Denver at INDIANAPOLIS (40'un, -110)
By Tommy Brunson
Thursday's comp play is the Under in the Broncos-Colts game.
I think these 2 anemic offenses could play from tonight until Sunday night and not crack this total.
The Broncos defense just held the Jets off the scoreboard on Sunday, as they come into this one with 3 Unders in their last 4 games played. They have also been Under in 6 of their last 10.
The Colts are fresh off their Under by a million in the snow at Buffalo on Sunday, as Indy has seen the Low cash in each of their last 5, and 6 of their last 7 overall.
Look for this one to go back and forth with little scoring on the Lucas Oil Stadium scoreboard.
Broncos-Colts Under on the last Thursday nighter of the season in the NFL.
5* DENVER-INDIANAPOLIS UNDER
Will Rogers NHL
Florida vs. Colorado
Thu, Dec 14 9:00 PM
Pick: Colorado
OFFERED AT: 5dimes @ COL (-115)
The set-up: The Colorado Avalanche concluded a four-game road trip with a 5-2 loss at Washington. However, Colorado general manager Joe Sakic was happy with the split (2-2-0), especially since it followed a horrendous 1-4-0 homestand. "Every team has a dip at some point," Sakic said. "It’s how you bounce back, how you stop the losing streak, and I’ve thought we’ve done a pretty good job on this trip." The 14-14-2 Avalanche open a three-game homestand by welcoming teh 12-14-5 Florida Panthers, who will be making the third stop on a five-game trip, after edging Detroit in overtime 2-1 and then falling to Chicago 3-2 in OT.
Florida: Forward Evgenii Dadonov (upper body) returned to the lineup Tuesday after a 2 1/2-week absence, well ahead of his estimated recovery timetable of four to six weeks. However, linemate Denis Malgin was knocked out of the game early in the first period after absorbing a hard hit and was termed day-to-day by coach Bob Boughner, who said there's a chance he could be in the lineup Thursday. Goaltender James Reimer will make his fifth consecutive start, even though he's just 6-7-4 (3.56 GAA & .894 SAP) on the season. Reimer is being tasked to do the heavy lifting with Roberto Luongo expected to miss a chunk of time due to a lower-body injury.
Colorado: The Avalanche have put last year's 'disaster' (an NHL-low 48 points) behind them and look to continue being competitive the rest of the way. Colorado has a young, fast team and tries to wear down opponents with its quickness in Denver's thin air. However, bad turnovers and mistakes are hurting the second-youngest team in the NHL. Nathan MacKinnon leads the team in goals (11), assists (22) and points (33), providing the production expected from a player drafted No. 1 overall in 2013. "This is Nathan’s fifth year in the league -- he’s still only 22 -- but he’s taken the next step that Gabe (Landeskog) has, that EJ (Erik Johnson) has," Sakic said. "We’ve got the guys who are leading and the other guys are following.”
The pick: The Avalanche routed the Panthers 7-3 in Miami in their just completed rod trip. Reimer allowed five goals in just 28 shots in that game and will need to do better here. Colorado came out of the gate strong at home in Pepsi Center (8-2-1 ) but enters this one having lost three in a row on home ice. Revenge for Florida? I think not for a team scoring only 2.25 GPG on the road, while Colorado is netting 3.56 GPG at home. Take the Avs.
Power Sports NBA
Dallas vs. Golden State
Pick: Over
1* Over Mavs/Warriors (10:35 ET): The Dubs' offense has predictably declined some w/o the services of Steph Curry (injured), but they're still the #1 team in offensive efficiency and average a league-high 117 PPG. Therefore, they should be able to "drag" Dallas past this total, which is fairly low by GSW standards. A number of players - on both sides - could miss this game, up to and including Draymond Green and Dennis Smith Jr, but that's what makes the Over such a great "buy low" opportunity here. This is the 1st time all season that we can catch GSW off three straight Unders and Dallas is a perfect 3-0 Over this season after holding its previous opponent below 90 pts.
Dallas has the worst record in the Western Conference currently, but they are not even close to being the worst team. I have them ranked ahead of Memphis, Phoenix and Sacramento in my latest NBA Power Rankings column. They did just upset the Spurs their last time out, 95-89, as 5.5-pt home dogs. That game marked the return of Kwahi Leonard for the Spurs, so tip your cap to the Mavs. Keep in mind also that they pulled the upset w/o the services of Smith. Dirk Nowitzki scored only six points on 1 of 8 shooting. This team is capable of more offensively than what they've shown so far this season.
Meanwhile, we know what Golden State is capable of offensively. They shot 55% from the floor in their last game, a 111-104 win over Portland. The last time the Warriors failed to top 100 pts in a game was 11.22 vs. Oklahoma City. When playing against a team that has a losing record, the Over is 7-3 this year for the Warriors. Keep in mind they scored those 111 pts last game w/o both Curry and Green. Still being able to trot out as duo as prolific as Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson is surely a nice luxury to have. 1* Over Mavericks/Warriors