Daily Sports Roundup
Sunday, November 22
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Chargers play their rivals in Denver, the Colts look for a win in Baltimore, and the Sprint Cup Series wraps up its season.
Colliding on the gridiron . . .
The Colts (9-0 SU, 5-4 ATS) will try to get to 10-0 on the season on Sunday when they face the Ravens (5-4 SU, 6-3 ATS) in early-afternoon action. Indianapolis came back to defeat the rival Patriots 35-34 last Sunday night, with Peyton Manning connecting with Reggie Wayne on a late touchdown strike to seal the win. The Ravens had no trouble with the Browns last week, blanking them 16-0. Indy is a 1.5-point road favorite Sunday, with the total at 44.5 points.
Other early NFL matchups on Sunday: Pittsburgh (-10) at Kansas City, San Francisco at Green Bay (-6.5), Buffalo at Jacksonville (-8.5), Atlanta at the Giants (-7), Cleveland at Detroit (-3.5), Washington at Dallas (-11), Seattle at Minnesota (-10.5), and New Orleans (-11) at Tampa Bay. The Saints are tied with the Colts at 9-0 on the season (6-3 ATS), but they got a scare in a 28-23 win over the Rams last week. Reggie Bush rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown in that win.
This week's Sunday nighter is Philadelphia (-3) at Chicago, and before that the schedule offers up Arizona (-9) at St. Louis, the Jets at New England (-10.5), Cincinnati (-9.5) at Oakland, and San Diego at Denver (no line). The Chargers (6-3 SU, 4-5 ATS) and Broncos (6-3 SU, 6-3 ATS) are tied for top spot in the AFC West division, but San Diego has won four straight while Denver has lost three straight. Broncos QB Kyle Orton (ankle) is QUESTIONABLE for the game.
There are also two Canadian Football League games on tap for Sunday, as the league determines its Grey Cup participants. It'll be British Columbia at Montreal in the East Final at 1pm ET, with the Alouettes pegged as big 10.5-point home favorites (and the total at 52.5 points). Saskatchewan then hosts Calgary in the West Final at 4:30pm, with the Riders favored by 2.5 (and the total at 54 points).
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA offers up a half-dozen games on Sunday, with Orlando at Toronto, Boston at New York, Indiana at Charlotte, New Orleans at Miami, Detroit at Phoenix, and Oklahoma City at the Lakers. The Thunder moved to 7-6 on the season with a 127-108 win over the Wizards on Friday night; Kevin Durant poured in 35 points in that contest. The Lakers are 9-3 this year, getting past the Bulls 108-93 on Thursday. Pau Gasol had 24 points and 13 boards in that victory.
As well, several ranked teams are in action in college hoops on Sunday, including both No. 7 Purdue and No. 10 Tennessee in the Paradise Jam event in the Virgin Islands. The Boilermakers face St. Joseph's on Sunday, and they dispatched South Dakota State 74-63 on Friday thanks to 22 points from E'Twaun Moore. The Volunteers' Sunday opponent is DePaul; Tennessee beat East Carolina 105-66 in their Friday game, with Scotty Hopson scoring 25 points.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
There are just two games on the National Hockey League's schedule for Sunday, with Tampa Bay at Atlanta and Chicago at Vancouver. The Canucks sit at 12-10-0 on the season (and 8-2-0 at home) after getting past Colorado by a score of 5-2 on Friday night. Christian Ehrhoff (with two), Henrik Sedin, Steve Bernier, and Mikael Samuelsson all scored in that win for the Canucks, who put up four goals in the third period. Roberto Luongo stopped 22 of 24 Colorado shots in the game.
Roaring around the track . . .
Finally, Jimmie Johnson will be looking to wrap up the Sprint Cup title on Sunday afternoon when the series takes the track at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the season-ending Ford 400. Mark Martin, the only driver that can catch Johnson for the Cup title, is listed as the 13/2 Vegas favorite for the race, with both Johnson and Jeff Gordon pegged as 7/1 odds. Greg Biffle is next on that list at 17/2, with Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch sitting at 10/1 odds to visit victory lane at the event.
Today's helpful tips
Sunday, November 22
Praying for health
The Saints may need some heavenly intervention to overcome all of their injuries. The team does visit the lowly Buccaneers, but will be without electric running back Reggie Bush and run-stuffing defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis. Without Ellis in the lineup, teams are averaging nearly 145 rushing yards per game. New Orleans will still be missing both starting corners, Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter. The Saints are listed at -11 with a total of 50.5 points.
Defensive tackled sacked
Redskins star defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth is expected to miss the team’s game at Dallas Sunday with an ankle injury. Haynesworth, who has 27 tackles and three sacks this year, is the anchor of a Redskins defense that is ranked fifth in the league in allowing a meager 288 yards per game. The Cowboys offense is fourth in the league in yardage, amassing an average of more than 390 yards per game. Washington is listed at +11 with a total of 41.5 points.
Hornet’s sting
The Heat have been cooling off lately and the New Orleans Hornets are the last team they want to see. New Orleans is 7-0-1 ATS in its past eight games against Miami, including winning the past four meetings outright. New Orleans, however, will be without All-Star point guard Chris Paul, who is still sidelined with an ankle injury. The Hornets are listed at +8.5 with a total of 195.
Phoenix Rock City
If Detroit ever needs to find a new place to play its home games, Phoenix wouldn’t be a terrible idea. The Pistons are 8-1 ATS in their past nine games against the Suns on their own court, and an equally impressive 9-3 ATS in the team’s past 12 meetings overall. Detroit also is playing very well, and is 5-2 ATS in its past seven games overall. The Pistons are listed at +10 with a total of 207.5.
Pole sitter
Jimmy Johnson just makes it seem so easy. The NASCAR star is going for an unprecedented fourth straight points title and will do so on Sunday from the pole position. The fourth-pole of the season and the 100-plus point lead could make him apprehensive about going for the win, but it hasn’t stopped him before from pushing to take the checkered flag.