Daily Sports Roundup
Monday, December 14
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Mavs get a visit from the Hornets, Georgia Tech meets Chattanooga, and the Cardinals and Niners battle on MNF.
Colliding on the gridiron . . .
The Cardinals (8-4 SU, 8-4 ATS) will be looking to clinch the NFC West division title when they play in San Francisco against the 49ers (5-7 SU, 7-3-2 ATS) on Monday Night Football. Arizona grabbed a 30-17 home win over the Vikings last weekend, with Kurt Warner going 22-of-32 for 285 yards with three TDs. Larry Fitzgerald had 143 yards receiving and a score, and Anquan Boldin had two TDs.
San Francisco saw their playoff hopes take a hit last weekend when they were defeated 20-17 in Seattle. Alex Smith went 27-of-45 for 310 yards passing in that loss, with two touchdown strikes on the day. Frank Gore rushed for just 25 yards on nine carries in the contest. Oddsmakers have the Cardinals pegged as 3.5-point road favorites for the primetime matchup, with the total listed at 44.5 points.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
There are seven games on the NBA schedule for Monday, with Indiana at Orlando, Golden State at Philadelphia, Boston at Memphis, Oklahoma City at Denver, Minnesota at Utah, Washington at the Clippers, and New Orleans at Dallas. The Hornets (10-12 SU, 9-13 ATS) lost 113-96 at home to the Knicks in their last game on Friday, with David West scoring a team-high 20 points. The Mavs (17-7 SU, 13-11 ATS) are coming off a tight 98-97 victory over the Bobcats.
As well, the top team in action in college hoops on Monday is Georgia Tech, which will play on the road against Chattanooga. The Yellow Jackets (6-1 SU, 4-1 ATS) got past Southern Cal 79-53 in their last game back on December 5, with Brian Oliver tossing in 18 points in that contest. The Mocs (5-4 SU, 1-3 ATS) had no trouble with Mississippi Valley State in their last game, winning 82-60. Ricky Taylor was good for 22 points in that victory, and Ty Patterson scored 16 points.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
The NHL then offers up eight games on Monday, with Florida at the Islanders, Atlanta at the Rangers, Ottawa at Toronto, Nashville at Columbus, Phoenix at Detroit, Buffalo at Montreal, Los Angeles at Vancouver, and Philadelphia at Boston. The 14-15-1 Flyers were beaten 4-1 in New Jersey in their last game on Saturday, with Claude Giroux scoring the team's only goal. The 16-9-6 Bruins were knocked off 3-2 in overtime by the Islanders in their Saturday night contest.
Today's Helpful Tips
Monday, December 14
In the Cards
Another bad Monday night game between a playoff contender and team playing out the string? Don't touch that remote just yet.
Yes, the 49ers are out of the playoff picture and have fallen apart from their hot start, but like their coach, Mike Singletary, these guys are no quitters.
In fact, somthing seems to get the 49ers' blood pumping when they see the Cardinals, who need to win to clinch a playoff berth. They have the motivation, but the Niners just might have their number.
Go back to Week 1, when the Niners knocked off the Super Bowl XLIII runners-up in their own back yard. The 49ers defense disrupted Kurt Warner and the passing game all day to the tune of two interceptions and they held the ground game to only 40 yards. Warner is slowed by an injured hip but is expected to play, but could face heavy pressure from the Niners.
San Fran also may have trouble moving the ball behind Alex Smith, especially with wide receiver Isaac Bruce doubtful with an ankle injury. All the more reason to expect a tough, hard-fought slugfest.
Need more? Seven of the last eight meetings between these two division rivals have been decided by a touchdown or less with the Cardinals winning five of those games. And the Niners are 7-1-2 ATS as an underdog this season.
Look on the bright side: You want be flipping channels to QVC before halftime.
The Cardinals are -3.5 with a total of 45.
Thunder and lightning
This should be an entertaining game to watch with a head-to-head matchup between the Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony and the Thunder's Kevin Durant, both of whom are averaging 32 points per game.
This is a good game to cheer for offensive fireworks on both sides of the floor as the last nine meetings between these two teams dating back to the 2007 season going over the total.
With Nene and Chauncey Billups started to meld well for the Nuggets and Russell Westbrook heating up for the Thunder, sit back and watch the scoreboard light up.
The Nuggets are -10.5 with a total of 197.5.
Flyers' power outage
The Flyers seem to be afflicated by the same low-scoring disease as the 76ers lately, but they can't even blame it on Allen Iverson.
The Flyers have scored just 12 goals in their last eight outings and half of those came in the lone win during that stretch. Despite their near-.500 record, they are 8-22 ATS on the year and 5-8 SU on the road.
The Bruins on the other hand have won eight of their last 11 games SU and have scored a total of 20 goals in their last four home games. Throw in the Flyers' seven players on the injured list to only one for the Bruins and you have the makings for a healthy blowout.
The Bruins are -150 with a total of 5.5.