Daily Sports Roundup
Wednesday, January 27
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Jazz take on the Trail Blazers, while Vanderbilt plays on the road against Tennessee, and BYU meets New Mexico.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA offers up 11 games on Wednesday night, including Utah at Portland. The Jazz and Trail Blazers last hooked up back on November 28 in Utah, with the home side pulling out a 108-92 victory. Carlos Boozer led the way for the Jazz in that win with 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Deron Williams was good for 24 points and 15 assists in the contest. Brandon Roy scored a team-high 19 points in that losing cause for Portland, while LaMarcus Aldridge had 14 points.
Also on the NBA hardwood on Wednesday: Minnesota at Cleveland, the Lakers at Indiana, Memphis at Detroit, the Clippers at New Jersey, Chicago at Oklahoma City, Philadelphia at Milwaukee, Denver at Houston, Atlanta at San Antonio, New Orleans at Golden State, and Miami at Toronto. The Raptors are coming off a big 106-105 win over the Lakers in their last game on Sunday, as Andrea Bargnani was good for 22 points and Chris Bosh grabbed 13 rebounds.
There are two ranked matchups on the college basketball schedule for Wednesday night, with No. 21 Vanderbilt at No. 14 Tennessee, and No. 12 BYU at No. 23 New Mexico. The Cougars (20-1 SU, 11-7 ATS) are coming off a 71-69 win over San Diego State in their last contest; Jimmer Fredette tossed in 33 points for BYU in that victory. The Lobos (18-3 SU, 13-7 ATS) had no trouble with Colorado State last game, as Dairese Gary scored 17 points in an 82-64 win
Other games involving ranked teams on Wednesday: Notre Dame at No. 3 Villanova, No. 15 Temple at Charlotte, No. 19 Connecticut at Providence, No. 20 Ohio State at Iowa, Florida State at No. 8 Duke, and Texas Tech at No. 6 Texas. The Longhorns (17-2 SU, 8-7 ATS) will be looking to bounce back from their 88-74 loss to Connecticut last time out, with Damion Jones scoring 23 in that defeat.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
As well, there are seven games on the NHL's schedule for Wednesday, with New Jersey at Buffalo, Montreal at Tampa Bay, Anaheim at Washington, Detroit at Minnesota, Calgary at Dallas, St. Louis at Vancouver, and Carolina at the Rangers. The 16-28-7 Hurricanes managed to get back into the win column on Sunday afternoon with a 5-1 win over the Bruins. Ray Whitney, Eric Staal, Jussi Jokinen, Brandon Sutter, and Chad LaRose all scored for the Canes in that win, while Cam Ward made 27 saves. Carolina is just 5-16-4 on the road this season.
Today's Wagering Tips
Wednesday, January 27
Lines off the board
Los Angeles Clippers at New Jersey Nets – Devin Harris (wrist) did not play in Saturday’s game and is doubtful. Eric Gordon (toe) missed last two games and is questionable.
Memphis Grizzlies at Detroit Pistons – Will Bynum (ankle) missed Saturday’s game and is questionable.
Denver Nuggets at Houston Rockets – Carmelo Anthony (ankle) did not play Monday and is questionable. Chris Anderson (ankle) left in the fourth quarter of Monday’s game and is questionable.
New Orleans Hornets at Golden State Warriors – Monta Ellis (ankle) has missed the last two games but is expected to play Wednesday.
New Jersey Devils at Buffalo Sabres – Drew Stafford (flu) is questionable. Rod Pelley (lower body) did not play last two games and is doubtful.
Who’s hot
Kevin Durant has scored 25 or more points in 18 straight games.
Vanderbilt has won nine of its last 10 games, going 6-3 ATS during that span.
The Jazz have taken 8-of-10 and are 8-0-2 ATS in that time frame.
Who’s not
The Rockets have dropped seven of their last 11, going 2-9 ATS in those games.
Pavel Datsyuk has scored three points in the past seven games (no goals) with 10 shots on goal.
Penn State is winless in conference play (0-7) and 2-6 ATS at home this season.
Key stat
104-7 – New Mexico record on its home court as a ranked team. The Lobos had a 19-game home winning streak snapped versus UNLV on Jan. 9, but hold a 44-5 record under head coach Steve Alford at The Pit and are 21-1 in their last 22 games there. New Mexico is 3-0 SU and ATS against ranked teams this season. BYU has won seven of the last eight (7-1 ATS) in this series and 16-of-21 and are laying 1.5 points to the home team with a total of 151.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
The Toronto Star reported that Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan suffered an ankle injury during Tuesday’s practice. The rookie out of USC limped off the court with the assistance of team trainer Scott McCullough and did not return. While just averaging 24.0 minutes per outing, DeRozan has started every game this season for Toronto and is averaging 8.2 points and 2.9 rebounds. The Raptors host the Heat Wednesday and are favored by 3 points with a total of 204.
Game of the Day
BYU Cougars at New Mexico Lobos (+1.5, 151)
Notable quotable
“"I pride myself in certain moments of games. That turnover was very costly I gave up. Yeah, I took it hard because I'm a competitor. I'm going to continue to take it hard. I'm going to move on from it and look to the Toronto game. But it's still going to be in the back of my mind. It's what drives you, and continues to drive you."
Heat guard Dwayne Wade said regarding the behind-the-back pass with 4.1 seconds left in the game (leading 91-90) that resulted in a turnover and provided the Cavaliers a victory Monday.
Tips and notes
The Bulls are saving Vinny Del Negro’s job one game at a time. Chicago is playing some of the best basketball in the Association right now, coming off three straight road wins against Western Conference foes San Antonio, Phoenix and Houston. A big reason for the recent turnaround is the play of point guard Derrick Rose who got off to a slow start while playing through an injury. Rose averaged 11.5 points per game in October, 16.2 in November, 20.4 in December and 23.3 so far in January. His assists per game average has increased each month as well and he’s currently dishing out 6.5 per. The Bulls are 7-3 SU and ATS in their last 10 outings.
Vanderbilt will likely implement a steady diet of zone defense to combat the scoring proficiency of Tennessee’s offense Wednesday. The last three Volunteers’ opponents have utilized the defensive scheme and held the team to 39 percent shooting from the floor. Head coach Bruce Pearl said the Vols will have to do a better job shooting from 3-point land to beat the zone – Tennessee ranks 195th in nation from downtown at 33.5 percent. A zone defense normally equates to a slower paced game and the total in this one is set at 146. The Vols are favored by six points and center Wayne Chism is questionable after hyperextending his knee Saturday.
Spurs head coach Greg Popovich told TNT last week that Tim Duncan will not play in the second leg of any back-to-back situations this season. This coincides with the ease-into-the-playoffs mentality Pop has taken with his veteran team the last handful of years. The limited use of Duncan allows him to rest him for the postseason, but the center admitted he would rather be playing than sitting. The Spurs host the Hawks Wednesday and are laying 3.5 points with a total of 195.