Daily Sports Roundup
Tuesday, February 16
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Mavericks take on the Thunder, the Suns battle the Grizzlies, and the men's hockey tourney gets going in Vancouver.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA returns from its All-Star break on Tuesday night with 10 games on the schedule, including Dallas at Oklahoma City. The Mavericks (32-20 SU, 21-31 ATS) fell 127-91 in Denver in their last game before the break, and they then shook things up by dealing Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, Quinton Ross, and James Singleton to Washington for Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, and DeShawn Stevenson. The Thunder (30-21 SU, 32-19 ATS) are riding a six-game win streak into Tuesday's matchup; they beat Portland 89-77 in their last contest.
Also on the NBA hardwood on Tuesday: New Jersey at Charlotte, Miami at Philadelphia, Minnesota at Detroit, New York at Chicago, Utah at Houston, Boston at Sacramento, the Clippers at Portland, Golden State at the Lakers, and Phoenix at Memphis. The Suns (31-22 SU, 28-24-1 ATS) fell 108-101 to Portland in their last game, and rumors continue to swirl that they're going to trade Amare Stoudemire. The Grizzlies (26-25 SU, 27-24 ATS) have lost four straight games; Memphis fell 108-94 at home to the Hawks in their last outing before the break.
As well, there are four ranked teams in action on the college hoops slate for Tuesday, with No. 11 Michigan State at Indiana, Texas Tech at No. 22 Baylor, No. 2 Kentucky at Mississippi State, and No. 23 Wake Forest at Virginia Tech. The Demon Deacons (18-5 SU, 12-8 ATS) busted into the Top 25 with a 75-64 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday; Al-Farouq Aminu picked up 19 points for Wake Forest in that victory. The Hokies (20-4 SU, 10-7-1 ATS) got past Virginia 61-55 last time out, with Dorenzo Hudson pouring in 15 points for Virginia Tech.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, the men's Olympic hockey tournament gets underway on Tuesday, with Canada vs. Norway, Russia vs. Latvia, and the United States vs. Switzerland. The American team, led by goaltender Ryan Miller and forwards Patrick Kane, Phil Kessel, and Zach Parise, was pegged as the fourth favorite at most sportsbooks heading into the two-week event - behind Canada, Russia, and Sweden. The United States' Tuesday opponent, Switzerland, has two key NHL players on its Olympic roster - goalie Jonas Hiller, and defenseman Mark Streit.
Today's Wagering Tips
Tuesday, February 16
Lines off the board
New York Knicks at Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose (hip) is questionable for the Bulls. Danilo Gallinari (forearm) is probable, Larry Hughes (toe) is questionable and Nate Robinson (flu) is doubtful for the Knicks.
Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant (ankle) is probable and Andrew Bynum (hip) is questionable for the Lakers. Monta Ellis (knee) is probable and Corey Maggette (finger) is questionable for the Warriors.
Lines to keep an eye on
New Jersey Nets at Charlotte Bobcats: The total jumped from 185.5 to 186.5 at most books. Over is 8-3 in the Bobcats' last 11.
Boston Celtics at Sacramento Kings: The Celtics opened as 5.5-point favorites and that number quickly climbed to as high as 6.5 at some books. The Celtics are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 vs. the Western Conference.
Princeton Tigers at Penn Quakers: The total came out at a modest 110 and instantly jumped to 112. Under is 14-6-1 in last 21 at Penn and Princeton has been under in its last six.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Virginia Tech Hokies: The total opened at 136 and dropped to 134. Under is 6-1 in the Hokies' last six and the Demon Deacons have been under in their last four.
Weather to watch
After three days of canceled training runs due to slushy conditions, the Whistler slopes finally saw some action Monday. The course got bad reviews, especially from the downhiller who broke a ski on a rock, but alpine athletes face six more consecutive days of medal competition. The temperature dropped below freezing Monday night and the forecast calls for a fast but hopefully frozen surface.
Who's hot
Utah Jazz are 9-1 SU in their last 10.
Philadelphia 76ers are 5-1 SU and ATS in their last six.
Oklahoma City Thunder have won six in a row SU.
South Florida Bulls are 7-1 ATS in their last eighth.
Who's not
Los Angeles Clippers are 1-8 SU in their last nine.
Detroit Pistons are 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10.
Dallas Mavericks are 1-7 ATS in their last eight.
Memphis Grizzlies are 1-6 SU and ATS in their last seven.
Key stat
The New Jersey Nets have lost eight in a row SU, but they are 5-2-1 ATS during that span.
Injury that shouldn't be overlooked
Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose is returning to the Windy City with more hip soreness than he had when he left for the NBA All-Star Game in Dallas. He played just 15 minutes but aggravated the injury and is listed as questionable for Tuesday night's game against the New York Knicks. Rose averages 19.6 points and 5.7 assists per game for the Bulls.
Game of the day
Dallas Mavericks at Oklahoma City Thunder
Notable quotable
"If he wants to be Superman, he can be Superman. But I never tried to steal that title from him or take away anything he's done for the game of basketball."
-- Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard told TNT about his ongoing feud with Cleveland Cavaliers center Shaquille O'Neal over which one is entitled to the "Superman" nickname.
Tips and notes
With all the focus on where Amare Stoudemire is going, perhaps a bigger issue is where Steve Nash has been. Over the last four days he has flown to Vancouver to help light the Olympic torch, then to Dallas for the All-Star weekend, then to Phoenix for a change of undies and now to Memphis. The young Grizzlies love to run and Nash may not have enough gas to keep pace.
American skier Bode Miller broke his medal-drought Monday with a bronze in the downhill and rekindled his stock. Miller, who went 0-fer in Turin as a heavy favorite, opened as a +5000 longshot to win the gold in today's slalom, but shot to +3000 even before he took the medal stand. Expect his stock to continue rise, unless he's spotted out celebrating at Whistler's hot spots.
Northern Iowa 7-foot senior center Jordan Eglseder is suspended for three games beginning with tonight's showdown aganst Creighton for being charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated early Sunday morning. Eglseder is the Panthers' top rebounder and second-leading scorer, averaging 12.2 points and 7.6 boards per game.
Games to Bet
By Bodog
NBA: New York at Chicago
Both these teams could have a different look before this game starts. The Knicks (19-32 SU, 23-28 ATS) have fallen six games behind the Bulls (25-26 SU, 24-25-2 ATS) for the last playoff spot in the East; one of the trade deadline rumors has New York sending Al Harrington (23.7 points, 7.5 rebounds per 40 minutes) to Chicago in a package deal for Tyrus Thomas (15.1 points, 10.8 rebounds/40). The Knicks split a pair of games home and away with Chicago in December, but have lost six of their last seven overall at 2-5 ATS. The Bulls have hit a speed bump at 2-4 SU and ATS in their last six.
Olympic Hockey: United States vs. Switzerland
Are you ready for some chalk? Not so fast, there. Switzerland hasn’t won a medal in men’s hockey since 1948, but did well just to finish sixth at the 2006 Games in Turin. That run included a 2-0 win over Canada in the first round and a 3-2 victory over the Czechs. Meanwhile, Team USA finished eighth in 2006 after winning just one of its five opening-round games (4-1 against Kazakhstan). Having Jonas Hiller (.919 save percentage with the Anaheim Ducks) in net instantly makes the Swiss a difficult team to put away.