Ray Monohan
Knicks vs. Rockets
Play: Knicks +10
The Knicks take on the Rockets Saturday night and New York plus the points is worth a move. The Rockets are coming in off a 140 point performance Friday night, but repeating that is almost unlikely. They shot at an unreal level as they pushed the tempo all night long. That'll play a factor here against the Knicks as fatigue will come into play.
The Knicks have plenty of playmakers on their side, especially offensively, to counter the Rockets runs. Look for the Knicks to try and slow the tempo down here, as they'll look to get the Rockets out of their rhythm early on.
Some trends to note. Knicks are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game. Knicks are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up loss.
Expect this one to be close here on Saturday, as the Knicks should be able to stay within the big spread.
Larry Ness
Phoenix vs. Utah
Pick: Utah
Despite key players missing time so far, the Jazz are 20-13 on the season and challenging the OKC Thunder in the NBA's Northwest Division (Thunder are also 20-13. As for the 10-23 Phoenix Suns, they own the Western Conference's worst record.
Utah's starting point PG George Hill (20.1-4.3 APG) returned to the starting lineup for the Jazz against the 76ers on Thursday night, after missed 13 games while recovering from a sprained toe. He finished with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting, eight rebounds and six assists in Utah's 100-83 victory. Alec Burks is back practicing s well, although there's no timetable for his return. Burks has not played this season after having off-season ankle surgery (13.3 PPG in 31 games last year). Hayward (22.3-6.2-3.7) has developed into one of the league's best small forwards, while SG Hood (14.4) has been a solid contributor, Center Gobert averages 12.3 PPG and 11.9 RPG, after just missing his 11th straight double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds on Thursday. Then there is PF Favors, who is just rounding into form (18 games / 10 starts), after early injury woes. He's averaging a modest 8.5 & 6.0 but the last two seasons, he's posted averages of 16.4-8.1 and 16.0-8.2.
The good news for the Suns is that they come to Salt Lake City on a high note after holding Toronto to a season-low in points in a 99-91 win over the Raptors on Thursday. Phoenix held Toronto to just 40 percent shooting from the floor and it marked just the fourth time that the Suns have held an opponent under 100 points this season. Suns head coach Earl Watson praised his defense's aggressiveness. It's something he wants to turn into a team trademark. "Our thing is, let's be the first one to hit," Watson said. "Let's come out, be the aggressors, and let them try to counteract us. It was a great lesson to impose our will defensively." Better defense will serve to make Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker even more dangerous on offense. Bledsoe is the team's best player (20.0-5.0-5.5) and Booker has averaged 20.4 points over his last seven games and is scoring 18.8 PPG for the season. It is the most by a second-year Phoenix player since Amar'e Stoudemire averaged 20.6 points per game in the 2003-04 season.
Watson can talk about defense becoming more important but one game proves little. The Suns allow 113.6 PPG (29th of 30 teams) and in going 4-14 on the road, are allowing 116.1 PPG. Meanwhile, the Jazz rank first in points allowed (95.0 PPG) and third in opponents' FG percentage (43.0%), The Jazz are 5-0 SU & 4-0-1 ATS the past two seasons against the Suns.
Will Rogers
NY Islanders vs. Winnipeg
Pick: Winnipeg
The set-up: The 14-15-6 NY Islanders will visit the 17-18-3 Winnipeg Jets tonight in a contest featuring two sub-.500 teams. Both teams come in off losses, as New York allowed three goals in an 80-second span of the second period in falling at Minnesota 6-4 (ending the Islanders’ three-game winning streak), while the Jets lost at home to Columbus, 5-3.
NY Islanders:The Islanders scored four goals at Minnesota, giving the Islanders at least four goals in their fourth consecutive contest, but New York could not prevent Minnesota from winning its 12th straight game! “We have to be better in certain areas of our game, but I liked the effort,” Islanders coach Jack Capuano told reporters after the game. The Isles then placed goaltender Jaroslav Halak on waivers Friday. The Halak move lessens a crowded goaltending rotation for New York, as Thomas Greiss, who is 5-1 with a .929 save percentage since Nov. 28, and Jean-Francois Berube remain.
Winnipeg: After the Jets' 5-3 loss to Columbus, they've scored three or more goals five times in their past six games, However, netminder Michael Hutchinson allowed five goals on 35 shots, as the Blue Jackets won their 14th straight game. The loss marked the seventh time this season that the Jets were unable to turn a two-game winning streak into a three-game run and that's playing a big part in them sitting outside of the playoff picture. “We need to be better, and we will be better against the Islanders, for sure,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler told reporters.
The pick: The Islanders are 6-0-1 in seven games in Winnipeg since the Jets moved from Atlanta in 2011 but I want the home team on New Year's Eve.
Zack Cimini
Florida St vs. Virginia
Pick: Florida St
Tony Bennett's Virginia squad took care of Louisville from start to finish to open up ACC play. Saturday, back at home they'll look to showcase their ability against 13-1 Florida State. While Florida State was untested in non-conference play they did defeat Virginia last year. Look for the Seminoles to match the intensity level of Virginia and keep this one closer than the nine point spread suggests.
Bob Balfe
Alabama -13.5
Remember that in our world this is just another game. There is no need to put more money on games because they mean more. A game is a game. Washington had a good year, but their non conference schedule was a joke and the PAC 12 was weak this year. Alabama is the much better team here and I don’t even care what the spread is. You have to ask yourself does Washington have a chance to win this game. My answer is no. I will let the spread take care of itself. Over the course of 60 minutes Alabama just does so much on defense to take over football games. Chris Petersen is an excellent coach and because of him we enjoy the upset in these spots because the Boise State win a decade ago might have been the greatest college game in history. Washington did great against awful defenses. Let’s see what they can do today against a front seven loaded with NFL talent. The Huskies live by the trick play, but those who live by the sword also die by it. I think Alabama is on a complete different level and the only team left with a small shot to beat them is Clemson.
Ben Burns
Washington -164
These teams just faced each other two nights ago, at Washington. The Caps had a 44-27 edge in shots but the Devils beat them (2-1) in a shootout. The Caps are the more talented team though and I expect them to get some payback this afternoon. The Caps are 10-5 (+2.7) their last 15 in the 'revenge role' overall, Going back further finds them at a profitable 59-32 (+19.5) in that role the past 2+ seasons. That includes a 26-13 (+12) when attempting to avenge a home loss. During that time, the Caps are a perfect 4-0 in games here at NJ. I expect them to continue that success here.
Jeffrey James
Alabama -14
Love Alabama here - they are used to all the hoopla that goes with being in the playoffs while Washington is not at all used to this media circus. Now look at the Tide defense, outside of 2 games they never gave up more than 16 points and with all this extra time to watch film and prepare the Washington offense is going to really struggle here. The Huskies defense was decent but they were helped out a ton by their offense which forced teams to throw when they got behind. Look for the Washington defense to wear down in the 2nd half here as 'Bama just runs them over on their way to a huge win.
SPORTS WAGERS
Columbus +119 over MINNESOTA
OT included. The stage is set for a New Year’s Eve classic between the two hottest teams in the league that have combined to win their last 26 games. That’s a bit crazy but we must give the edge to the Jackets simply because they are the superior team that is taking back a price and the numbers prove it. Minnesota has played the easiest schedule in the NHL (ranked 30th) so its record is a result of that. While we take nothing away from any team that wins 12 straight or that has such a good record, the fact is Minnesota has been outplayed in so many games but won because of the outstanding goaltending of Devan Dubnyk. Despite the easy schedule, Minnesota ranks 20th in Corsi For and 18th in puck possession time in the offensive end. That puts the Wild on par with a lot of mediocre clubs. If you think that the Wild are some great defensive club, think again because they’re not. Minnesota ranks 23rd in Corsi against per 60 minutes during 5-on-5 play, which puts them on par with teams like Ottawa, Dallas and Philadelphia. The Minnesota Wild have had good fortune and great goaltending but we promise you that they will be the slowest team on the ice in this one. The Jackets speed almost assures us that the dog will create more chances and have the puck more often.
The Jackets strength of schedule ranks 15 positions higher than the Wild. The Jackets are 10-3 against top-10 competition and will roll out three balanced lines and a GREAT fourth line too. We’re not going to bore you with more analytics but rest assured that the Jackets have an edge in that department too, especially offensively, where it’s not even close. The Jackets will to win is unmatched and now they can put the entire hockey world on notice with a win here on the road against the second hottest team in the league. The Jackets are legit but we’re not convinced that applies to the Wild.
COLORADO +145 over N.Y. Rangers
OT included. The Rangers stumbled into the holiday break with back-to-back losses to the Wild and Penguins in which they surrendered seven goals in both games. New York is now 2-0 after the break but they have not looked good in wins over Ottawa and Arizona. The Rags were down 2-0 to the Sens before they could even tie their skates. They were outshot 36-25 but still found a way to win, a common theme for this club. In Arizona on Thursday, that game was tied 3-3 when the Rags scored a late goal on a power play to take a 4-3 lead before adding an empty netter to make the 6-3 final look WAY better than it was. Coyotes Coach, Dave Tippett was livid at the call and had every right to be. The Rangers scored three of their four goals on the PP against Arizona. The Rangers are living proof of how hockey is the most luck-driven sport of them all. The Rags shoot pucks that ricochet off three guys and into the net while the opposition shoots pucks that ring off the post. The Rags constantly get outplayed, they are constantly running around in their own end and it’s only a matter of time before their weak play is exposed in the loss column. Henrik Lundqvist is likely to return to the crease after suffering from the flu. The last time we saw the “King”, he gave up four goals on 13 shots against the Wild on December 23rd.
If the Avalanche haven't hit rock bottom, they’re damn close. Colorado hasn't won a game at home in the month of December and so it is difficult to find anyone that has anything nice to say about these guys but this is likely their day. Colorado is the opposite of the Rangers in that they have had no luck whatsoever. Pucks just aren’t going in for them but the good news is that the Avs are healthy, they have a nice collection of skilled players and they are going to treat this one like a playoff game in what figures to be one of the loudest arenas in the league. New Year’s Eve hockey in Colorado has been a tradition for years and it’s always the hottest ticket of the season too. The Avs have gone 3-0-1 over the last four seasons at home on New Year’s Eve. This opponent is not difficult to play or defeat and as long as the Avs stay out of the box and put forth a strong effort, they’ll likely give the fans what they came for. This is a massive overlay that must be played.
San Jose +100 over LOS ANGELES
OT included. OT included. The Kings want this one badly. Los Angeles not only lost to San Jose in last year’s playoffs, they lost in five games and looked like they didn’t belong on the same ice as the Sharks for long stretches during that series. In what was being billed as a great battle between evenly matched teams, it wasn’t close. To add more misery to the Kings’ plight, these two met on opening night and San Jose won that one too. Wanting revenge in a bad way on November 30 of this year, Los Angeles was going to stick it to these guys once and for all back at the Staples Center. San Jose won that one too, 4-1. Yes indeed, Los Angeles wants redemption here in a bad way.
That brings us to Pittsburgh’s domination over San Jose in last year’s final. Boy oh boy did San Jose ever want redemption for the humiliation that the Penguins put them through in the Cup final. The Penguins didn’t just win that series, they abused the Sharks in much the same way that San Jose abused the Kings. Well, San Jose didn’t have to wait long for a chance at redemption when the NHL scheduled two early games this season between Pittsburgh and San Jose. Desperately wanting to beat Pittsburgh, San Jose lost both times while getting outscored 8-2 in those two games. The point is, when a team has the blueprint to beat another team, it’s a psychological advantage that is twofold. For one, the team that keeps winning knows they can win while the team that keeps losing is mentally beaten before the puck even drops. So put this one in the same category as Pittsburgh over San Jose. The Kings cannot beat the Sharks and aside from all that, San Jose is simply the better team. There is another intangible working against the Kings here too. Los Angeles returns home from an absolutely grueling nine-game trip that was seven games before the break and two games after it.
Vegas Butcher
Houston Rockets -10.5
This one is a b2b, 3in4, and a 3rd straight on the road for the Knicks. They’re coming off a really poor effort @ New Orleans last night, so not sure how they’ll keep up with the high-flying Rockets. Porzingis, Anthony, and Rose all logged major minutes in that one and fatigue should definitely be an issue here. Houston is also on a b2b, but they had an easy blowout win at home last night. Plus I’m sure D’Antoni won’t let up against his former team in this one.