Daily Sports Roundup
Saturday, February 6
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Canucks battle the Bruins, the Cavaliers take on the Knicks, and second-ranked Villanova looks to knock off Georgetown.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA has a dozen games on their schedule for Saturday, including New York at Cleveland. The Cavaliers had no problem picking up a win in their home game against the Heat on Thursday night, as LeBron James and company rolled to a 102-86 victory. James was good for 36 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds for Cleveland on the night, while Shaquille O'Neal added 13 points and eight boards. The Cavs and Knicks faced each other at Madison Square Garden back on November 6, with James pouring in a game-high 33 points in a 100-91 win.
Also on the NBA hardwood on Saturday: New Orleans at Charlotte, Atlanta at Washington, New Jersey at Detroit, Memphis at Minnesota, Philadelphia at Houston, Indiana at Milwaukee, Denver at Utah, the Lakers at Portland, San Antonio at the Clippers, Oklahoma City at Golden State, and Miami at Chicago. The Heat got 24 points from team leader Dwyane Wade in their loss to the Cavaliers last time out, while Michael Beasley picked up 21 points and 12 boards.
The top matchup on the college basketball schedule for Saturday has No. 2 Villanova at No. 7 Georgetown. The Wildcats moved to 20-1 (15-5 ATS) on the season with an 81-71 win over Seton Hall in their last contest. Antonio Pena had 16 points for Villanova in that game, while Scottie Reynolds was good for 15 points. The Hoyas fell to 16-5 (9-8 ATS) with a 72-64 loss to South Florida last time out. Greg Monroe tossed in 21 points for Georgetown in Wednesday's loss.
Other games involving Top 10 teams on Saturday: No. 6 West Virginia at St. John's, co-No. 10 Duke at Boston College, co-No. 10 Kansas State at Iowa State, No. 9 Texas at Oklahoma, No. 4 Kentucky at LSU, No. 5 Michigan State at Illinois, and Nebraska at No. 1 Kansas. The top-ranked Jayhawks escaped with a 72-66 overtime win over Colorado in their last game, as Cole Aldrich poured in 16 points. Kansas has won seven straight contests, and sits at 21-1 (9-9-1 ATS).
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, the NHL offers up a busy slate of 14 games on Saturday, including a matinee matchup between the Canucks and Bruins in Boston. Vancouver is coming off a 3-1 loss in Ottawa on Thursday night, with Kyle Wellwood providing the lone Canucks goal. Backup goaltender Andrew Raycroft stopped 18 of 20 Ottawa shots in the losing cause. The Bruins ran their losing streak to nine games on Thursday, falling 3-2 in a shootout to the Canadiens. Mark Recchi and Blake Wheeler scored for Boston in that loss, while Tuukka Rask made 23 saves.
Also on the ice on Saturday: Pittsburgh at Montreal, Detroit at Los Angeles, Phoenix at Dallas, Calgary at Tampa Bay, Florida at Atlanta, Buffalo at Columbus, Carolina at the Islanders, New Jersey at the Rangers, San Jose at Nashville, Chicago at St. Louis, Philadelphia at Minnesota, Edmonton at Colorado, and Ottawa at Toronto. The Senators' winning streak was extended to 11 games against the Canucks in their Thursday outing. Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek, and Chris Kelly all scored for the Senators in that victory on Thursday.
Today's Wagering Tips
Saturday, February 6
Lines off the board
New Orleans Hornets at Charlotte Bobcats – Gerald Wallace (hamstring) missed last game and is probable. Marcus Thornton (back) missed Friday’s game and is doubtful (see note below).
Atlanta Hawks at Washington Wizards – Both teams played Friday night and weather could postpone the game (see note below).
Denver Nuggets at Utah Jazz – Carlos Boozer (calf) did not play Wednesday and is probable. Carmelo Anthony (ankle) is doubtful.
Los Angeles Lakers at Portland Trail Blazers – Kobe Bryant (ankle) was probable going into Friday’s game.
Buffalo Sabres at Columbus Blue Jackets – Ryan Miller (rest) is doubtful. Patrick Kaleta (foot) missed last game and is out indefinitely.
Calgary Flames at Tampa Bay Lightning – Flames played Friday night.
Florida Panthers at Atlanta Thrashers – Both teams played Friday.
Philadelphia Flyers at Minnesota Wild – Niklas Backstrom (flu) missed last game and is questionable.
Line to keep an eye on
The Super Bowl spread has settled at 4.5 or 5 in favor of the Colts at most shops. The total sits at 56.5 on most boards while a few are offering 57.
Weather to watch
A mammoth-sized snowstorm dubbed "Snowpocalypse" is expected to hit the East Coast Friday night. Many teams and games will be affected by the wintry weather, which will undoubtedly create travel complications.
The Penguins left Pittsburgh ahead of schedule in light of the storm and arrived in Montreal safely for their game Saturday. The Pens are scheduled for a Sunday game at Washington, but flying into the D.C. area could prove to be a problem. If Pittsburgh can't fly into the nation's capital, the team might fly to Newark and then hop on a train bound for Washington.
The Washington Wizards, who upset the Magic in sunny Orlando on Friday as 13-point dogs, may have to delay their departure back to the D.C. area. The Wiz were trying to get out of Orlando as quickly as possible Friday night but may have to wait until Saturday to leave town. They are scheduled to play the Hawks at home Saturday night. Atlanta, who was also trying to get on the team plane late Friday, played against the Bulls Friday and covered as 8.5-point favorites.
The UNC-Wilmington at Delaware game has been postponed and rescheduled for Sunday, Feb. 7, due to the immenent inclement weather.
The Saturday contest between James Madison and Towson has also been rescheduled because of the snowstorm. The game will be played at 7 p.m. Monday and both teams have to turn around and play again on Wednesday.
Villanova's meeting at Georgetown, slated for 12 p.m. (ET), could experience a shortage of fans due to the weather.
Who’s hot
Stephen Jackson is averaging 25.2 ppg over his last five including three 30-point outings.
Kansas State has gone 6-1 ATS and 5-2 SU in its last seven games.
Who’s not
The Spurs have dropped six of their last eight ATS.
Georgetown is 0-7 ATS at home versus Villanova in the last seven meetings.
Key stat
45.9 – Average point total for the nine Super Bowl games played in Miami. The South Florida venue witnessed the largest scoring total ever at 75 points (49ers-Chargers) and the third-lowest total ever at 23 points. Super Bowl XLIV’s posted total is 56.5 at most shops and 57 in some places.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Rookie Marcus Thornton has been an integral part of the Hornets offense since entering the starting lineup a few weeks ago. He is averaging 19.7 ppg in a starting backcourt role and has helped alleviate many of the shortcomings the injury to Chris Paul has left. But Thornton fell hard on his back during the fourth quarter of Thursday’s game and did not play Friday. New Orleans signed Jason Hart to a 10-day contract so it looks like Thornton might be out until after the break.
Games of the day
Ottawa Senators at Toronto Maple Leafs (+120, 5.5)
Edmonton Oilers at Colorado Avalanche (-250, 5.5)
Notable quotable
"He's going to have those rings Sunday night. I don't think it's going to be close."
Former Colts head coach Tony Dungy talking about Peyton Manning and his prediction for Super Bowl XLIV.
Tips and notes
Arizona basketball self-imposed scholarship and recruiting sanctions Friday after former coach Lute Olsen violated offseason NCAA rules. The USC men’s team faced a similar situation earlier this season and lost three of its next four games. The Wildcats are 1-point dogs at Washington State on Saturday.
Kim Hughes took over as interim head coach for the Clippers when Mike Dunleavy stepped down, but he doesn’t plan on doing much coaching. He said he plans to let veteran point guard Baron Davis do the play-calling and expects the team “to push the ball whenever possible.” Expect a more up-tempo pace from the Clips from here on out.
NBATV analyst and former coach Mike Fratello characterized the Pacers as a “mystery team” that “shows up one night and not the next.” Indiana was defeated by Toronto by 15 points Sunday and then turned around and beat them by 15 at home Tuesday. They blew out Detroit Friday so Indy could be in for a letdown at Milwaukee Saturday.
The youngest son of Toronto Maple Leafs president and general manager Brian Burke died Friday in a traffic accident in Indiana. Brendan Burke, 21, and a friend were both killed when the vehicle they were driving in crossed onto the wrong side of the highway and was hit head-on by another vehicle. Snowy conditions were being blamed for the accident. The Maple Leafs face the Ottawa Senators Saturday.