Daily Sports Roundup
Monday, January 18
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Bruins host the Senators, Texas meets Kansas State, and the Pistons and Knicks do battle at Madison Square Garden.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
There are a dozen games on the NBA's holiday schedule for Monday, including a rematch between the Pistons and Knicks in New York. The Pistons pulled out a 94-90 home win in the opener of the home-and-home set on Saturday, as Rodney Stuckey scored a team-high 20 points. Charlie Villanueva contributed 19 points and 10 boards off the bench. Danilo Gallinari poured in a game-high 27 points in the defeat for the Knicks, while David Lee had 26 points and 17 boards.
Rounding out the NBA's slate for Monday: Portland at Washington, Oklahoma City at Atlanta, Sacramento at Charlotte, Milwaukee at Houston, Philadelphia at Minnesota, San Antonio at New Orleans, Chicago at Golden State, Phoenix at Memphis, Dallas at Boston, Orlando at the Lakers, and New Jersey at the Clippers. The Nets lost their seventh consecutive game on Friday against the Pacers, falling by a final tally of 121-105. New Jersey sits at a league-worst 3-36.
The college hoops schedule has Syracuse at Notre Dame on Monday night, but the top matchup features Texas taking on Kansas State. The Longhorns kept their perfect record intact on Saturday with a 72-67 overtime win over Texas A&M. Damion James had a team-high 26 points for Texas in that contest, while Gary Johnson was good for 18 points. The Wildcats are coming off an 87-81 win over Colorado on Saturday, with Cory Higgins tossing in 30 points in the victory.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, the National Hockey League offers up 10 games on Monday, including a matinee matchup between the Senators and Bruins in Boston. Ottawa knocked off Montreal 4-2 on the road on Saturday night, as rookie netminder Mike Brodeur made 30 saves. Daniel Alfredsson returned from injury with three points. Boston fell 4-3 in a shootout in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon. Blake Wheeler, Michael Ryder, and Miroslav Satan all scored for the Bruins in the loss.
Also on the ice on Monday: New Jersey at the Islanders, Buffalo at Phoenix, St. Louis at Columbus, Tampa Bay at Carolina, Atlanta at Florida, Minnesota at Dallas, Toronto at Nashville, Edmonton at Colorado, and Calgary at San Jose. The Sharks rolled over the Oilers for a 4-2 home victory in their last game on Saturday afternoon. Devin Setoguchi scored twice for San Jose in that contest, and Patrick Marleau scored his 32nd of the year. Thomas Greiss made 27 saves.
Today's Wagering Tips
Monday, January 18
Lines off the board today
Mavericks at Celtics: Paul Pierce re-injured his knee in practice Sunday and is questionable, as are Kevin Garnett (knee) and Rasheed Wallace (foot).
Nets at Clippers: The Clippers' Chris Kaman (back) and Al Thornton (ankle) are questionable.
Senators at Bruins
Lines to keep an eye on
The Jets entered the playoffs as a 50-to-1 long shot to win the Super Bowl, prompting rookie head coach Rex Ryan to say they should be favored since they have the No. 1 defense and running game. Bettors should have listened; the Jets are now a 7-to-1 shot.
Magic at Lakers opened with a total of 200 and quickly jumped 202, perhaps in response to Kobe Bryant's bust-out, 30-point performance Saturday night after struggling with multiple injuries. Under is 5-2 in both team's last seven.
Weather to watch
Snow and ice in the Northeast could impact several MLK Day specials - Portland at Washington, Detroit at New York and Dallas at Boston in the NBA and Ottawa at Boston and New Jersey at N.Y. Islanders in the NHL.
Who's hot?
Dirk Nowitzki - Averaging 30.3 points and 9.7 rebounds in last three, 32-of-33 from free-throw line during that stretch.
Monta Ellis - Averaging 29.8 points per game in last four.
Atlanta Hawks have won five of their last six, including two over the Celtics
Syracuse is 6-0 away from home SU and ATS this season.
Who's not
Vince Carter - Averaging 6.7 points, 2.0 steals and 1.0 rebound in last three despite averaging 21 minutes per game.
Andre Iguodala - Hit just 10-of-32 from the field in last three, averaging 11.3 points (eight below his average).
New Jersey Nets have lost seven straight, four of them by 16 points or more.
Columbus Blue Jackets have lost six of their last eight at home.
Key stat
The underdog is 10-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings between the Lakers and the Magic.
Injury that shouldn't be overlooked
Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce re-injured his knee in practice Sunday and is questionable for Monday's game against the Dallas Mavericks. Pierce has had his right knee drained twice in recent weeks and missed five games. He limped off the court in pain after getting his leg tangled up with Shelden Williams.
Biggest game on the slate
Magic at Lakers provides a rematch of last year's NBA championship series with both teams struggling with injuries and internal strife. Kobe Bryant is banged up but he still managed to knock down 30 in his last outing and Pao Gasol is producing after a hamstring injury. The Magic is finally healthy but may have been playing better without Vince Carter, who hasn't fit in since returning from a shoulder injury. Both teams have hurdles to clear if they hope to meet again for all the marbles.
Notable quotable
''Probably the most fatigued I got today was celebrating.''
-- Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre after throwing four touchdowns passes in Sunday's 34-3 playoff victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
Tips and notes
--The Knicks and Pistons appear to be two teams headed in opposite directions, with the Knicks dropping four of their last five SU and ATS and the Pistons winning three straight SU and ATS. The Pistons are finally starting to get healthy and Richard Hamilton has ripped it up to the tune of 22 points per game in that span. Monday's game is a rematch from Saturday's game in Auburn Hills where the Pistons won 94-90.
-- Calgary limps its way into San Jose having lost five of its last six SU and ATS while the Sharks have been on a feeding frenzy, winning 12 of their last 15 SU and ATS. The Sharks are healthy and goalie Evgeni Nabokov has been solid, allowing only four goals in his last three outings. The Flames have been doused during their recent cold streak, scoring just nine goals in their last six.
-- Syracuse pulls into South Bend loving life on the bus as the Orange are 6-0 SU and ATS away from home. The 'Cuse is 11-3 ATS overall this season and 11-2 ATS in its last 13 against Big East competition. The Irish is just 7-4-1 ATS and its defense is among the worst in the Big East, allowing opponents to shoot 43 percent from the field. Syracuse is the top shooting team in the nation at 53.4 percent.