Daily Sports Roundup
Tuesday March 23
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The NIT fills the college hoops void, while the Bruins battle the Thrashers, and the Knicks try to fend off the visiting Nuggets.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA offers up four games on Tuesday night, with Charlotte at Washington, Indiana at Detroit, the Clippers at Dallas, and Denver at New York. The Nuggets (47-23 SU, 31-34-5 ATS) were beaten 102-97 at home by Milwaukee in their last game on Saturday, with Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony both scoring 29 points in that defeat. The Knicks (25-45 SU, 32-37-1 ATS) lost 116-112 at home in their game against Houston on Sunday despite 27 points and 20 rebounds from David Lee. Denver beat New York 128-125 at home back on November 27.
As well, there are a couple of quarterfinal matchups in the National Invitational Tournament on Tuesday night, with Texas Tech vs. Mississippi at 7pm ET and North Carolina vs. UAB at 9pm ET. The Tar Heels got past Mississippi State by a score of 76-74 in the last round of the tournament, getting 17 points from Will Graves in the victory. The Blazers had no trouble at all in their second-round matchup against N.C. State, as Elijah Millsap poured in 27 points in a 72-52 win. UAB is pegged as a 4-point favorite for Tuesday night, with the total at 136 points.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, there are 10 games on the National Hockey League's schedule for Tuesday, including Boston at Atlanta. The 32-27-12 Bruins improved their playoff outlook on Sunday afternoon with a 2-1 home win over the Rangers. Miroslav Satan and Dennis Wideman had the goals for Boston in that contest, while Tuukka Rask made 23 saves to earn the victory. The 32-29-11 Thrashers grabbed a 3-1 win in Philadelphia in their last game on Sunday. Ron Hainsey, Todd White, and Rich Peverley all scored for Atlanta in that win, while Ondrej Pavelec stopped 44 of 45 shots. The Thrashers are riding a four-game win streak.
Also on the ice on Tuesday: Columbus at New Jersey, Florida at Toronto, Carolina at Tampa Bay, Philadelphia at Ottawa, Dallas at Nashville, Phoenix at Chicago, Vancouver at Edmonton, Anaheim at Calgary, and San Jose at Minnesota. The 43-19-10 Sharks carry a six-game losing streak into their game against the Wild on Tuesday; San Jose was beaten 5-1 in Edmonton in their last outing on Sunday. The 35-31-6 Wild beat Calgary 4-3 on Sunday as they make a last-ditch effort to get into a playoff spot. San Jose is 2-0 vs. Minnesota this year.
Tuesday's Wagering Tips
Line off the board
Anaheim Ducks at Calgary Flames – Bobby Ryan (flu) missed the team’s last game and is questionable. Saku Koivu took a puck to the face Sunday and is questionable. Curtis Glencross (knee) has missed the last two games and is questionable. Daymond Langkow (head) was injured Sunday and is doubtful.
Lines to keep an eye on
The Clippers-Mavericks total opened at 206 and has dropped to 205. Three of the last four games in this series have gone under.
The Devils opened as a -209 favorite over the Blue Jackets but that moneyline can be found as high as -230 now. New Jersey has taken two straight from Columbus.
Who’s hot
The Thrashers have won four games in a row (all as underdogs), earning 5.16 units on the moneyline.
Indiana has won five straight ATS and is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games.
Ole Miss has covered the spread in six of its last seven games.
Who’s not
The Mavericks were 0-4 ATS in their last four heading into Monday’s game.
San Jose has lost six straight games, dropping 10.1 units on the moneyline.
North Carolina is 3-6 ATS in its last nine outings.
Key stat
5-1 – Nuggets record this season without head coach George Karl. Karl is going to miss Denver’s five-game road trip that begins with New York on Tuesday.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Michigan State’s Kalin Lucas will miss the remainder of the NCAA Tournament after tearing his Achilles tendon on Sunday. Lucas led the Spartans in scoring this year with a 14.8 ppg average. There hasn’t been a final verdict on the severity of the injury but doctors believe the Achilles is torn because he cannot walk on it. Lucas’s replacement in the starting lineup, Korie Lucious, hit the game-winning 3-pointer versus Maryland.
Notable quotable
"Where does that come from? Seriously. It's something that cracks me up. I don't play rookies? I don't like to play bad rookies."
-- Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said in response to Jordan Hill’s remark that he couldn’t “strut his stuff” when he was with New York because D’Antoni didn’t play rookies
Tips and notes
- As the Bruins attempt to hold onto the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot, team vice president Cam Neely tried to invigorate the troops with some harsh words. Neely said the team has played with a “lack of emotion” this season. He also criticized the veterans by saying there has been a “loss of leadership and character in the locker room.” Boston has won nine straight versus Atlanta and may look to prove its VP wrong on Tuesday.
- Denver begins a brutal road trip on Tuesday without the services of Kenyon Martin and coach George Karl. Even thought the Nuggets have been good without their coach, they will face elite teams like Boston, Orlando and Dallas on this trip that will surely test Adrian Dantley. Chauncey Billups recently said not having Martin on the floor has created “a hole defensively.” Denver is giving up 102.1 ppg without him.
- Rookie Toney Douglas is the Knicks fifth different starter at point guard this season and he seems to be working out. Douglas has averaged 20.0 points and 4.8 assists per game since entering into a starting role, and New York has gone 3-2 SU and ATS – winning twice as underdogs. Douglas said that he and the coaches both have “confidence” in his abilities and that has made him feel “comfortable” on the court.