Daily Sports Roundup
Thursday, November 19
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Lakers host the Bulls, the Cowboys take on the Buffaloes, and the Dolphins travel north to Carolina to meet the Panthers.
Colliding on the gridiron . . .
A pair of sub-.500 teams meet on the NFL gridiron on Thursday night, as Carolina (4-5 SU, 4-5 ATS) hosts Miami (4-5 SU, 4-5 ATS). The Dolphins managed to pick up a win over Tampa Bay last weekend, edging them 25-23 at home; RB Ronnie Brown is out for Thursday with a foot injury. The Panthers are also coming off a win - they got past Atlanta 28-19 last time out. Oddsmakers have Carolina listed as a 3-point favorite for Thursday, with a total at 42.5 points.
There's also one college football game on the Thursday schedule, with Colorado at No. 12 Oklahoma State. The Buffaloes (3-7 SU, 5-5 ATS) fell 17-10 at Iowa State last time out, as QB Tyler Hansen went just 18-of-38 for 258 yards passing with one TD and one INT. The ranked Cowboys (8-2 SU, 5-3-1 ATS) are coming off a 24-17 win over Texas Tech, despite Zac Robinson throwing for just 90 yards and one score. Oklahoma State is pegged as an 18.5-point favorite for Thursday.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA has three games on tap for Thursday, as New Orleans hosts Phoenix, Utah plays in San Antonio, and the Lakers get a visit from the Bulls. Los Angeles (8-3 SU, 4-7 ATS) put an end to its mini-skid on Tuesday night, rolling to a 106-93 win over Detroit. Kobe Bryant led the way with 40 points for the Lakers in that victory, while Andrew Bynum picked up 17 points and 12 boards. Chicago (6-4 SU, 4-6 ATS) won its second straight on Tuesday, getting past the Kings 101-87.
As well, college hoops continues its preseason events on Thursday, most notably with the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Madison Square Garden. Syracuse takes on No. 13 California in the first of the night's matchups, with No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 15 Ohio State in the later game; the Tar Heels and Buckeyes are a combined 5-0 to start the season. The other ranked matchup on the Thursday slate sees No. 18 Dayton battle No. 21 Georgia Tech in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, there are eight games on the NHL schedule for Thursday, with Toronto at Carolina, Boston at Atlanta, Pittsburgh at Ottawa, Phoenix at St. Louis, New Jersey at Nashville, Columbus at Dallas, Tampa Bay at Anaheim, and Chicago at Calgary. The Blackhawks and Flames enter their Thursday matchup with identical 12-5-2 records; Chicago beat San Jose 4-3 in their most recent game, while Calgary is coming off a 3-2 home loss to the Avalanche on Tuesday night.
Today's Helpful Tips
Thursday, November 19
Pau power
All-Star power forward Pau Gasol is expected to play Thursday for the first time this season when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Chicago Bulls. Gasol has been sidelined with a hamstring injury, and the team is 4-7 against the spread without him. LA is giving 9.5 points to Chicago with a total of 191.
Hello, Columbus
Two key personnel moves for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Left wing Raffi Torres, who scored eight goals in 17 games before having his jaw broken by a puck, will play for the first time since Nov. 11. And Steve Mason will start in goal, needing a good game to avoid losing more starts to backup Mathieu Garon, who has a better GAA. The Blue Jackets are +125 at Dallas with a total of 5.5.
Experienced or old?
The San Antonio Spurs host the Utah Jazz in the back end of their third set of back-to-back games. The first two were on the road and did not go so well, with the Spurs losing by seven points at Chicago on Oct. 29 and by 12 points at Portland on Nov. 6. The Spurs are getting eight points with a total of 202.
Totally different
In the three games started by Chad Pennington, the Miami Dolphins averaged 12.3 points and were 1-2 against the over. In six games started by Chad Henne, the Dolphins have averaged 29.2 points and are 5-1 against the over. Miami is getting three points at Carolina with a total of 42.5.
Rocky road
Colorado is 0-5 straight up on the road. While the Buffs are 2-3 vs. the spread, one of those wins was a 38-14 loss at Texas in which they were getting 33.5 points and were outscored 35-0 over the last 31 minutes. They also have been outscored 75-30 in teir last three away games. Colorado is getting 17 points at Oklahoma State with a total of 47.5.
Home away from home
Syracuse is pick 'em vs. California at Madison Square Garden, which has been the Orange's second home. Under Jim Boeheim, Syracuse is 65-44 straight up at Madison Square Garden. Since the start of the 2004-05 campaign, it has been even better, going 18-8.
Abdicating the throne
Los Angeles Kings left wing Ryan Smyth, second on the team in scoring, is out a month with an upper body injury, forcing coach Terry Murray to change his top two lines. Alexander Frolov will move to the top line alongside Anze Kopitar and Teddy Purcell moves onto the second line with Michal Handzus and Wayne Simmonds. The Kings next play Saturday vs. Calgary.
Notable quotable
"I think he should come on down. I know he's pretty busy right now, but if he wants to give it a shot, the guy is gifted. He's competitive and tough. I'm sure whatever he applied himself to, he'd probably be good in baseball or soccer or swimming."
-- Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini, responding to NBA superstar LeBron James' claim that he could be a "really good" football player if he put in the time and commitment.