Daily Sports Roundup
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Oilers meet the Thrashers, the Rockets take on the Lakers, and the Patriots and Colts renew their rivalry in Indianapolis.
Colliding on the gridiron . . .
The Colts (8-0 SU, 5-3 ATS) will be looking to keep their perfect mark intact on Sunday night when they get a visit from the Patriots (6-2 SU, 4-4 ATS). Indianapolis held on for a 20-17 win over Houston last time out, with Peyton Manning going 34-of-50 for 318 yards passing with one TD and one INT. New England is coming off a 27-17 win over Miami, with Tom Brady throwing for 332 yards and a score. Indy is a 3-point favorite for Sunday, with the total at 49 points.
Early NFL action on Sunday has Atlanta (-1.5) at Carolina, Tampa Bay at Miami (-10), Detroit at Minnesota (-16.5), Jacksonville at the Jets (-7), Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (-7), Buffalo at Tennessee (-7), Denver (-4) at Washington, and New Orleans (-14) at St. Louis. The Saints (8-0 SU, 6-2 ATS) got past Carolina 30-20 last weekend, as Drew Brees threw for 330 yards and a touchdown. The Rams (1-7 SU, 3-5 ATS) finally picked up a win last time out, getting past Detroit 17-10.
Rounding out the Sunday afternoon NFL slate: Kansas City at Oakland (-2), Seattle at Arizona (-9), Dallas (-3) at Green Bay, and Philadelphia at San Diego (-1).
There's one college football game on the schedule for Sunday, with East Carolina at Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane are 4.5-point home favorites in that one.
Also, the Canadian Football League has its division semi-final matchups set for Sunday, with British Columbia at Hamilton and Edmonton at Calgary. The Tiger-Cats are listed as 3.5-point home favorites in that first contest, with the total at 51.5 points. The Stamps are then 6.5-point home faves with the total listed at 54.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA offers up four games on Sunday, with Dallas at Detroit, the Clippers at Oklahoma City, Toronto at Phoenix, and Houston at the Lakers. The Rockets fell to 5-4 on the season with a 109-100 road loss to Sacramento in their last game on Friday night. Trevor Ariza poured in 28 points for the Rockets in that defeat. Los Angeles was thumped 105-79 in Denver on Friday night, putting them at 7-2 on the year. Andrew Bynum picked up 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers.
As well, there are four ranked college hoops teams in action on Sunday, with UC Irvine at No. 3 Texas, Valparaiso at No. 6 North Carolina, Loyola (MD) at No. 8 West Virginia, and Portland State at No. 14 Washington. The Huskies slipped past Wright State in their season opener on Friday, winning by a score of 74-69.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
The National Hockey League has three games on tap for Sunday, with Minnesota at Carolina, San Jose at Chicago, and Edmonton at Atlanta. The 8-9-2 Oilers haven't played since Wednesday, when they dropped a 3-1 decision to the Sabres. Patrick O'Sullivan had the lone Edmonton goal in that loss. The 9-6-1 Thrashers blasted the Kings 7-0 in their last outing on Friday night. Ilya Kovalchuk, Maxim Afinogenov, and Evander Kane each scored twice in that win.
Roaring around the track . . .
Finally, the drivers of the Sprint Cup Series hit the track at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday afternoon for the season's second-last race, the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500. Standings leader Jimmie Johnson is pegged as the 7/2 favorite to visit victory lane in Phoenix and sew up the title, with Mark Martin (6/1), and Tony Stewart (15/2) trailing him on that list. Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin are both listed at 9/1 odds on the Vegas chart to take the checkered flag.
Today's Helpful Tips
Passing fancy
The Dolphins Chad Henne facing off against the Buccaneers Josh Freeman doesn’t make many bettors think “shootout,” and combined with an expected 10 mph wind, don’t look for long passes to be on the agenda on Sunday afternoon. The stronger the wind, the more it will play to the Dolphins strength, as the team has the superior running game and defense. Miami is a 10-point favorite with a total of 43.5 points.
Mouth shut
Miami Dolphins boisterous linebacker Joey Porter will not play against the Buccaneers due to a coach’s decision. Porter missed two practices this week, but no other reason was given for this move. Porter, who has 12 tackles and 2.5 sacks this season, has struggled this year for the Dolphins defense, which is ranked 22nd in the league and yielding more than 25 points per game.
Kick it away
It figures with running back Clinton Portis ruled out of Washington’s game against Denver Sunday, the biggest injury news coming from the Redskins involved a punter. The team is horrid at playing field position, ranking 26th in net punting at just 36.4 yards per attempt. But instead of staying with the recently signed Sam Paulescu who averaged 50 yards per punt last week, the team released him to bring back Hunter Smith, who is returning from injury. Another head-scratching move by the Redskins, who are listed at +3.5 with an over/under of 37.
Unlisted Showtime
The Lakers have gotten off to one of the best starts in the league, but are just 3-6 ATS this season. And beware backing Los Angeles coming off a loss. The Lakers lost on Friday night to Denver, and the last time they dropped a game – to Denver on Oct. 30—the team failed to covert spread in each of their next three games. Los Angeles, which hosts Houston on Sunday, is listed at minus-9.5 with a total of 204.5.
Everybody scores
The Phoenix Suns have been running and gunning all season, averaging 111.3 points per game. But at home, the team is even better, scoring more than 120 points in each of three games in their own gym and going 2-1 ATS. On Sunday, the Suns host another offensive-minded team, Toronto, which shoots nearly 48 percent from the floor and averages almost 108 points per game. The Suns are listed at -7 with a total of 232.5 points.
Blood in the water
The San Jose Sharks are finally playing like Pacific Division favorites. San Jose hasn’t lost in regulation since Oct. 22, a span of 10 games, and is 8-2 SU during that span. The team also is a solid 7-4-0-1 on the road this season and is second in the league with 67 goals. Meantime, Chicago has given up 12 goals in its past five games, dropping two. The Sharks are listed at +105 with a total of 5.5.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Niagara was already put in the 8 a.m. slot and the 6 a.m. slot was available. I honestly thought it was a good time slot."
St. Peter's coach John Dunne on playing Monmouth at 6 a.m. on Tuesday morning on ESPN as part of the network's "24 Hours of College Basketball" event.