Daily Sports Roundup
Thursday, November 26
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Broncos host the Giants, the Longhorns prepare for the Aggies, and the Bulls try to stop a losing streak against the Jazz.
Colliding on the gridiron . . .
The NFL offers up a trio of Thanksgiving matchups on Thursday, with Green Bay (-11) at Detroit, Oakland at Dallas (-14), and the Giants (-7) at Denver. New York (6-4 SU, 4-5-1 ATS) got past the Falcons 34-31 last week, as Eli Manning completed 25-of-39 pass attempts for 384 yards with three TDs and one INT. Denver (6-4 SU, 6-4 ATS) was blasted 32-3 by the Chargers last weekend, as Kyle Orton threw for just 171 yards with no touchdowns and one INT in that loss.
It's No. 3 Texas (11-0 SU, 5-5-1 ATS) vs. Texas A&M (6-5 SU, 5-5-1 ATS) in the only college football game on tap for Thursday. The Longhorns remained undefeated last week by pounding Kansas 51-20. Colt McCoy went 32-of-41 for 396 yards passing in that contest, with four touchdowns and no interceptions. The Aggies are coming off a 38-3 win over Baylor in which Jerrod Johnson threw for 153 yards and two TDs. Texas is pegged as the 21-point favorite for Thursday.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA offers up two games on Thursday, with Orlando at Atlanta and Chicago at Utah. The Bulls (6-7 SU, 4-9 ATS) have lost three straight games, most recently 122-98 to Portland on Monday night. Luol Deng tossed in 25 points for Chicago in that loss, while John Salmons picked up 22 points. The Jazz (7-7 SU, 6-8 ATS) fell 104-94 to Oklahoma City on Tuesday night. Carlos Boozer poured in 26 points for Utah in that defeat, and Paul Millsap had 19 points off the bench.
As well, the Old Spice Classic and the 76 Classic highlight the college basketball schedule for Thursday. The 76 Classic at the Anaheim Convention Center features the top matchup of the day, with No. 22 Minnesota taking on No. 12 Butler. The Golden Gophers (3-0 SU, 1-1 ATS) are coming off an easy 76-51 win over Utah Valley last time out, with Rodney Williams scoring 17 points. The Bulldogs (3-0 SU, 1-2 ATS) got past Evansville by a score of 64-60 on Saturday.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, there are just two NHL games on the Thursday schedule, with Los Angeles at Vancouver and Columbus at Ottawa. The Blue Jackets will be looking to bounce back from consecutive losses to the Rangers (7-4) and Canadiens (5-3) on Monday and Tuesday night. Antoine Vermette had a pair of goals for the Jackets in Tuesday's loss. The Senators will be without starting goalie Pascal Leclaire on Thursday; he's out for four weeks after suffering a broken cheekbone.
Today's Helpful Tips
Thursday, November 26
Cold Turkey
Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends and fellowship. Since 1920, the National Football League has provided bloated bloats at least one pigskin performance to enjoy on Turkey Day.
This year, a trio of NFL games allows turkey-stuffed viewers to either place a few wagers or fall into a postprandial trance.
The Thanksgiving Classic kicks off with a 12:30 p.m. (ET) meeting between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. The Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders follow with a 4:15 p.m. (ET) gametime while the New York Giants and Denver Broncos wrap up the action at 8:20 p.m. (ET).
Bettors who have backed the favorite in recent Thanksgiving years have come away with some extra Christmas money at the end of the gluttonous day.
Thanksgiving favorites are 10-1 against the spread over the last four seasons. Those 10 favorites defeated their opponents by a margin of 22.4 points.
The only favorite to lose was the Cowboys, who were defeated in overtime 24-21, by the Denver Broncos in 2004.
The favorites on Thursday are the Packers (-11), Cowboys (-13.5) and Giants (-6.5).
Lions need turkey courage
Much of the above “favorite” success can be attributed to the downfall of the Detroit Lions over the past decade.
The Lions will play in their 70th Thanksgiving game on Thursday and hold an overall 35-32-2 record.
Detroit has dropped five Turkey Day games in a row and in that span are 0-5 ATS while getting outscored 179-62. Over the last 10 seasons, the Lions are 3-7 straight up on Thanksgiving and 3-7 ATS.
The courageous-less Lions may have trouble covering the 11-point spread against Green Bay this Thanksgiving with their starting quarterback doubtful and star receiver, Calvin Johnson, questionable.
Every turkey is bigger in Texas
The only thing standing in the way of a date in the BCS National Championship for the Texas Longhorns is Texas A&M.
This Big 12 rivalry, dubbed the Lone Star Showdown, first occurred in 1894 and the Longhorns hold a decisive 74-36-5 winning record.
But in rivalries such as these; records, statistics and conventional wisdom can be thrown out the window.
Both teams are 5-5-1 ATS this season. The Aggies are 5-1 at home in 2009 and hold a 4-1-1 ATS mark at Kyle Field.
Longhorns’ quarterback Colt McCoy led Texas to a 49-9 pounding of the Aggies last year, but did not come away victorious the previous two seasons. A&M defeated the Longhorns 38-30 as 7-point underdogs last year and won 12-7 as 14-point dogs in 2007.
Texas opened as 22.5-point favorites and the spread has been bet down to a current number of 21. The total was released at 62.5 and most shops are still offering that number.
Dynamite on TNT
If football isn’t enough to satiate your Thanksgiving sports appetite, tune into TNT later in the evening for a pair of NBA matchups.
The Magic and Hawks commence the double-header at 8 p.m. (ET). Orlando is coming off a last-second home loss to the Heat, and now travel to Atlanta where the Hawks (11-3, 11-3 ATS) are 7-0 inside the confines of Philips Arena.
Orlando (11-4, 9-5 ATS) is 1-1 straight up and ATS in back-to-back situations this season. The Magic have won and covered the spread in the last three meetings of this series.
The Bulls and Jazz wrap up the NBA action with a late night tipoff scheduled for 10:30 p.m. (ET). Utah has never played on Thanksgiving and faces a roadtrip-weary Bulls team that has lost three in a row.
Chicago (6-7, 4-9 ATS) has dropped three consecutive games ATS while the Jazz (7-7, 6-8 ATS) have failed to cover in two straight.
The Bulls have won three straight against Utah and are 4-0 ATS in their last four games in the series.
The spread opened at 7 in favor of the Jazz with a total of 195.
Notable quotable
"That may slap me in the face, that’s happened before, but I think they have a certain amount of responsibility…to try and be with their kids and that sort of thing. I accommodate them as much as I can and still try to do our job, and that to try to win a game.”
-- Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan, in response to giving his players Wednesday off after a loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday.