Daily Sports Roundup
Monday, December 28
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Suns play host to the Lakers, Texas A&M and Georgia meet in bowl action, and the Vikings take to the field on MNF.
Colliding on the gridiron . . .
The NFL's primetime matchup for Monday has Minnesota (11-3 SU, 8-5-1 ATS) at Chicago (5-9 SU, 4-10 ATS). The Vikings will be looking to bounce back from a 26-7 loss in Carolina last week, with Brett Favre throwing for just 224 yards with no touchdowns and one interception; Adrian Peterson ran for 73 yards. The Bears were thumped 31-7 in Baltimore last week, as Jay Cutler was held to 94 yards passing and was picked off three times. The playoff-bound Vikings are pegged as 7.5-point road favorites for Monday, with the game's total set at 41.5.
There's also one college football bowl game on the Monday schedule, with Texas A&M taking on Georgia in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Aggies (6-6 SU, 6-5-1 ATS) fell 49-39 to Texas in their last game of the regular season, despite a four-touchdown, 342-yard performance from quarterback Jerrod Johnson. The Bulldogs (7-5 SU, 4-7 ATS) are coming off a 30-24 win over Georgia Tech last time out. Oddsmakers have Georgia listed as the 6.5-point favorite for Monday's bowl matchup, with the total for the contest set at 66 points.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA serves up seven games on Monday, with Milwaukee at Charlotte, Oklahoma City at New Jersey, Washington at Memphis, Philadelphia at Portland, Denver at Sacramento, Boston at Golden State, and the Lakers at the Phoenix. Los Angeles (24-5 SU, 13-16 ATS) improved to 8-2 on the road with a 112-103 win in Sacramento on Saturday. The Suns (19-12 SU, 17-13-1 ATS) were beaten 132-127 in Golden State in their Saturday outing; Steve Nash had 36 points and nine assists in that defeat for the Suns, and Jason Richardson provided 22 points.
As well, the top teams in action around college basketball on Monday are Temple (vs. Bowling Green), Florida (vs. American), Gonzaga (vs. Eastern Washington), and North Carolina (vs. Rutgers). The Tar Heels (9-3 SU, 4-5 ATS) knocked off Marshall 98-61 in their last game, as Ed Davis tossed in 19 points. The Scarlet Knights (9-2 SU, 4-3 ATS) got 28 points from Mike Rosario in their 66-42 win over St. Peter's in their most recent game, and Hamady Ndiaye added 15 points.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, the NHL has eight games on tap for Monday, with Atlanta at New Jersey, Carolina at Washington, Detroit at Columbus, Montreal at Ottawa, Boston at Tampa Bay, Calgary at Edmonton, Minnesota at Los Angeles, and Phoenix at San Jose. The 24-13-2 Coyotes are coming off a 3-2 win over Los Angeles on Saturday night, with Keith Yandle scoring the game-winning goal. The 23-8-7 Sharks trounced the Ducks by a score of 5-2 in their last matchup on Saturday night; Patrick Marleau scored twice, and Joe Thornton had three assists that day.
Monday's Wagering Tips
Monday, December 28
Going to Carolina
Rutgers is off to a surprising 9-2 start, one game better in the loss column than tonight's foe, North Carolina.
However, the Scarlet Knights have a dirty little secret. Besides the fact that their early schedule has been softer than the slush on the shoulder of the New Jersey Turnpike, the Knights haven't had to merge onto the main road all season.
That's right - 11 total games, 11 home games. Some bean-counter in the travel-expense department must have made out their schedule.
Playing in the friendly confines has its advantages, until you have to venture out on the road to a place as daunting as the Dean Dome.
The Knights have never seen a sight like a Tar Heels' home game. Even with the students on Christmas break it's a happening place.
The Heels, still reeling from road losses to Kentucky and Texas, have lambasted the last two visitors by an average of 38 points.
North Carolina is a 21-point favorite with a total of 149.
Wounded Warriors
The Golden State Warriors have looked more like a M*A*S*H unit so far this season with as many as seven players sidelined with injuries.
But two of their biggest players (in terms of height, not production) are getting healthy at the same time - centers Andris Biedrins and Ronny Turiaf - giving the Warriors some much-needed help inside the paint. Both are expected to see playing time Monday night.
Meanwhile, the Celtics are being cautious with two of their injured stars - Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Pierce's knee injury isn't serious but is enough to keep him out of action until the new year, and Garnett is expected to return from a head injury on this road trip but in a limited role.
The Celts are 2-3 ATS on no days rest and will be traveling up the coast from a late Sunday game with the Clippers. The underdog is 16-3 in the past 19 meetings between these teams and the Warriors are in that enviable role tonight.
The Celtics are favored by 6 with a total of 212.5.
Senators' conspiracy campaign
The only thing worse than a coach who privately complains about officiating is one who does so publicly.
Enter Ottawa's Cory Clouston, who has politely but openly cried foul over his team repeatedly coming out on the short end of calls this season.
Indeed, the Senators have gone three entire games without a man-advantage this year and they rank near the bottom of the league in power-play opportunities, but those stats speak more to their play than the officials' whistles.
Look at tonight's opponent, the Montreal Canadiens, who have the least power-play chances in the league and the third-highest shorthanded situations. Yet the Habs are tied for second in power-play conversion rate and rank No. 7 in penalty kills.
Those numbers won't be lost on the refs, who are likely to make Clouston's complaints a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Habs have won four in a row on the road and against the money line while the Senators are have won just two of their last five in the same departments.
Ottawa is -145 with a total of 5.5.
Notable quotable
''That's what I'm trying to figure out: Where do we go, and still keeping the rest of the guys moving forward? It's kind of a balancing act in trying to figure it all out, and I do not have the magic answer. I wish I did.''
Houston Rockets coach Rick Adelman on his decision to give Tracy McGady the weekend off after his repeated complaints about his lack of playing time. The Rockets are expected to give T-Mac even more free time today by releasing him.