Daily Sports Roundup
Friday, February 26
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Hawks get a visit from the Mavericks, the Magic meet the Hornets, and the Olympic hockey tourney hits the semifinals.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA offers up a dozen games on Friday, including Dallas at Atlanta. The Mavericks (37-21 SU, 24-34 ATS) have won five straight games, knocking off the Lakers 101-96 in their last outing on Wednesday. Dirk Nowitzki led the way with 31 points for Dallas in that contest, while Jason Terry tossed in 30 points off the bench. The Hawks (36-20 SU, 34-22 ATS) got past Minnesota 98-92 in their Wednesday contest, as Josh Smith picked up 27 points and 10 rebounds. Joe Johnson was good for 21 points that day, while Al Horford grabbed 13 rebounds.
Also on the NBA hardwood on Friday: Cleveland at Toronto, New York at Washington, Minnesota at Oklahoma City, Charlotte at Memphis, Portland at Chicago, San Antonio at Houston, Detroit at Denver, the Clippers at Phoenix, Utah at Sacramento, Philadelphia at the Lakers, and Orlando at New Orleans. The Magic (39-19 SU, 29-26-3 ATS) took care of Houston by a score of 110-92 on Wednesday, with Dwight Howard pouring in 30 points. The Hornets (30-28 SU, 29-29 ATS) will be looking to bounce back from a 115-92 loss to Milwaukee.
As well, there is one ranked team in action around college basketball on Friday, as No. 15 Butler visits Valparaiso. The Bulldogs (25-4 SU, 12-17 ATS) are riding a 17-game winning streak into their Friday matchup, and they got past Siena 70-53 in their last contest. Shelvin Mack tossed in 23 points for Butler on that day. The Crusaders (15-15 SU, 15-9-2 ATS) fell 87-70 to Bowling Green last time out, with Brandon McPherson scoring 16 points in the loss. Butler and Valparaiso met back on December 5, with the ranked Bulldogs cruising to an easy 84-67 victory.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, the Olympic men's hockey tournament stages its semifinals on Friday, with the United States vs. Finland at 3:00pm ET, and Canada vs. Slovakia at 9:30pm ET. The Americans survived their quarterfinal matchup with Switzerland on Wednesday, pulling out a 2-0 victory, while the Finns blanked the Czech Republic by that same score. Slovakia upset Sweden in a tight 4-3 win in their quarterfinal game on Wednesday, while Canada blasted Russia 7-3. The winners of Friday's semifinal contests will move on to the Gold Medal Game on Sunday.
Friday's Wagering Tips
Lines off the board
Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors – Cavs played on Thursday night. Chris Bosh (ankle) has missed the last three games and is doubtful.
Lines to keep an eye on
The Knicks-Wizards total jumped from an opener of 204 to 205 at most shops. The last three games in this series have gone under.
The total in the Denver-Detroit game has elevated from 200 to 201 in some markets.
Weather to watch
The Northeastern states are being battered with snow. The pinnacle of the most recent snowstorm is expected to come early Friday morning.
Airport delays are expected in Boston, New York and Philadelphia.
The Cavaliers played in Boston on Thursday night and might face some travel problems as they turn around and head to Toronto for a Friday matchup.
There are a number of Ivy League basketball games on the board for Friday and any one of those being played in the Northeast could be postponed.
Who’s hot
Sacramento State is one of the worst teams in the Big Sky but one of the most profitable teams in college basketball. The Hornets are 15-7-2 ATS this season and 6-3 ATS in their last 10 games.
The Suns have played to the under in 9-of-10 games with the single over exceeding the total by 1.5 points.
Who’s not
The Rockets are 3-7 SU and ATS in their last 10 games.
Columbia has dropped 7-of-10 and are 4-6 ATS during that stretch.
Key stat
Less than 40 – Shooting percentage of nine of Butler’s last 11 opponents. The Bulldogs look for their 18th straight win – already holding the nation’s longest streak – against Valparaiso on Friday. No team has gone undefeated in the Horizon League since the 1995-96 season.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Kings starting center Jason Thompson will miss up to two weeks with a pair of non-displaced transverse fractures in his lower back. Sean May and Spencer Hawes will see extended playing time in Thompson’s absence. Thompson is averaging 12.7 ppg and 8.8 rpg and his injury makes a bad team even worse.
Game of the day
Dallas Mavericks at Atlanta Hawks (-3.5, 195)
Notable quotable
"You know what, I'm numb to everything at this point and I think our guys are that way. What we're going to do is we're going to put five guys on the floor, and those five guys are going to go out there and compete and play hard, and if we do that, we're going to give ourselves chances."
-- Wizards coach Flip Saunders told the media after Josh Howard was lost for the season.
Tips and notes
- The NBA has informed Caron Butler that he can't chew straws during games anymore. This is like telling a baseball player he can’t chew tobacco, but go out and play like you usually do. Butler goes through about 12 straws per game and this rule implementation may affect his output for the Mavericks. Dallas has won five straight since Butler joined the team.
- There’s a similarity between Hedo Turkoglu and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The sharp-shooting Turk is a Cavalier spread killer. Over the last two seasons, the teams Turkoglu has played for (Raptors/Magic) are 10-1 ATS versus the Cavs. Odds are not available for Friday’s game but Chris Bosh is doubtful to play so the Raps should be getting plenty of points.
- Houston's new lineup is obviously not gelling. Rick Adelman said his team has “lost whatever confidence” it had before the break and the players aren’t playing with the same “energy and enthusiasm” as before. Shane Battier said the Rockets are a “team in search of new identity.” Houston has dropped three straight overall and ATS.