Daily Sports Roundup March 26
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Lakers look for a win in Oklahoma City, while the remaining four Sweet 16 matchups are played in Houston and St. Louis.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA has 11 games on tap for Friday, with Washington at Charlotte, Denver at Toronto, Atlanta at Philadelphia, Minnesota at Orlando, Utah at Indiana, Sacramento at Boston, Detroit at New Jersey, Miami at Milwaukee, Cleveland at San Antonio, New York at Phoenix, and the Lakers at Oklahoma City. The Lakers are 3-0 against the Thunder so far this season, winning the most recent matchup 111-108 at home on December 22 as a 10-point favorite. Kobe Bryant poured in 40 points for Los Angeles in that victory, while Pau Gasol was good for 15 points and 11 boards. Kevin Durant had 30 points in the loss for the Thunder.
As well, the second half of the Sweet 16 gets underway in college hoops action on Friday, with the South Region's top team, Duke, taking on No. 4 Purdue at Houston's Reliant Stadium. The No. 1 Blue Devils have the oddsmakers' support in that contest, as they're listed as 8-point favorites with the total for the game at 128 points. The other South matchup on Friday has No. 10 St. Mary's taking on No. 3 Baylor. The Bears are the favorites in that contest, giving 4.5 points to the Gaels. The total for the St. Mary's/Baylor matchup has been set at 142.5 points.
Meanwhile, there are two Sweet 16 matchups in the Midwest Region at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis on Friday, including No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Ohio State. The Buckeyes are the highest seed left in the Midwest, and they've been pegged as 4.5-point favorites against the Volunteers on Friday (with the total for the contest at 134 points). The other Midwest matchup has No. 9 Northern Iowa taking on No. 5 Michigan State. The Spartans are slim 1-point favorites over the team that toppled Kansas, with the total for the contest at 121.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, there are just three games on the ice on Friday night, as the National Hockey League offers up Minnesota at Detroit, Anaheim at Edmonton, and Ottawa at Buffalo. The 39-30-5 Senators have bounced back from a rough stretch to put up back-to-back shutout wins over the Canadiens and Flyers. Brian Elliott was between the pipes in both of those contests for Ottawa, and the netminder now sits at 25-17-3 with a 2.52 GAA on the season. The Senators have taken on the Sabres four times already this year, winning all four contests.
Friday's Wagering Tips
Lines off the board
Atlanta Hawks at Philadelphia 76ers: Sixers guard Louis Williams (back) and forward Thaddeus Young (thumb) are questionable.
Sacramento Kings at Boston Celtics: Kings guard Tyreke Evans (concussion) is out.
Cleveland Cavaliers at San Antonio Spurs: Cavs forward LeBron James (ankle) is probable.
Anaheim Ducks at Edmonton Oilers: Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf (ankle) and Oilers center Patrick O'Sullivan (finger) and goalie Devan Dubnyk (flu) are questionable.
Lines to keep an eye on
Denver Nuggets at Toronto Raptors: The Nuggets opened as 4-point favorites over the Raptors but that line his climbed as high as 5 at most books. Toronto is 0-9 ATS in its last nine home games.
Utah Jazz at Indiana Pacers: The total opened at 209.5 and has jumped to 210.5 at most shops.
Los Angeles Lakers at Oklahoma City Thunder: The total climbed from 198 at opening to 199. Over is 5-1-1 in Thunder's last seven.
Who's hot
Cleveland Cavaliers have won eight in a row SU.
Los Angeles Lakers have won seven in a row SU.
Atlanta Hawks are 6-1 ATS in their last seven.
Detroit Red Wings are 6-1 in their last seven.
Who's not
Minnesota Timberwolves are 1-8-1 ATS in their last 10.
Detroit Pistons are 1-7 SU and ATS in their last eight.
Denver Nuggets are 0-6 ATS in their last six.
Buffalo Sabres have lost eight in a row to Ottawa Senators.
Key stat
100 vs. 2 - Number of all-time NCAA Tournament victories by Kentucky vs. the number of all-time NCAA Tournament wins by Cornell entering Thursday night's Sweet 16 matchup.
Injury that shouldn't be overlooked
With the focus on Michigan State's loss of leading-scorer Kalin Lucas, a pair of wounded Spartans have been lost in the mix. Delvon Roe and Chris Allen are probable with foot injuries but neither have been at their best during the tournament. They normally combine for 16 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. If they're not 100 percent, replacing Lucas will be that much tougher against Northern Iowa.
Game of the day
Lakers at Thunder
Notable quotable
"I don't care, man. I'm excited. He can call me Tito. He can call me New Edition, Spongebob, call me whatever he wants. I'm going to go out and play.''
Miami's Michael Beasley on TNT analyst Charles Barkley's comment that Dwayne Wade and the Heat are like "Michael Jackson playing with a bunch of Tito Jacksons." before Thursday night's TNT game against Chicago.
Tips and notes
The Denver Nuggets' three-game losing streak and 0-6 ATS slide have less to do with the absence of coach George Karl than the loss of Kenyon Martin's toughness around the rim. The Celtics pulled down 17 offensive boards and scored more than half their points in the paint in Wednesday's 113-99 win over the Nuggets, who have been outrebounded by 15 during their current two-game road trip.
The Heat may be in for an emotional letdown following Thursday's game in Chicago, where they played on TNT for the first time since in-studio analyst Charles Barkley called Miami's Dwyane Wade "Michael Jackson playing with a bunch of Tito Jacksons." The "Titos" took offense and said they were treating it like a playoff game, but they will face a more playoff-like challenge tonight against the Bucks, winners of 15 of their last 18 SU.
March is when depth and fatigue start to play larger roles and Tennessee has a big edge over Ohio State in those areas. The Vols have one more day of rest than the Buckeyes, whose bench accounted for no points in 13 minutes Sunday. Tennessee's bench scored 28 points in 64 minutes Saturday and only starter played more than 33 minutes. Three OSU starters played all 40 minutes.