Daily Sports Roundup
Friday, February 5
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Blackhawks play host to the Coyotes, the Sixers take on the Hornets, and the Nets play on the road against the Celtics.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA has 10 games on its schedule for Friday night, including New Jersey at Boston. The Nets lost yet again in their last game on Wednesday, falling 108-99 on the road to the Raptors. Devin Harris and Yi Jianlian each picked up 15 points for New Jersey in that losing cause, while Kris Humphries scored 13 points to go along with 11 rebounds. The Celtics are coming off a 107-102 home win over Miami in their last game on Wednesday. Ray Allen tossed in a team-high 23 points in that victory for Boston, while Rajon Rondo had 22 points and 14 assists.
Also on the NBA hardwood on Friday: Washington at Orlando, Detroit at Indiana, Milwaukee at New York, Chicago at Atlanta, Houston at Memphis, Minnesota at Dallas, Phoenix at Sacramento, Denver at the Lakers, and Philadelphia at New Orleans. The Hornets were beaten 103-99 at home by the Thunder in their last game on Wednesday night. Marcus Thornton tossed in a team-high 22 points in that defeat for New Orleans, while Emeka Okafor picked up 14 points and 12 rebounds. Hornets guard Chris Paul will be out for a month with his knee injury.
On the college basketball schedule for Friday it'll be Iona at Siena in a battle between the top teams in the Metro Atlantic conference, while Cornell plays host to Yale in Ivy League action. The Big Red (18-3 SU, 13-3 ATS) have won six games in a row, knocking off Harvard by a score of 86-50 in their last outing; Jeff Foote tossed in 16 points for Cornell in that blowout win. The Bulldogs (8-13 SU, 7-4 ATS) lost 58-45 to Princeton in their last game; Michael Sands had 14 points.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, the NHL offers up five games on Friday, with Toronto at New Jersey, Atlanta at Washington, Carolina at Buffalo, Calgary at Florida, and Phoenix at Chicago. The Coyotes have won five games in a row, slipping past the Predators by a score of 1-0 in a shootout in their last outing on Tuesday. Ilya Bryzgalov made 25 saves in that win. The Blackhawks will be looking to bounce back from a 3-2 loss to St. Louis in their last game on Wednesday night. Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa scored in that defeat, while Cristobal Huet stopped 16 of 19 shots.
Today's Wagering Tips
Friday, February 5
Lines off the board
Washington Wizards at Orlando Magic – Caron Butler (knee) missed last game and is questionable. Jameer Nelson (knee) did not play on Tuesday and is questionable.
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers – Kobe Bryant (ankle) is questionable and Carmelo Anthony (ankle) is doubtful.
Atlanta Thrashers at Washington Capitals - Ilya Kovalchuk was traded to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.
Lines to keep an eye on
The Mavericks-Timberwolves total jumped from 205 to 206 despite six of the last seven games in the series going under.
The opening total of 198.5 in the Knicks-Bucks game moved to 200.5 shortly after appearing on the board. Both teams have played to four consecutive unders.
Who’s hot
Rajon Rondo has averaged 20.0 points and 12.7 assists per game during his last three outings.
Mike Knuble has registered 12 points (9 goals) during the Capitals 11-game winning streak.
Who’s not
The Mavericks are 6-20 in their last 26 home games.
Martin Brodeur has only two wins in his last six starts with a 2.87 goals-against average.
Key stat
95.3 – Points per game Philadelphia has averaged during its last 12 games. The Sixers eclipsed the 100-point mark in only two of those games, both went into overtime, scoring 103 and 106 points. The under is 10-2 in the 76ers last 12 games.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Kobe Bryant reinjured his left ankle in Wednesday’s win against Charlotte. He played in the second half but was moving very gingerly and only managed to score five points in the game. Bryant has played through an aching knee and broken index finger all season, but this latest injury might put him down. Bryant did not practice with the team Thursday and his playing status for Friday’s game versus Denver is uncertain. Lamar Odom and Shannon Brown would see extended playing time if Bryant sits.
Game of the day
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers
Notable quotable
"If we went beyond these offers, we would not be able to retain the young players on our roster when it came time to sign them, or invest in other top tier players needed to assemble a truly competitive team. Unfortunately, we've reached an impasse and at this point he has declined all of our proposals and we can't reasonably go any higher.”
Thrashers general manager Don Waddell said after the team offered Ilya Kovalchuk $101 million over 12 years and ultimately traded him to the Devils for defenseman John Oduya, forwards Niclas Bergfors and Patrice Cormier and a first round pick.
Tips and notes
Josh Howard is the centerpiece of trade talks in Dallas and his recent play and talk has showed he might be losing interest. Howard said, "It's not like [other teams] think I'm sorry in this league.” Howard’s minutes and production have diminished in the last nine games, averaging 23.3 minutes, 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per outing.
Rajon Rondo suggested recently that things are not all fine and dandy in the Celtics locker room. He said, “We've just got to be a team with no agendas,” and "You don't feel like it's the same continuity and camaraderie.” Boston is 8-11 SU and 6-12-1 ATS since Christmas while shooting less than 50 percent from the floor.
Nate Robinson will take over for Chris Duhon as the Knicks starting point guard. New York was down four at the half to Washington Wednesday but ended up winning by 22. Duhon sat the entire second half. Mike D’Antoni said his team didn’t have “any life” in the first half but Robinson gave them “some energy.”