Daily Sports Roundup
Friday, January 8
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Stars host the Islanders, the Cavaliers take on the Wizards, and the Celtics seek a win against the Eastern rival Hawks.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
There are a dozen games on the NBA's schedule for Friday, including Boston at Atlanta. The Celtics got past Miami 112-106 in overtime in their last game on Wednesday night. Rajon Rondo led the way with 25 points for Boston in that win, while Paul Pierce returned to action with 17 points. The Hawks had no trouble beating New Jersey in their last game on Wednesday, cruising to a 119-89 victory. Joe Johnson had 20 points in the win, and Jamal Crawford had 29 points.
Also on the NBA hardwood on Friday: Toronto at Philadelphia, Orlando at Washington, Indiana at Minnesota, New Jersey at New Orleans, Utah at Memphis, Chicago at Milwaukee, Dallas at San Antonio, Miami at Phoenix, the Lakers at Portland, Sacramento at Golden State, and Cleveland at Denver. LeBron James and the Cavaliers knocked off Washington 121-98 at home on Wednesday night. James had 23 points that day, and Shaq tossed in 17 points.
As well, the only ranked team in action around college basketball on Friday is No. 24 Washington, which plays on the road against Arizona State. The Huskies (10-3 SU, 3-10 ATS) fell by a score of 90-79 to Oregon in their last game; Isaiah Thomas tossed in 25 points in that losing cause for Washington. The Sun Devils (10-5 SU, 3-8 ATS) were beaten 47-37 on the road against Southern Cal in their last contest; Demetrius Walker was good for 11 points for Arizona State that day.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, there are five games on tap in the NHL on Friday night, with Colorado at Carolina, Tampa Bay at New Jersey, Toronto at Buffalo, Columbus at Calgary, and the Islanders at Dallas. The Stars will be looking to bounce back from a 5-2 road loss to the Rangers on Wednesday night, with Brad Richards and Jere Lehtinen providing the team's lone goals in the loss. The Islanders slipped past the Avalanche 3-2 Wednesday, with Kyle Okposo potting the game-winning goal.
Today's Wagering Tips
Friday, January 8
Major Payne
UC Davis could be without its star player on Friday against UC Santa Barbara.
Mark Payne leads the team with a 17.2 ppg average, 59 assists and 41 steals. The junior is connecting from downtown at a 42 percent clip but was absent for the Aggies’ win over CS Northridge on Monday.
UC Davis is in first place in the Big West conference and is riding a three-game winning streak heading into the matchup versus UCSB.
The Gauchos have taken three of the last four meetings in this series but the Aggies have covered in four straight. USCB has been installed as 9.5-point favorites with a total of 138.
Seeing stars
USC running back Stafon Johnson and Dallas Stars’ center Mike Ribeiro both hope to get their voices back someday soon.
Ribeiro was struck in the neck with a stick during Dallas’ 5-2 loss to the Rangers on Wednesday.
The nine-year veteran underwent surgery Wednesday night, which included a tracheotomy, to repair the damage.
"It's tough," GM Joe Nieuwendyk said. "Every team faces injuries, but this is one you don't always see. He's an important player for us. We're going to have to pull together in his absence."
Ribeiro has totaled 10 goals and 23 assists this season and is expected to miss at least six weeks because of the setback.
The Stars are -155 favorites at home against the Islanders on Friday. The total is set at 5.5 and the under is 8-0 in New York’s last eight meetings versus the Western Conference.
Another one gone
As soon as the Trail Blazers gets one of their members back, another one bites the dust.
Forward LaMarcus Aldridge returned to the lineup on Tuesday after missing a couple of games with a sprained left ankle. He played 41 minutes, scoring 11 points and collecting seven boards.
But guard Steve Blake missed the game against Memphis as he is battling a bout of pneumonia.
"With injuries we are definitely snakebit. There is really no other word for it," Brandon Roy said.
"This has gone past crazy," coach Nate McMillan said. "It's bad luck, or whatever, to continue to see our guys drop the way that we are.”
Blake is listed as doubtful for the Blazers’ game against the Lakers on Friday night.
Portland and L.A. have yet to play this season, but the Blazers have won the last two meetings and covered in eight of the last 10 matchups in this series.
Hello Harvey
Guard Brett Harvey was a late scratch from Loyola-Maryland’s game against Siena on Monday because of an “undisclosed illness”.
The school has not announced what Harvey’s setback exactly was and the extent of it so consider him questionable to be back in the starting lineup versus Fairfield on Friday.
The Greyhounds missed their leading scorer in the 76-56 loss to Siena as the team was only able to hit 44 percent from the floor and 20 percent from 3-point land. Harvey averages 14.2 ppg and hits better than 40 percent from downtown.
The Stags opened as 8-point favorites over Loyola-Maryland with a total of 130. The under has cashed in four straight games of this series.
Notable Quotable
"I don't even know what the repercussions are, what the Philly people did to him, the owner and everything. I don't know if he's been fired or fined or anything. If there was no action, then that let's you know what the owner of Philly and the people up there think about it as well. My thing is, if they fired a guy over MySpace [actually Facebook] over a former player, and this guy comes down here and spits on another team's logo and nothing is done about that, it lets us know what Philly thinks about it.”
-- Dallas wide receiver Patrick Crayton in regards to the punishment an Eagles employee might or might not have received after spitting on the Cowboys star at the middle of the field.