 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NBA |
 |
|
1/17/2020 |
|
FOUND
7
GAMES |
|
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
Jan 16, 2020The Philadelphia 76ers will be looking for their 20th victory in 22 home games when they play the visiting Chicago Bulls on Friday.The Sixers improved to 19-2 at home with Wednesday's 117-106 win over the Brooklyn Nets.Tobias Harris led the way with 34 points while Ben Simmons added 20 points, 11 assists and six rebounds for the Sixers, who continue to be short-handed without injured All-Star center Joel Embiid.Embiid recently had surgery for a torn ligament on his left hand.Harris took a leadership role by going 14 of 20 from the field, including making four 3-pointers."There is a sincerity in him as a person and there is a genuine desire to win," Sixers head coach Brett Brown said of Harris. "You can't dismiss that. There is a genuine desire to win and you can see it in his face and his action in the locker room. It matters and he cares a lot. I think that coming back to Philadelphia, where we dropped two on the road and still trying to find our feet. He was our bell-ringer [Wednesday] and I was proud of him."It's deeper than him just making shots. It doesn't surprise me that he came out the way that he did." The Sixers, who have struggled mightily on the road (7-14), are determined to keep the positive momentum at home when they face the Bulls."I think all of us want to go out each and every night and we want to win every game we can," Harris said. "When we do fall short of wins, it's disappointing for us. Just to get out there and get [Wednesday's] win, to feel good, to play good as a team, just to feed off of one another, was big for us. We have to just keep that rolling and do more of the same that works for us." The Bulls are 3-7 in their last 10 games and 15-27 overall.In their most recent game, the Bulls defeated the Washington Wizards 115-106 on Wednesday, thanks in large part to Zach LaVine's 30 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.There was balance throughout the lineup with seven players scoring in double figures. Thaddeus Young, a former member of the Sixers, and Tomas Satoransky added 18 points apiece.Any success the Bulls have enjoyed all season can be attributed to the ascension in LaVine's overall game. LaVine was 6 of 11 on 3-pointers and finished his fifth consecutive game with at least 25 points. The last Chicago player to accomplish this feat was Derrick Rose, who had six 25-point-plus games in a row in 2010."I expect myself to play this way," LaVine told the Chicago Tribune. "I put a lot of work into it. And it's good, doesn't mean a lot to me unless it ends in a win. You have to be consistent. I think I have in the past and I got to continue to do it going forward. I'm in a nice little groove right now, but I got the same mindset every time I step on the floor." The news wasn't all good for the Bulls, though, as Daniel Gafford dislocated his right thumb against the Wizards and will be out two to four weeks. Chandler Hutchison also suffered an elbow injury in the fourth quarter."You may see some guys that haven't been playing start playing more," Bulls head coach Jim Boylen said.--Field Level Media
 Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2020 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
GAME PREVIEW
Jan 16, 2020The Washington Wizards will visit the Toronto Raptors for the second time in less than a month Friday night trying to reverse a trend.The Raptors have won six consecutive meetings with the Wizards, including a 122-118 verdict Dec. 20. Toronto is 20-4 against Washington dating back into the 2013-14 season.After trailing by 11 points to open the fourth quarter in their most recent loss to the Raptors, the Wizards tied the game on Ish Smith's 3-pointer with 5:21 left but Patrick McCaw restored Toronto's lead on a 3-pointer with 3:02 remaining."I feel like we should have won," said Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal, who scored 37 points.That game is a reflection of each team's recent play, the Wizards failing to prevail in a game they feel that they could have won and the Raptors losing a big lead.The Wizards lost 115-106 to the host Chicago Bulls Wednesday night, a game in which they led by five points at halftime before overcoming an 11-point, third-quarter deficit to lead by four early in the fourth."I don't like losing, I'm sorry," said Beal, who scored 23 points. "Especially winnable games." "I feel like guys are frustrated," said Wizards forward Troy Brown Jr. who had no points in 17 minutes. "It was one of those things like because of last game (against Chicago), we lost the game when we were up 18. This was one of the games that guys would take personal, and we feel like we owed them one. So to lose it the way we did, I feel like we didn't play like we wanted to." The Raptors, meanwhile, nearly blew a 30-point, second-quarter lead before defeating the host Oklahoma City Thunder 130-121 on Wednesday. The Thunder cut the lead to three points with 2:09 left in the fourth quarter before Toronto prevailed."We just talked to each other, told us to stay together and just relax," said Raptors guard Norman Powell, who had 23 points.Powell (shoulder) and Pascal Siakam (groin) returned Sunday after missing 11 games each and Marc Gasol (hamstring) was back Wednesday after missing 12 games.Raptors coach Nick Nurse mentioned conditioning."Yeah, I think, in general, I am a little concerned about our conditioning," Nurse said. "I just think we are playing extremely hard in stretches, especially at the start, and then it seems to me more like we rev our motor really high and then they come back at us or halftime comes. ... and we can't quite get it revved up to the same extent."That has to do with conditioning and recovery. I just have to be a little more careful with the stints and how long they are so they don't go past the exhaustion point." The Raptors could also have Fred VanVleet (hamstring) back this weekend. He has missed four games.Beal has 16 games -- 11 in a row -- with 20 or more points against Toronto since the 2010-11 season.Wizards coach Scott Brooks said Beal, who recently missed seven games with a sore lower right leg, had some right shoulder soreness before the game Wednesday. His status was determined after a pregame workout."My shoulder's good," Beal said after playing 27 minutes against the Bulls.--Field Level Media
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2020 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
GAME PREVIEW
Jan 16, 2020The Minnesota Timberwolves will be short-handed again Friday night when they visit the Indiana Pacers in the second half of a home-and-home sequence.Indiana used a dominant performance by Domantas Sabonis to capture the first half of the back-to-back 104-99 at Minnesota on Wednesday night.The Timberwolves had hoped to get Karl-Anthony Towns back from a 14-game absence to help deal with the taller Pacers, but the All-Star center suffered an illness just when his left knee had healed to the point where he was likely to play.Sabonis took advantage, scoring mostly from the interior en route to a season-high-tying 29 points to go with 13 rebounds.Sabonis had been questionable for the game because of a sore left knee that had forced him to sit out one game and hampered him in a 3-for-12, 10-point outing in the Pacers' previous game against the Philadelphia 76ers."You feel a bit sore, but you try to wash it away when you're on the court," Sabonis told reporters about giving himself a thumbs-up before the game. "You try to just play." Minnesota finds itself in the same situation with Towns as two nights earlier. He has been cleared to play, but now must feel up to it after battling an illness this week.Towns likely would enjoy returning at Indiana, the site of a 42-point, 17-rebound explosion last season. The illness, plus the fact that the Timberwolves return home to face the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, make that questionable.Several other Timberwolves, including star forward Andrew Wiggins, have been under the weather of late as well."We're into analytics, but I don't have the analytics on that," Minnesota head coach Ryan Saunders joked with the media of his team's health epidemic before Wednesday's loss. "You remind everybody to wash your hands." The Timberwolves washed their hands of point guard Jeff Teague on Wednesday, agreeing to send him and Treveon Graham to the Atlanta Hawks for Allen Crabbe.Crabbe, who averaged 13.2 points a game with the Brooklyn Nets in 2017-18, didn't find his niche on the young Hawks squad, averaging just 5.1 points in 28 games this season.He is unlikely to join the team for Friday's game, leaving the Timberwolves another two men down.The Timberwolves might have a high-profile spot for Crabbe with rumors that forward Robert Covington likely will be moved before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.Covington had 14 points in Wednesday's loss to the Pacers and has scored in double figures in seven straight games, hitting four 3-pointers on five of those occasions.Sabonis wasn't the only difference-maker in the win over the Timberwolves. Malcolm Brogdon, also coming off an illness, added 21 points on Wednesday.En route to their third straight win, the Pacers outshot the Timberwolves 51.8 percent to 43.2 percent.Rookie Jarrett Culver led Minnesota with 17 points, but the story of the night was Wiggins, who went scoreless in the second half of the tightly contested affair.He finished with 10 points on 4-for-13 shooting.The Timberwolves, who catch no break in having to deal with Toronto and the Denver Nuggets in the next three days, have lost three in a row.--Field Level Media
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2020 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
GAME PREVIEW
Jan 16, 2020The young Memphis Grizzlies may not be the talk of the NBA, but they have inserted themselves in the conversation.The red-hot Grizzlies aim to extend their season-high winning streak to seven games on Friday when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers.Rookie point guard Ja Morant highlighted his 26-point performance by making 10 of 11 shots from the floor in Memphis' 121-110 victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. The second overall pick added eight assists to become the first rookie in NBA history with at least 25 points and eight assists in a game in which he shot better than 90 percent from the floor."I'm having a lot of fun," the 20-year-old Morant said. "I'm enjoying every bit of it. I'm thankful and grateful to even be here and be able to play for Memphis in front of this crowd with these guys." Dillon Brooks scored 24 points, Jonas Valanciunas added 19 and Jaren Jackson Jr. chipped in 13 of his 15 points in the second quarter for the Grizzlies, who are a full game ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for eighth place in the Western Conference standings."Every game is a statement game at this point," Jackson said, "because you are playing for seeding, playing for the playoffs. Everybody is trying to work towards that, but definitely, when you're on a winning streak, it gives you a bit more energy." Memphis has averaged a robust 126.2 points per game during its winning streak and has scored at least 110 in 12 consecutive contests, the longest active streak in the NBA.So, when was the last time the Grizzlies failed to reach 110 points? A 114-107 setback in Cleveland on Dec. 20.Kevin Love made five 3-pointers to finish with 21 points and 13 rebounds in that contest, but he sat out on Tuesday with the Cavaliers playing on back-to-back nights. Cleveland didn't fare well, dropping a 128-103 decision at the Los Angeles Clippers.The setback was the Cavaliers' seventh in nine games, although the lopsided result produced a few positives.Case in point, rookie Darius Garland recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and a career-best 10 assists."It's a great milestone for me. I came close a couple times. [Tuesday] in L. A., first double-double, it's really cool," said the 19-year-old Garland, who was the fifth overall pick of the 2019 draft."Just seeing my game grow, the game is slowing down for me a lot and just making the right reads." Collin Sexton, who averages a team-best 18.8 points per game, scored 25 on Tuesday and Cedi Osman added 21 after making five 3-pointers."We're a lot better than Game 1, I'll tell you that much, you know what I'm saying? Especially with Darius and Collin, I really see their growth, and teams are really trying to scheme against them," Cavaliers big man John Henson said."That's always a good thing for the franchise as a whole, and the future. We're trying to help the young guys grow, get healthy, and turn this thing around." --Field Level Media
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2020 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
GAME PREVIEW
Jan 16, 2020In the wake of the Oklahoma City Thunder's trade of Paul George in the offseason, the Thunder and Miami Heat looked like potential trade partners on multiple occasions.First, Miami was one potential landing spot for Russell Westbrook.Instead, Oklahoma City wound up trading the superstar point guard to the Houston Rockets for a package that included veteran Chris Paul.Then the Heat made the most sense as a trade partner when the Thunder reportedly wanted to trade Paul.Nothing ever materialized on that end, however, and now Paul will be playing for Oklahoma City when the Thunder host the Heat on Friday night.Paul has been a strong presence for the Thunder, averaging 16.5 points and 6.5 assists. His 2.1 turnovers per game currently matches his career-low mark set eight seasons ago.Nonetheless, the Thunder have dropped two of their last three.In both losses -- first to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday and then Wednesday to Toronto -- Oklahoma City fell behind big early before scraping its way back into the game before ultimately falling short."We can't wait that long to impose our will," Paul told reporters recently.The Thunder have made several big comebacks this season but avoiding flat starts is now a priority for all of Billy Donovan's team."We know if there's time on the clock, there's nothing us as a group is not capable of," guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. "It's been a little bit of us in the past to get down a little bit -- a lot actually -- to start games. We've just got to figure out a way to not let that happen, and put together a full four quarters." While the Heat are 28-12 and second in the Eastern Conference, they have struggled away from home.The Heat are just 10-11 on the road, scoring 7.5 points per game fewer away from AmericanAirlines Arena."We definitely have to carry this momentum into the road games," center Bam Adebayo told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "We're going into other people's gyms, and we can't have the same game that we play at home. We've got to have a better game, because we're away."Rims look different, atmosphere is different, so just got to go out there and bring more of an edge on the road than we have recently." The meeting will be the first of the season between the teams. Oklahoma City and Miami split their two games last season.Oklahoma City could be without both of its primary big men.Starting center Steven Adams suffered a right knee contusion in Wednesday's loss and will be re-evaluated before the game to determine his status.Adams' backup, Nerlens Noel, has missed the last six games with a left ankle sprain.The Heat could be without rookie guard Tyler Herro, who suffered a left knee bruise in Tuesday's practice and missed Wednesday's game.Heat forward Justise Winslow's status is also unclear. Winslow returned Jan. 8 after missing 15 games with a bone bruise in his back but has missed the last three games with recurrent back issues.--Field Level Media
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2020 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
GAME PREVIEW
Jan 16, 2020Will the real San Antonio Spurs step to the front, please? The Spurs have been great at some times and bad at others, and have been as difficult to predict as any team NBA team in recent seasons.So which San Antonio team will show up Friday when the Spurs host the Atlanta Hawks? It's a wait-and-see situation.Wins over the likes of Milwaukee, Boston and Toronto -- the latter two on the road -- have followers thinking San Antonio has turned the proverbial corner, but the fact is that the Spurs have been head-scratchingly inconsistent this season.The Spurs (17-22) return home after going 2-2 on the road over an eight-day stretch and a 106-100 loss at Miami on Wednesday. DeMar DeRozan led San Antonio with 30 points on 12-of-14 shooting in the setback."The game was right there," DeRozan told reporters afterward. "If we wouldn't been able to score on two or three possessions, but it just got away from us. There's a lot of basketball to be played"And we are trending in the right direction. We've played well against some great teams that does a lot for our confidence, knowing how much time is left in the season." DeRozan scored 20 or more points and shot 50 percent or better from the floor for the 12th straight game. Only the legendary Michael Jordan has matched that streak in league history.Patty Mills added 21 points off the bench in the loss to Miami with LaMarcus Aldridge scoring 12 and Bryn Forbes and Derrick White hitting for 11 points each for the Spurs.The Hawks (9-32) head to the Alamo City on the heels of a 123-110 win at home over Phoenix on Tuesday that snapped a four-game losing streak. Atlanta has now won three of its past 18 games.Trae Young scored 21 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter alone, returning to the lineup after sitting out blowout loss Sunday in Brooklyn with left hamstring pain. Young also had 10 assists in Tuesday's win. He was the catalyst behind Atlanta's final-period run."I thought we really slowed the game down," Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said of Atlanta's fourth-quarter performance. "Trae obviously gets hot, but to really get organized, slow the game down, make a lot of end-of-shot-clock plays, but you have to have a closer in this league. You have to be able to execute in the fourth quarter in this league and our guys did a really good job of that tonight." Young now has 20 games with 30-plus points, which ranks third in the league behind Houston's James Harden (28) and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo (21).Kevin Huerter added 23 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in the win while John Collins produced 22 points and 10 rebounds, his sixth double-double of the season."Always good to come together and get a nice team win," Collins said, "have some of our young core pieces get going like we did tonight, see everybody flowing, get everybody in the flow of the offense." The Hawks won the first meeting of the season with the Spurs, 108-100 in Atlanta on Nov. 5. San Antonio is 55-39 all-time against the Hawks. The Spurs' current 21-game home winning streak against Atlanta is their longest active home winning streak against any opponent.--Field Level Media
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2020 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
COMING
UP
9:35 PM EST |
|
|
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+287
|
+8 (-109)
|
Over 228 (-104)
|
|
|
-338
|
-8 (-101)
|
Under 228 (-106)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
Jan 16, 2020Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle scanned the stat sheet and he had trouble deciphering what he was seeing.Star point guard Luka Doncic's line against the Sacramento Kings included 25 points, 15 rebounds and a career-best 17 assists."These numbers are just crazy," Carlisle said in his postgame press availability after Wednesday's 127-123 road win. "It's hard to fathom. They're trapping him all over the court every time down. He's both beating the traps and playing beautifully out of the traps." Doncic will look to follow up his 12th triple-double of the season and 20th of his career when the Mavericks host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.Superb games have become the norm for the second-year star and he is a prime reason why Dallas has a stellar 26-15 record at the midway point of its schedule.Perhaps the only person finding fault with Doncic's play was himself. The 20-year-old bemoaned his 0-for-5 showing from 3-point range."Obviously, not as good as I can play. I have to practice those 3s,"Doncic told reporters. "They were doubling me every time, and I like it. Basketball is five players so somebody's going to be open if they double me." Doncic goes up against Portland star Damian Lillard for the second time this season. He had 29 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists and three steals in the Oct. 27 meeting but the Trail Blazers prevailed 121-119 in Dallas.Lillard recorded 28 points and five assists.Lillard scored 25 points on Wednesday as Portland notched one of its best wins of the season, 117-107 over the host Houston Rockets.The Trail Blazers held NBA scoring leader James Harden to a season-low 13 points. But despite two consecutive victories, the Trail Blazers are still six games below .500."A season is full of ups and downs and we've had more downs this year than ups, but it's a whole second half of the season to play," Lillard said afterward. "We executed and we played like we wanted to win the game ... we've just got to try to sustain that." Shooting guard CJ McCollum added 24 points, post player Hassan Whiteside had 18 points and 18 rebounds, and forward Carmelo Anthony recorded 18 points and 12 rebounds in his first game in Houston since the Rockets released him early in the 2018-19 season."I kind of got past all of that, the time that I was off," Anthony told reporters. "The time that I did have to kind of think about that situation, and I've done dealt with every emotion that you could think about. Trying to figure out why. Questioning myself at the beginning. Working so hard to get past that and kind of be at peace with that." Now Anthony and his teammates are working on making a second-half charge up the Western Conference standings. The Trail Blazers are currently in 10th place."We dug ourselves quite the hole with inconsistent play, injuries, bad losses, lots of losses in a row," McCollum said. "This was a game we needed to win. We need to win every game honestly going forward." Dallas, which has won three straight games, is in sixth place in the West.The Mavericks are hoping to have power forward Kristaps Porzingis (right knee) back in the lineup on Friday. Porzingis was looking to play against the Kings but the idea was nixed shortly before game time after he felt soreness."I kind of felt it a little bit more," Porzingis said afterward. "Started warming up, started doing some stuff and felt it more and more. They made the decision for me to take some more time." Carlisle is itching to get Porzingis back in the lineup, with the big man having missed the last nine games."You lose a 7-3 guy that can rebound and protect the rim like that, it's going to make your rim protection and rebounding more challenging," Carlisle said. "It's a big loss when a guy like that is out."Our guys have done a good job of playing without him, but he's a difference-maker. And when you don't have a guy like that, you're going to feel the difference." Forward Dwight Powell has done his part to soften the loss by making 44 of 54 field-goal attempts (81.5 percent) over the past seven games. Powell had 17 points on 8-for-10 shooting along with nine rebounds against the Kings.Powell is averaging 19 points over the past three games and has reached double digits in six of the past seven contests.--Field Level Media
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2020 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
|
|
|
NCAAB |
|
|
1/17/2020 |
|
FOUND
9
GAMES |
|
|
|
|
|
FINAL |
|
|
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+776
|
+14.5 (-113)
|
Over 134 (-107)
|
|
|
-1222
|
-14.5 (-104)
|
Under 134 (-113)
|
|
|
|
|
|
NO PICKS AVAILABLE |
|
|
|
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
Jan 16, 2020Wisconsin ready for road test at No. 15 Michigan St.Maybe it was predictable, but the competitive balance in the Big Ten has been nothing short of remarkable through the first third of the conference season.There are no easy nights in arguably the toughest conference in the nation, and winning on the road is nearly impossible as visiting teams are just 6-35 this season.There is one team, however, that has found success on the road as Wisconsin is the only Big Ten team to win twice on the road, beating Ohio State and Penn State. The Badgers will get their next chance when they head to East Lansing to take on No. 15 Michigan State on Friday."I think they're playing as good as anybody in the league right now," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo recently told reporters of the Badgers.It's easy to see why. Wisconsin (11-6, 4-2) has won six of its last seven games, the only setback coming by one point at home to Illinois. The Badgers beat No. 17 Maryland at home on Tuesday, their second straight win over a ranked team, on a last-minute 3-pointer by junior guard Brad Davison."Those are the kind of shots that you dream about and you think about," Davison said. "So, to have the opportunity, I'm very thankful for that opportunity to see the ball drop. But most importantly, that's a big win for this team. Whenever you can stack two wins in a row in this league, especially this year, it goes a long ways and it's going to make Friday (at Michigan State) a really fun game." While Wisconsin is rolling and just one game out of first place in the Big Ten, the team it is chasing -- Michigan State -- limps into the matchup after suffering its first conference loss on Sunday at Purdue. There's no shame in losing at Mackey Arena, but the Spartans (13-4, 5-1) got blitzed by 29 points as senior Cassius Winston played his worst game of the season. He scored 10 points, missing all five of his 3-point attempts, and made nine turnovers.Getting back on track before two more road games next week will be critical."It will be good to see how we respond from a butt-kicking," Izzo said. "We haven't had many of those around here. Although a former manager who's now an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic, Steve Hetzel, texted when I got on the bus coach and said, 'Remember in '05 we got beat by 30 at home by Illinois and we went to a Final Four?' And I said, 'Damn, I don't remember that at all.' So it goes to show that when you do get your butt kicked, it's sort of short-term memory." Michigan State actually lost by 30 to Illinois in 2003 and lost by 13 at home to Illinois in 2005 when it ended up in the Final Four. But the point remains -- the Spartans need to learn from what took place at Purdue."Last year, we lost three in a row," Winston said. "So you don't want to let that linger on. You want to learn from it, and as long as you learn from it you can move forward and get better from it." --Field Level Media
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2020 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
Jan 16, 2020Saint Louis welcomes red-hot and No. 13-ranked Dayton to Chaifetz Arena on Friday with an opportunity to make a significant statement in the Atlantic 10 Conference.Saint Louis (14-3, 3-1) won its third straight game Saturday, scoring a big road win over surprising Richmond 74-58. The Billikens sit a game-and-a-half off the lead in the top-heavy A-10 race, despite losing their conference opener to Duquesne on Jan. 2.Duquesne is one of three teams in the league without a loss, joining St. Bonaventure and Dayton.The Flyers (15-2, 4-0) won their sixth straight on Tuesday, dominating preseason A-10 favorite VCU 79-65. Dayton broke a 41-41 tie in the early second half with a 22-0 run to blow the game open.Forward Obi Toppin continued his breakout season with 24 points and nine rebounds, despite having worn a walking boot earlier in the week after re-aggravating an ankle sprain last Saturday against Massachusetts."After I got that first dunk, I knew I was gonna be good after that," Toppin told the Dayton Daily News following Tuesday's win.Toppin comes into Friday's matchup averaging 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, and building a strong case for National Player of the Year consideration.Saint Louis counters Toppin's dual scoring and rebounding ability with a pair of similarly skilled players.Billikens guard Jordan Goodwin and forward Hasahn French are the only teammates in the nation averaging a double-double. French is posting 12.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, while Goodwin contributed to his 16.1-point and 10.5-rebound per game averages in the win over Richmond with 26 points and nine rebounds."Coming in, me and Jordan talked about these things even before we stepped on campus," French told KSDK NBC in St. Louis last week. "We just knew these things would come and we had to be patient."We knew if we stayed working and things like that this would happen." The duo also help power a Saint Louis defense that ranks just outside the nation's top 50 in adjusted efficiency, per KenPom.com. French ranks No. 17 nationally in blocked shots per game at 2.8, and Goodwin is No. 28 in the country with 2.2 steals per game.Dayton in contrast boasts one of the most effective offenses in college basketball. The Flyers rank second in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom.com metrics, with four players beyond Toppin averaging double figures in scoring.Jalen Crutcher is posting 13.3 points per game, Ibi Watson averages 11.5, Trey Landers is posting 11.1 and Ryan Mikesell averages 10.4.The Flyers also rank second in the nation in team assists with 327. Almost 63 percent of their made baskets are assisted. Crutcher's 5.2 per game lead the way."As efficient as we can be, when we get shots, we're really good," coach Anthony Grant said to the Dayton Daily News. "We just need to make sure we're giving ourselves a chance to get a shot every possession." --Field Level Media
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2020 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
|
|
COMING
UP
9:00 PM EST |
|
|
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+216
|
+5.5 (-103)
|
Over 147 (-105)
|
|
|
-259
|
-5.5 (-113)
|
Under 147 (-115)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
Jan 16, 2020Big men keep enjoying big games against Michigan.The 19th-ranked Wolverines may change their defensive strategy in their rematch against Iowa on Friday in Iowa City. They'll be seeking their first Big Ten road victory after losing 75-67 at Minnesota on Sunday following earlier defeats at Illinois and Michigan State.The Golden Gophers' center, Daniel Oturu, torched the Wolverines for a career-best 30 points one game after Michigan survived a double-overtime thriller despite a career-high 36 points from Purdue power forward Trevion Williams.Michigan (11-5, 2-3 Big Ten) defeated Iowa 103-91 in the conference opener for both clubs on Dec. 6 despite a career-high 44 points from Iowa center Luka Garza."Bigs have done a phenomenal job scoring against us," Michigan head coach Juwan Howard recently told reporters.Howard's defensive philosophy is to limit perimeter shooters, which leaves the Wolverines' big men on an island to defend their man. It hasn't helped that starting forward Isaiah Livers has sat out this month due to a groin injury."We're just playing them one on one," Michigan center Jon Teske said. "(We want) to take away their 3-point shooting ability. In the Big Ten, we've got a lot of great 3-point shooters." From that standpoint, the Wolverines' scheme has worked. Opponents are shooting just 29 percent from long range. But the tradeoff has become increasingly apparent."Obviously, a lot of it is on me," Teske said. "I've still got to get stops. I've still got to stay accountable for a lot of those points that I'm giving up. I've got to do a better job of helping my teammates." Garza, a junior, is a tough cover for any of his peers. He's averaging 22.3 points and 10.4 rebounds.While setting an opponent's scoring record at Crisler Center, Garza made 17 of 32 field goal attempts and 10 of 13 free throws.The Hawkeyes (12-5, 3-3) have won their past two games with Garza playing a large role, as he contributed 21 points and 13 rebounds against Maryland (67-49 on Jan. 10) and 27 points in 24 minutes against Northwestern (75-62 on Tuesday).Teske will be the primary defender on him once again."I've just got to be more aggressive down low. ... There's a lot of good Big Ten centers, and I've just got to be ready to play every night," Teske told the Detroit Free Press.Garza did most of his damage against the Wildcats in the second half."It's the ultimate confidence I have in myself," Garza said. "Every time I touch the ball, I have the ability to score or make the right play. ... I feel like I can score on anybody." Garza came out of the game in the opening minute of the second half after picking up his third foul, then erupted after he returned at the 11:45 mark."He was fresh and got up and down floor," Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said. "We made a concerted effort to get it to him. The more we got it to him, the better he was." Hawkeyes guard CJ Fredrick returned to action Tuesday after missing two games with a foot injury. He added 11 points and five assists."He looked like he didn't miss a beat," McCaffery said. "If he's good to go, he's going to be in our starting lineup." --Field Level Media
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2020 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
|
|
|
NHL |
|
|
1/17/2020 |
|
FOUND
3
GAMES |
|
|
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
The Anaheim Ducks finally had something to be excited about and they'll try to build on that for Friday night's road game against the Carolina Hurricanes.The Hurricanes remain in a bit of an offensive funk, though a strong outing without the desired result means they'll try to find a remedy at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N. C.Both teams played road games Thursday night, with Anaheim producing a 4-2 victory at Nashville while Carolina suffered a 3-2 setback at Columbus.Not only was it a loss for the Hurricanes, but All-Star defenseman Dougie Hamilton departed with a lower-body injury in the second period."It doesn't look good," coach Rod Brind'Amour said."A big loss. He has played so well for us this season," Carolina captain Jordan Staal said. "We have a great D-corps and we'll have guys fill that hole and we'll get him back as soon as we can." The Hurricanes have had solid stretches of offense, just not on a regular basis lately. Brind'Amour liked the performance against Columbus, though it came on the back end of a stretch of not-so-smooth outings."I don't like what we've done here lately offensively," said Brind'Amour, whose team was shut out earlier in the week at Washington. "When we play good defending, we create a lot more chances. We're not quite there." The Hurricanes have gone three straight games without scoring more than two goals. They haven't held a lead for the past two games."I'm not 100 percent dialed in with the way we're playing right now," Brind'Amour said. "It's a little bit of everything. We're still a step off from where I'd like to see us at. Still pretty good." The Ducks snapped a four-game losing streak. It had been eight games since the Ducks won a game in regulation. They scored more than two goals in only two of those games before Thursday night."You have to stay confident in the system that we're doing," Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf said.Until the Nashville game, the Ducks had been outscored 15-6 in a four-game span. They need to keep things moving."If we're urgent, we have to make sure we're sticking together," Ducks forward Devin Shore said earlier in the week. "That's the only way we'll get through it." Still, there was an encouraging sign with the Ducks notching a power-play goal for the first time in five games in the Nashville game.This game marks the end of Anaheim's four-game road trip that consumed seven days. There's no definitive timetable for the season debut for right winger Justin Williams, who was signed by Carolina last week to come off an abbreviated retirement."He's getting there," Brind'Amour said. "We're going to chat this weekend at some point and see where he's at and hopefully get him in soon." There should be some smoothness to the situation on the team as Williams builds toward returning to the ice for games."It's certainly an easy transition," Brind'Amour said. "... It's not really a new guy. More time will tell when we get him in the lineup and see how it works out." This begins Carolina's three-game stretch of home games prior to a nine-day layoff over the All-Star break.--Field Level Media
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2020 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
GAME PREVIEW
Sidney Crosby has made an impressive comeback from sports hernia surgery but the Pittsburgh Penguins will need to start on a new winning streak on Friday.Crosby had four points against Minnesota on Tuesday in his return to action after missing over two months. He scored the lone Pittsburgh goal in a 4-1 loss at Boston on Thursday, which snapped a four-game Penguins winning streak.They'll play the second part of a back-to-back at Detroit.Crosby scored 24 seconds into the game against the Bruins but the Penguins were blanked the rest of the way as Boston goaltender Jaroslav Halak made 29 saves."There were points where we got outplayed," Crosby said in his postgame press conference. "We definitely had some chances and could have gotten back in the game. Look at our power play, and zone time in general they controlled more. We just weren't good enough tonight." Pittsburgh, the second-place team in the Metropolitan Division, had scored 19 goals during the winning streak. It was unable to put consistent pressure on the Bruins after Crosby's goal."If we play like we did tonight, we're not going to win many hockey games, no matter who we play against," Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. "We have to be more hungry." The Red Wings have been pounded in their last two games. Buffalo defeated them 5-1 on Sunday and the New York Islanders racked up a season high in goals in an 8-2 thrashing on Tuesday.The Wings' No. 1 goaltender, Jonathan Bernier, is sidelined at least through the All-Star break with a lower-body injury. Veteran Jimmy Howard was pulled in the Islanders debacle after giving up three goals in less than eight minutes. Backup Calvin Pickard allowed five more goals."I talked to a couple of our veteran players on the ice today and asked them, 'What did you think of the other night?' And their thought was it certainly wasn't what the score indicated," coach Jeff Blashill told the team's website on Thursday. "We have to be a pretty simple team. We have to get pucks behind, we have to play in the O-zone. We did that to a degree. The score gets out of hand, so sometimes that stuff gets skewed, but even the first period we did it, and we did it against Buffalo." Blashill has kept his job even though the Wings have the league's worst team. He breaks down the team's performance regularly with GM Steve Yzerman."We talk about how our team's playing," Blashill said. "Some of that's making sure that as a team, that we're getting better in certain areas that are going to help us long-term. Certainly we look at that as a coaching staff and as the management group, what's going to help us long-term here, whether it's individual players or how we play or the areas we have to get better at. Each guy's got to get better at different things. I ask his advice on how he thinks we're doing." Pittsburgh won the first meeting between the clubs 5-3 on Dec. 7. Evgeni Malkin had a goal and two assists for the Penguins. They'll meet once more on Feb. 16 in Pittsburgh.--Field Level Media
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2020 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
GAME PREVIEW
Losing two of three games isn't the end of the world for the Tampa Bay Lightning, especially on the heels of a 10-game winning streak.However, after dropping a 3-2 clash at the Minnesota Wild on Thursday to kick off a six-game road trip, the Lightning don't want to let bad habits creep into their repertoire -- bad habits that came to the fore in Minnesota -- and they want to eliminate them when they visit the Winnipeg Jets on Friday."We weren't moving our feet, and we weren't breaking out with speed," Steven Stamkos told the Tampa Bay Times. "We were just flat-footed." The Lightning, sitting solidly in the second spot in the Atlantic Division, actually had a strong start to Thursday's clash, holding the Wild without a shot for more than 12 minutes, but the momentum completely flipped."We just didn't play our way from the beginning of the game," said forward Nikita Kucherov, who has 12 points in the past 10 games. "It just didn't feel like we were doing the right things. We had so many turnovers in the game that we usually don't. We have to be better next game." After Curtis McElhinney tended goal against the Wild, expect Tampa Bay to turn to Andrei Vasilevskiy against the Jets. Vasilevskiy, who leads the NHL with 23 wins, has won nine straight, and collected a .943 save percentage and 1.77 goals-against average in that streak. He hasn't lost in regulation since Dec. 14 versus Washington, during which he's posted a 10-0-1 record.The Jets, who sit just outside a playoff position and are coming off a 4-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, continue to hang in the race despite a rash of turnovers and injuries to their defensive corps.The latest woe is a hand injury that will keep Carl Dahlstrom on the shelf at least six weeks. It was Dahlstrom's first game back after missing nearly two weeks."It hurts for him obviously, but for yourself as well. You've gone to the guy a bunch of times and give him the 'hang in there' speech and give him the 'hey work on these things,' " coach Paul Maurice said. "You go through the video of the game and he was wired in and focused and saw it as an opportunity. He hasn't had a whole lot of opportunity to play here. We've played other guys in front of him. It's a heartbreaker for him, for sure." There is some good news for Winnipeg as defenseman Dmitry Kulikov appears ready to return after missing the Vancouver game due to the flu. Then again, a revolving door has been part of life this season in Winnipeg."On a daily basis, you probably switch partners. You play left, you play right, stuff like that," said Luca Sbisa. "We've had a lot of bad luck on the back end but the guys that have been playing have done a great job." Winnipeg's ability to withstand all the upheaval will be put to the test against the Lightning."They're a team that's playing really good hockey as of late," Sbisa said after Thursday's practice. "The stuff we worked on today was basically just creating more traffic in front of the net. Against a team like that, you want to control the puck in their zone. You want to get it deep and let our forwards do the work. Once we have possession, we want to get to the net pretty quick." --Field Level Media
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2020 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Server
Status: All Systems Operational |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Server
Time:
EST (1/17/2020)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Your
IP Address: 18.207.240.35 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PLEASE NOTE:
CapperTek is not a gambling or sports betting website and
does not accept or place wagers of any type. CapperTek does
not endorse or encourage illegal gambling or sports betting
of any type. Also note sports betting inherently involves
financial risk. CapperTek assumes no responsibly for the
loss of capital incurred due to the use of information contained
on this website. Past results do not guarantee or imply
future performance. Please bet on sports legally within
your jurisdiction and responsibly within your financial
means. While we do everything we can to ensure the accuracy
of the information, stats, odds, and other data presented,
we cannot be held liable for any typos, omissions, or other
technical mistakes. |
|
|
|
We fully
support the work and help services carried out by the
National Council on Problem Gambling.
|
|
|
|
UNITED STATES
CITIZENS PLEASE NOTE: The content and information contained
on this website or any of the sports handicapping service
websites listed on this website are strictly for news and
entertainment purposes only. Any use of this content or
information in violation of federal, state, or local laws
is strictly prohibited. Activities offered by advertising
links to other sites may be deemed an illegal activity in
certain jurisdictions. Viewers are specifically warned that
they should inquire into the legality of participating in
any games and/or activities offered by such other websites.
The owner of this website assumes no responsibility for
the actions by and makes no representation or endorsement
of any of these games and/or activities offered by the advertiser.
As a condition of viewing this website viewers agree to
hold the owner of this website harmless from any claims
arising from the viewer's participation in any of the games
and/or activities offered by the advertiser. |
|
|
|
Every sports
handicapping service website listed on this website is an
individually owned and operated private entity. CapperTek
does not have any direct affiliation with any of the sports
handicapping service websites listed on this website. CapperTek
is also not responsible for the content or accessibility
of any of the sports handicapping service websites listed
on this website. Links to other service websites do not
imply any promotion or endorsement of any of the content
or information found on those websites. If you choose to
follow links to other websites you do so entirely at your
own risk. Any third party photographs, images, videos, audio,
logos, slogans, trademarks, service marks, domain names,
and intellectual property represented on this website are
property of their respective owners.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Why
Use CapperTek to Buy Sports Picks?
View
Only Sports Handicapping Services
with Picks Available
(193)
