saves in the lopsided loss to the Sharks, will, along Delia with now have to fill in for Crawford, who missed the final 47 games of last season the first five games this season with the Crawford. Chicago has no choice, but to move on without one of their mainstays from their Stanley Cup championship run." "I mean, you never want to see that, but we have to keep playing," defenseman Duncan Keith told reporters on Sunday, according to the team's official website. "It's just one of those things that hopefully he's back. I don't know what happened, but nothing should change." The Predators are coming off a 4-3 overtime road loss to the Ottawa Senators on Monday that snapped Nashville's three-game winning streak. Nashville surrendered three first-period goals in their first loss since Dec. 8. The Predators erased the deficit with a pair of Roman Josi goals and another by Craig Smith, whose third-period tally got Nashville to within a goal before Josi tied the game at 3 before Ottawa scored 21 seconds into overtime. The three Ottawa goals on just 11 shots early chased Pekka Rinne after one period before Juuse Saros made 11 saves. Now, Nashville will need to quickly move past Monday's loss in the second game of a four-game road trip in which Nashville will play four times in six days. With Rinne's shortened performance Monday and with a heavy workload upcoming, Saros -- who has struggled this season -- may be called on again soon. But the Predators need to play better in front of him, Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said if they hope to continue to find success." I'm going to be perfectly honest. I think that we've played lousy in front of (Saros)," Laviolette said over the weekend, according to the Athletic. "There's got to be accountability to the 18 guys that go out in front of him. Just too many odd-man rushes, too many point-blank chances, and that's got to stop. And when that stops, he's going to feel better and look better in there. There's just too much coming at him."
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
COMING
UP
9:08 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 9:08 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+110
|
+1.5 (-245)
|
Over 5.5 (-115)
|
|
|
-130
|
-1.5 (+203)
|
Under 5.5 (-105)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
Time: 9:00 PM EST Venue: Gila River Arena, Phoenix, Ariz., 85305 / GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Coyotes aren't helping themselves much these days, especially in the offensive end. Maybe the Colorado Avalanche can provide their struggling Western Conference rival with some assistance." I don't see much drive from some guys going to the net," coach Rick Tocchet said after the Coyotes were held to 23 shots during a 3-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. The Coyotes will be coming off a 1-3 road trip and five losses in their past six games when they open a three-game homestand by playing the New York Islanders at Gila River Arena on Tuesday night. The Islanders will be playing the second half of a back-to-back after defeating the Avalanche 4-1 in Denver on Tuesday night - only the fourth time this season Colorado has been held to one goal or fewer. On Thursday, the Coyotes will be at home against the Montreal Canadiens - who, yes indeed, will be coming off a game against the Avalanche on Wednesday. In each game, the Coyotes will meet what is likely to be a tired opponent playing the second end of a back-to-back against what Islanders coach Barry Trotz calls a "high-end talent" team in the Avalanche. Arizona will have a day off between games. Then, on Saturday, the Avalanche themselves will be the opponent for the final game of the Coyotes' homestand. So if the Coyotes (14-16-2) are to make a move in the Pacific Division standings this week -they're currently 11 points out of third place and a playoff spot - it might take a bit of assistance from the Avalanche. The Coyotes finish out the week by playing at the San Jose Sharks on Sunday." We've got to focus on the next two points," center Derek Stepan told the Arizona Republic. "And once we take care of business there, we can focus on Thursday's two points and then Saturday's two points and so on. They're a crucial eight points and we've talked about getting as many as we can before (the Christmas break). You never know; you can crawl back into this thing if you get six out of eight (points) or seven out of eight." The Islanders (16-12-4) were floundering a bit, too, losing four of six before Thomas Greiss made 30 saves against Colorado and Johnny Boychuk scored his first goal of the season. The Islanders, beginning a four-game road trip, scored twice on the power play and also killed off a four-minute Colorado power play." We knew we were playing a talented team and we had to play a certain way - and we did," Trotz said. "Special teams were good ... and we got a save when we needed it. And with seconds to go, we're still trying to block shots. ... Guys are buying in." Tocchet, however, was unhappy with his team's offensive execution - or lack thereof - at Carolina, so he moved rookie forward Conor Garland up to the No. 1 line with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz in practice Monday. Tocchet has tried multiple players on that line since moving Alex Galchenyuk to the second line, including Nick Cousins. Garland has played in only five NHL games, and doesn't yet have a point after having eight goals and 19 points and being a plus-11 in 18 games at Tucson (AHL)." One thing I like about him is he's a really good second man on the puck," Tocchet told the team's website. "He's really done a nice job of getting in some battles and winning some battles and generating (chances). Those are the things that he has to continue to do. I've been really happy with him. He's starting to get some comfortability in his game." Cousins, coincidentally, has four goals and eight points in eight games against the Islanders, and Galchenyuk has six goals and 16 points in 16 games against them. The Islanders are expected to start Robin Lehner (4-6-3, 2.66 goals-against average) in goal against Coyotes rookie Adin Hill (5-3, 1.97 goals-against average). Lehner has lost his last four decisions. The Coyotes have won their last three at home against the Islanders.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
COMING
UP
9:08 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 9:08 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+135
|
+1.5 (-205)
|
Over 6 (-115)
|
|
|
-155
|
-1.5 (+172)
|
Under 6 (-105)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
Time: 9:00 PM EST Venue: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Canada / The Edmonton Oilers and St. Louis Blues made coaching changes roughly 12 hours apart last month. Only one team has responded well to a new voice. The Oilers go for their seventh straight home win when they meet the Blues on Tuesday night. Edmonton dismissed Todd McLellan on Nov. 20, less than a day after St. Louis did likewise with Mike Yeo. With Ken Hitchcock behind the bench, the Oilers have gone 9-3-2 and are unbeaten at Rogers Place. Perhaps the biggest reason for the that home success is in net. Mikko Koskinen, who started the season backing up Cam Talbot, is 7-0-0 with three shutouts and has turned away 223 of 230 shots for a .970 save percentage at home. But the 30-year-old Finn lost for the third time in his last four road starts following a 4-2 defeat to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday. The Edmonton matched a season high by allowing three power-play goals." It felt like we've been trending up in that direction for a while and we had a bit of a setback tonight, but we'll get back on it," center Kyle Brodziak said. The Oilers are 10-4-1 in northern Alberta going into a five-game homestand that includes a tough matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning before the league's Christmas break." Go home, get a little confidence and play a good game," defenseman Matt Benning said Sunday about facing the Blues. After St. Louis (12-15-4) was blanked for the third time in a four-game stretch last month, Craig Berube was tapped to replace Yeo, but the team continues to sputter. The Blues gave up four first-period goals in a 7-2 loss to the Calgary Flames on Sunday." We were terrible in the first period. Every player. Terrible. ... Couldn't make a play. Couldn't check. No composure. No team play," Berube said after the team dropped to 5-6-1 under his leadership. The Blues are 13th in the Western Conference as they start a three-game Western Canadian trip prior to the league break. St. Louis has been outscored 16-9 in five road games under Berube, but he's expecting more on both ends of the ice regardless of where the team is playing." Guys got to look in the mirror. It's up to each individual to prepare himself to play the game the proper way. You're in the NHL. That's your job," he said. Tuesday's contest also marks the return of Blues winger Pat Maroon to Edmonton, where he enjoyed his greatest success. In 2016-17, Maroon collected a career-high 27 goals, including five game-winners. After posting career bests in assists (26) and points (43) with the Oilers and New Jersey Devils last season, Maroon joined his hometown team but he's missed time with an upper-body injury and has just one goal and seven assists in 25 games. Though he said after Sunday's loss that there are no answers anymore for why the team is playing so poorly, Maroon added that the team is not giving up." We come in and put our pads on every night and we go out there and try to play our best every night," he said. The Oilers needed to a shootout to beat the Blues, 3-2, on Dec. 5. Edmonton is looking for its fourth win in five games on home ice versus St. Louis. Oilers captain Connor McDavid's next assist will be the 200th of his career. A two-time scoring champion at just 21, McDavid has six goals and 10 helpers in a nine-game points streak.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
COMING
UP
10:08 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 10:08 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
-185
|
-1.5 (+144)
|
Over 6.5 (-110)
|
|
|
+159
|
+1.5 (-165)
|
Under 6.5 (-110)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
Time: 10:00 PM EST Venue: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 6G1 / VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The Tampa Bay Lightning do not have much trouble with offense. But, lately, defense has been a different story. The Lightning (25-7-2), which sit first overall in the NHL and leads the league in goals with 138, has surrendered 15 markers in its last three games. Assistant coach Derek Lalonde, standing in for head coach Jon Cooper after a practice in Vancouver on Monday, noted there is a need to emphasize offense in today's NHL. But he said the Bolts will be putting the onus on defense in Tuesday's game against the Canucks (16-16-4)." There's a fine line of thinking offense, playing offense (and) instinctively playing offense, but not giving up on the other end - and we've crossed it at times," said Lalonde. The Bolts are looking to rebound after Sunday's 5-4 overtime loss in Winnipeg ended their winning streak at eight games." (It's) probably a good lesson learned," said Lalonde of the close loss against one of the NHL's best clubs. "I would say we've been getting away with (loose play), but we've had some games where we got away with (wins). It was through great goaltending or a last-second defensive save." Lalonde said defenseman and forwards alike have to think about defense collectively." Our guys have done a pretty good job of self-evaluating, knowing when to tighten (play) up and when they've left (the defensive effort) out there," said Lalonde. "The last couple games, we've left it out there a little more." The Lightning regarded the game against Winnipeg as a litmus test for their season. The Canucks pose much less of a challenge than the Jets, but Vancouver has won five of its past six games, including back-to-back home games on the weekend against Philadelphia and a surging Edmonton squad." They're a good team," said Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman of the Canucks. "Just from watching from the sidelines a little bit, offensively, they've been going for a while and we know they can score goals." The Canucks have averaged four goals per game in their last quartet of contests. In the game before those four, they scored six times." We have a lot of sharpshooters out there and a lot of guys who can put the puck in the net, so it was just a matter of time before (the goals) started flooding in," center Bo Horvat, 25, told reporters. After being considered a playoff after-thought, the Canucks have moved into the wild-card discussion. Tuesday's contest against the NHL's best club will serve as a potential benchmark after the Canucks achieved a high standard in Sunday's win over the Oilers." I would say it was one of our better games of the year," said Vancouver coach Travis Green. Consequently, the Lightning has probably picked a good time to think more about defense.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
COMING
UP
10:38 PM EST |
|
12/18/2018 10:38 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
-164
|
-1.5 (+172)
|
Over 6 (+100)
|
|
|
+144
|
+1.5 (-205)
|
Under 6 (-120)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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GAME PREVIEW
Time: 10:30 PM EST Venue: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA, 90015 / Two teams hurtling in opposite directions will meet up Tuesday night when the Los Angeles Kings host the Winnipeg Jets at Staples Center. The Jets (22-9-2) have won a season-high five straight games, taking the past three in overtime, and they have won nine of 10 overall. Winnipeg knocked off the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-4 in overtime Sunday to move atop the Central Division. The Kings (11-20-3) have lost four in a row and six of seven. They own the fewest points in the NHL (25) and have yet to earn a point in three consecutive games this season. Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin said frustration continues to build in the dressing room, but it's important the players release their tension in positive ways." We have to stick together as a team, that's first and foremost, and everyone grab a shovel and start digging," he told reporters after a 4-3 overtime road loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. "If we start pointing fingers, the team crumbles. I believe in this team. Obviously, we have a lot of guys hurt, but we can't be making excuses, we have to come together as a team and get out of this together." Los Angeles is the lowest-scoring team in the NHL at 2.18 goals a game, a good distance from the Arizona Coyotes, the second-lowest scoring team (2.50). Winnipeg, meanwhile, has combined for 27 goals in its five-game winning streak to move to fourth in the NHL at 3.64 goals a game. Patrik Laine had a four-game point streak end in the win over Tampa Bay on Sunday, but Mark Scheifele and Dustin Byfuglien each extended his point streaks to five games, and Mathieu Perreault scored a goal for the fourth consecutive game." Right now, I'm just riding the wave," Perreault told the Winnipeg Sun before Sunday's win. "It's been that way for my entire career, really. I've been a streaky player, not that my game gets any different, but sometimes the bounces go your way and, right now, that's what has happened. Obviously, it gives you more confidence when pucks are going in. ... You feel like the net's a little bigger." Scheifele's point streak consists of five goals and nine assists, which moved him to fifth in the NHL with 46 points. He scored a goal against the Kings for the first time in his career in a 2-1 win in Winnipeg on Oct. 9. Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick is expected to start against the Jets. Quick has struggled in his career against Winnipeg, owning a 4-5-2 record, 3.02 goals-against average and .888 save percentage. The Jets are the only NHL team averaging more than three goals a game against Quick. Quick, who was injured and did not play in the loss to the Jets earlier this season, said he views each matchup with a clean slate." It doesn't matter if we won the last 10 or lost the last 10," he said. "It's a one-day-at-a-time job."
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2018 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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SOCCER |
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12/18/2018 |
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FOUND
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OTHER |
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| 12/18/2018 |
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FOUND 1 PICK |
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