Unfamiliar Territory After spending last season in a race to the finish for first place in the Atlantic Division, the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils can relate to battling each other in the standings. What they’re not used to, however, is fighting to get out of the cellar.
Author: Anthony Rome
Shooting For Six Straight Carmelo Anthony wasn’t shy about predicting success for the Denver Nuggets before the season started. With the Nuggets bouncing back from a humbling losing streak, Anthony’s forecast is beginning to seem a lot more likely. Anthony and the Nuggets go for their sixth straight win on Tuesday when they host the Chicago Bulls in the finale of a four-game homestand.
Pac 10 on The Line Despite his team’s embarrassing midseason stumble, Southern California coach Pete Carroll has the Trojans in a familiar position – in contention for the Pac-10 title. First-year Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson and the seventh-ranked Sun Devils, however, stand between the No. 11 Trojans and an unprecedented sixth straight conference crown.
Fast Starters Indiana knows Eric Gordon might only be around for one season before he heads to the NBA. If that’s the case, the freshman guard looks determined to make what would be a brief time in Bloomington memorable. Gordon and the eighth-ranked Hoosiers (2-0) look to continue their fast start Tuesday when they host UNC Wilmington in the Chicago Invitational Challenge.
Unbeaten at Home The Dallas Mavericks have been dominant at home since Mark Cuban bought the team in January 2000. The Toronto Raptors are all too aware of that fact. The Mavericks look to remain undefeated at American Airlines Center this season as they go for their eighth straight home win over the Raptors on Tuesday.
Broncos Bully Titans The Denver Broncos found new ways to make big plays and some little-known players to make them. Now suddenly, they find themselves in a spot they only could have dreamed of a few weeks ago – tied for first place in the AFC West. Jay Cutler threw touchdown passes of 41 and 48 yards and unheralded Glenn Martinez and Andre Hall added to Denver’s frenzy of big scoring plays Monday night in a 34-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Memphis Rolling Along Memphis guard Chris Douglas-Roberts tries to build on his biggest game of the season on Tuesday when the third-ranked Tigers host Arkansas State. A junior from Detroit, Douglas-Roberts is scoring 23.0 points per game for Memphis (4-0), which has averaged 81.5 points while winning its first four games. He earned Conference USA player of the week honors for the second straight week on Monday after helping the Tigers win the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Winning Formula The Phoenix Suns have not lost since Amare Stoudemire returned, though he is far from the only reason they have gotten back on such a roll offensively. Back to their high-scoring ways following a relatively slow start, the Suns go for a sixth consecutive victory when they visit the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday.
Gunning For The Champs Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs and Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks are both talented NBA forwards, but the similarities pretty much end there. The steady Duncan and the flashy Smith square off on Tuesday when the Spurs visit the Hawks.
Happy to See The Flames Colorado’s recent slump has tightened things up in the competitive Northwest Division, so the Avalanche should be very happy to see the Calgary Flames next on the schedule. The Avs (11-7-1) look to avoid a third straight loss Tuesday when they face the division rival Flames (8-9-3), whom Colorado has beaten seven straight times.