Daily Sports Roundup
Wednesday, February 3
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Nuggets play host to the Suns, Pittsburgh takes on West Virginia, and the top-ranked Jayhawks meet Colorado.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA offers up a busy slate of 11 games on Wednesday, including Phoenix at Denver. The Suns (29-21 SU, 26-23-1 ATS) picked up a 109-100 win in New Orleans in their last game on Monday, with Amare Stoudemire pouring in a team-high 25 points in the contest. Steve Nash scored 18 points to go along with 12 assists on the night. The Nuggets (33-15 SU, 22-24-2 ATS) edged Sacramento 112-109 at home in OT in their last game Monday. Kenyon Martin had 24 points and 12 boards in that victory, while Carmelo Anthony sat out with an ankle injury.
Also on the NBA hardwood on Wednesday: Chicago at Philadelphia, the Clippers at Atlanta, New Jersey at Toronto, Washington at New York, Oklahoma City at New Orleans, Golden State at Dallas, Portland at Utah, San Antonio at Sacramento, Charlotte at the Lakers, and Miami at Boston. The Heat (24-24 SU, 23-24-1 ATS) fell 97-81 to Milwaukee in their last game on Monday, with Dwyane Wade tossing in 23 points. The Celtics (30-16 SU, 19-26-1 ATS) knocked off Washington 99-88 on Monday, with Kevin Garnett scoring 19 points in the victory.
There is one ranked matchup on the college basketball schedule for Wednesday, with No. 22 Pittsburgh at No. 6 West Virginia. The Panthers (16-5 SU, 10-7-2 ATS) fell 70-61 to South Florida in their last game on Sunday, with Gilbert Brown scoring 25 points in the loss. The Mountaineers (17-3 SU, 7-12 ATS) knocked off Louisville 77-74 on Saturday, with Da'Sean Butler scoring 27 points in that win.
Other games involving ranked teams on Wednesday: Penn State at No. 13 Ohio State, South Florida at No. 7 Georgetown, Duquesne at No. 19 Temple, Iowa State at No. 20 Baylor, Mississippi State at No. 18 Vanderbilt, Wichita State at No. 24 Northern Iowa, and No. 1 Kansas at Colorado. The Jayhawks (20-1 SU, 9-8-1 ATS) got back to the top spot in the rankings with an 81-79 overtime win over Kansas State on Saturday. Cole Aldrich had 18 points for Kansas that day.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, there are five games on the NHL's schedule for Wednesday, with St. Louis at Chicago, Carolina at Calgary, Philadelphia at Edmonton, Detroit at Anaheim, and Ottawa at Buffalo. The 31-21-4 Senators head into Wednesday's divisional matchup riding a nine-game winning streak. Ottawa beat the Canadiens 3-2 in their last game on Saturday afternoon. The 32-15-7 Sabres will be looking to bounce back from a 5-4 loss to the Penguins in their Monday matchup. Ryan Miller gave up five goals on 31 shots for the Sabres in that defeat.
Today's Wagering Tips
Wednesday, February 3
Lines off the board
New Jersey Nets at Toronto Raptors – Hedo Turkoglu (eye) and DeMar DeRozan (ankle) both missed Tuesday’s game and are questionable.
Los Angeles Clippers at Atlanta Hawks – Chris Kaman (ankle) had missed the last two games but played Tuesday versus Chicago.
Washington Wizards at New York Knicks – Al Harrington (knee) has missed the last two games and is questionable.
Miami Heat at Boston Celtics – Jermaine O’Neal (back) did not play Monday and is questionable. Paul Pierce (foot) did not play in the fourth quarter of Monday’s game and is questionable.
Golden State Warriors at Dallas Mavericks – Corey Maggette (hip) is questionable.
San Antonio Spurs at Sacramento Kings – Tyreke Evans (hip) did not play Monday and is probable. Tony Parker (ankle) has missed the last two games and is questionable.
Phoenix Suns at Denver Nuggets – Carmelo Anthony (ankle) has missed last three games and is questionable.
Lines to keep an eye on
The Bulls-76ers game opened as a pick ‘em but has jumped to Philly laying 1.5 points out of the gate. Chicago has won five straight SU and ATS going into Tuesday's game but is 3-7 SU and ATS in back-to-back games this season.
Who’s hot
Charlotte 49ers have won five straight and four in a row ATS.
The Jazz have won 11 of their last 13 and are 10-1-2 ATS during that span.
Who’s not
The Mavericks have lost four straight ATS and are 2-10 ATS in their last 12 games.
Joe Thornton has five points in his last six games with three shots on goal.
Key stat
17.3 – Average number of rebounds the Knicks have been out-boarded by in their last three games. Minnesota beat them on the glass Sunday by 22 rebounds and New York has been out-rebounded 169-117 over its last three games.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Paul Pierce could miss Wednesday’s game versus the Heat and more after injuring his foot during Monday’s game. Pierce returned after the injury and played 17 minutes but sat out the entire fourth quarter. Pierce is scheduled to have X-rays on the foot Wednesday and some reports have said it is broken. Pierce is the Celtics leading scorer this season at 18.9 ppg and the team went 2-3 SU and ATS in five games without him earlier this year.
Game of the day
Pittsburgh Panthers at West Virginia Mountaineers (-7.5, 125.5)
Notable quotable
"Someone just asked me who my favorite Kardashian sister was. I wouldn't know how to answer that one."
Saints wide receiver Marques Colston replied when asked what the most ridiculous question he had been asked during Super Bowl media day.
Tips and notes
UNC-Wilmington coach Benny Moss was relieved of his duties last week. Many thought this change would create more cohesion within the offense as Moss was quick to pull players in and out of the game. The Seahawks did not respond with that expected effort Saturday, scoring just 53 points and losing to Towson at home as 7.5-point favorites.
Prior to Boston’s come-from-behind win versus Washington Monday, the Celtics had dropped three straight. Kevin Garnett said after the third loss, “It’s motivation and we’ll figure a way to come out of it.” Paul Pierce sat the entire fourth quarter against the Wizards and Boston was still able to come back so maybe “motivation” has kicked in.
The Spurs have won seven straight regular season games in Sacramento. During the last six games of that streak, however, San Antonio has only won by an average margin of 4.5 points. Four of those six games were decided by three points or less and San Antonio went 2-4 ATS.