New Jersey Nets vs. Los Angeles Clippers
- The New Jersey Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers will both be gunning for a victory on Saturday when they meet at STAPLES Center.
The Nets were upset 111-105 by the Knicks last time out, as 7.5-point favorites. The combined score made it OVER the posted total of 191.
Vince Carter led the Nets with 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the loss.
The Clippers were outrebounded 43-34 in Friday's 106-88 loss at Utah, falling as 10-point road underdogs. The 194 points scored were UNDER the posted total of 199.5.
Corey Maggette fired in a game-high 20 points, and Chris Kaman notched 16 points and 16 boards for the Clippers.
Current streak:
New Jersey has lost 3 straight games.
Team records:
New Jersey: 18-20 SU, 15-22-1 ATS
Los Angeles: 11-24 SU, 16-19 ATS
New Jersey most recently:
When playing on Saturday are 6-4
Before playing Phoenix are 7-3
After playing New York are 5-5
After a loss are 4-6
Los Angeles most recently:
When playing on Saturday are 3-7
Before playing Utah are 7-3
After playing Utah are 4-6
After a loss are 2-8
A few trends to consider:
New Jersey is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
New Jersey is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Jersey's last 5 games when playing on the road against LA Clippers
New Jersey is 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games when playing LA Clippers
LA Clippers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against New Jersey
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the LA Clippers last 5 games when playing at home against New Jersey
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of the LA Clippers last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of the LA Clippers last 8 games at home
Next up:
New Jersey at Phoenix, Sunday, January 20
LA Clippers home to Utah, Monday, January 21
NBA Gameday
The Saturday NBA schedule is a busy one with 11 games on tap, but only two of those games involve a pair of teams with winning records as Portland takes on Orlando and San Antonio visits Houston. Another Saturday game that could be worth a look is the third meeting of the season between Detroit and Chicago.
Portland at Orlando
The Blazers' current seven-game road trip takes them through Florida this weekend. After beating Miami 98-91 on Friday night, Portland takes on the Magic on Saturday. Rising star Brandon Roy led a fourth-quarter rally for the Trail Blazers and finished with 24 points. Earlier in the week Portland dropped games to both the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics. The Blazers have lost only 15 games this season, with 12 of those losses coming away from the Rose Garden.
The Magic last took the court on Wednesday when they lost to Charlotte 99-93 as a 1-point favorite. Orlando looked to be in full control of that game with a 19-point lead in the third quarter, but could not close the deal. Dwight Howard led Orlando with 24 points and 21 rebounds, while Carlos Arroyo added 17 points off the bench.
Portland and Orlando met up earlier this season back in November when the Magic defeated the Blazers 85-74 as a 5-point favorite.
Detroit at Chicago
Detroit rebounded from their embarrassing loss to the Knicks with a 103-89 win over Toronto as a 7.5-point favorite back on Tuesday. Richard Hamilton scored a season-high 39 points in that game, after scoring only three points against New York. The Pistons have a busy weekend, after they lost 100-93 to the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. Hamilton had 24 points in the loss, while Chauncey Billups led the Pistons with 28 points.
The Bulls got a gift earlier in the week with a game against Miami. Chicago crushed the Heat 126-96 as a 3.5-point underdog. Ben Gordon led Chicago with 24 points and Joe Smith chipped in with 23 points. Thabo Sefolosha started in place of point guard Kirk Hinrich, who was out with back spasms, and delivered 17 points. Chicago was also in action late Friday night at home against Golden State.
Surprisingly, the disappointing Bulls have actually had tremendous success against the Pistons this season. Chicago and Detroit have clashed twice this season and the Bulls won and also covered the spread in both contests.
San Antonio at Houston
The Spurs are coming off a 90-88 loss to Cleveland as a 7.5-point favorite on Thursday night. San Antonio’s big three all put up big numbers in the loss with Manu Ginobili scoring a game-high 31 points, Tony Parker adding 23 points and Tim Duncan recording 20 points and 11 rebounds.
The Rockets suffered a 111-107 upset loss to Philadelphia as a 9-point favorite on Tuesday. Houston blew a 15-point lead in the game after they were outscored by the 76ers 37-22 in the fourth quarter. Yao Ming led the Rockets with 25 points and eight rebounds, while Rafer Alston had 20 points in the loss. Houston should be getting some much-needed help on Saturday night with leading scorer Tracy McGrady expected to return from an 11-game layoff.
Is Drake for real?
By Matt Fargo
One look at the Missouri Valley Conference standings makes you wonder what the heck is going on. Bradley, Wichita St. and Northern Iowa are all at the bottom half of the conference with losing records while 1st place is vacated by Illinois St. and Drake. The Redbirds were picked to finish middle of the pack while Drake was predicted to finish low and was even picked to end up dead last in the Valley by Athlon Sports. What’s up with this early season success?
The Bulldogs lost four starters from last season as well as head coach Dr. Tom Davis so there certainly were some question marks heading into the season. Lost were top scorers Ajay Calvin and Nick Grant along with point guard Al Stewart and top shot blocker Aliou Keita. Taking over for Davis was his son Keno who spent four years as an assistant under his father so it was a pretty seamless transition. Even though a lot was lost on the court, good experience returned along with some very talented youth.
The Bulldogs finished last season with a 17-15 record which was the first time they have had a winning record in 20 years so it is obvious the confidence and momentum carried over from last season. Every four years, teams can take a summer trip to practice and play some exhibition games and Drake did that this past summer. The Bulldogs traveled to the Bahamas in August and went 4-0 and while the record meant nothing, the gained experience and early sessions jelled this team together.
Improved defensive play has been a key to Drake’s 15-1 start. Drake is ranked eighth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 57.1 ppg and it has held its last 13 opponents to a combined 39 percent shooting from the floor. This is a huge difference from last season as Drake allowed 74.2 ppg which was the worst in the Valley. In eight of the Bulldogs nine home games, they have held the opponent to 55 points or less. The lone exception was Duquesne but it was held 22 points below its season average.
On an individual standpoint, the team is led by sophomore Josh Young, the top freshman scorer in the Valley last season. He is averaging 16.3 ppg which is tops in the conference. The floor general is senior Adam Emmenecker who came off the bench last season and wasn’t even sure of a starting spot this year. All he has done is average 5.1 apg which is tied for 2nd in the Valley and his 1.89 assist/turnover ratio is good for 1st. Taking some of the scoring load off Young is Leonard Houston, who averages 14.9 ppg.
Forward Jonathan Cox showed what he could do on that Bahamas trip and he has carried that over, averaging 12 ppg while shooting a team best 50 percent from long range. The wild card however has been Klayton Korver, the brother of Utah’s Kyle. Korver has been plagued by injuries his entire career but he is as healthy as ever. He isn’t scoring much yet as his range needs to be found but he brings back the most experience and his leadership is unmatched. He also leads the team at the free throw line at 85.7 percent.
The schedule has been pretty average for the Bulldogs as they have been tested only a couple of times, namely Duquesne, Iowa and St. Mary’s. Their first three Valley road games came at the worst three teams in the conference as Bradley, Wichita St. and Evansville are a combined 2-16. Home teams are winning at a 75.8 percent clip this season and the remaining six conference road games are against teams a combined 48-9 on their home floors, good for 84.2 percent.
The biggest test of the Valley season comes this Saturday as the Bulldogs host Illinois St. in a battle of the 1st place teams. Drake has won all nine home games by an average margin of 24.1 ppg, including four games by 30 or more points so it has certainly enjoyed its home slate. However, this one could be more difficult and not just because the Redbirds are undefeated. Drake may be playing this one without Young, who is questionable with an ankle injury. He has missed the last two games.
Drake is 2nd in the country with a 10-2 ATS (83.3 percent) mark, trailing only North Carolina. Proving that defense is the reason, 11 of those 12 games have gone under the total with the one exception going over by just 8.5 points. The most surprising fact of the totals run is that the linesmakers have actually increased the posted total in each of the last six games so that is something to keep an eye on. Defense wins games and as long as the unit remains strong, we should see plenty more Bulldogs covers this season.
Saturday’s Pregame Buzz
NBA - Stats Matchups
Portland Trail Blazers at Orlando Magic
* Blazers are 17-4 ATS in their last 21 games overall.
* Magic are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 last games against the Northwest Division.
* The UNDER is 9-3 in the last 12 meetings.
New York Knicks at Miami Heat
* Knicks are 17-35 ATS in their last 52 games when playing on 0 days rest.
* Heat are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 games against a team winning below 40 percent.
* The UNDER is 13-6 ATS in the last 10 meetings.
Detroit Pistons at Chicago Bulls
* Pistons are 14-4 ATS in their last 18 games against the Eastern Conference.
* Bulls are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games playing on 0 days rest.
* Bulls are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings, winning both meetings so far this season SU.
* The UNDER is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings in Chicago.
San Antonio Spurs at Houston Rockets
* Spurs are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
* Rockets are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games against the Southwestern Division.
* The UNDER is 21-5 in the last 26 meetings.
Seattle SuperSonics at Dallas Mavericks
* Sonics are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games against a winning team.
* Mavericks are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 games against a losing team.
* The favorite is 7-0 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
CBB - Stats Matchups
#21 Villanova at Syracuse
* Villanova has dropped its 2 Big East road games so far, falling at DePaul and Cincinnati. Meanwhile, the Orange have won their 3 Big East home games by an average of 13.3 points. "I think you have teams all the way up and down that get you on their home court and can win," Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. "In the past you might have had three or four teams that were good enough to hold their home court. Now really everybody is. I think it will continue to be difficult." EDGE: SYRACUSE
* Villanova is 0-6 ATS in its last 6 games overall.
* Syracuse is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games following an ATS win.
* The road team is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
Illinois at Purdue
* Illinois is 7-19 ATS in its last 26 games following a SU win.
* Purdue is 0-7 ATS in its last 7 home games against a losing road team.
* The UNDER is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings.
USC at #4 UCLA
* Everybody will be talking about the matchup between USC's O.J. Mayo and UCLA's Kevin Love, 2 of the best freshmen in the country. However, sophomore Russell Westbrook could be the difference for the Bruins, as he will likely draw the assignment of checking Mayo. "I was watching him earlier and how low he gets on his drives to the basket," UCLA head coach Ben Howland said of Mayo. "He's very difficult to stay in front of. He can really, really shoot it." Westbrook played against Mayo during the summer. "It's another game, another person," Westbrook said. "He's a good player and a good scorer. I just have to come out and play." EDGE: UCLA
* USC is 23-10 ATS in its last 33 games against a team winning above 60 percent.
* UCLA is 1-6 AS in its last 7 games against a winning team.
* Underdog is 9-2 in the last 11 meetings.
Ohio State at #7 Tennessee
* Ohio State is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games overall.
* Tennessee is 13-5-1 ATS in its last 19 non-conference games.
* The OVER is 7-2 in Tennessee’s last 9 home games against a losing road team.
Maryland at #1 North Carolina
* North Carolina is going for its 12th straight home win and looking to open 4-0 in conference play for the 1st time since the 2000-01 season. The Tar Heels are 9-0 at the Smith Center this season, averaging 98 points and winning by almost 30 per game. BIG EDGE: NORTH CAROLINA
* Maryland has lost its last 3 trips to Chapel Hill by an average of 23 points. The Terrapins hope to have starting guard Eric Hayes back though after he has missed the last 3 games with a sprained ankle. EDGE: NORTH CAROLINA
* Maryland is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games following an ATS loss.
* North Carolina is 35-17-1 ATS in its last 53 home games.
* The OVER is 11-4 in the last 15 meetings.
#9 Texas A&M at Kansas State
* Texas A&M is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games following a SU loss.
* Kansas State is 24-9 ATS in their last 33 home games against a poor road team.
* The UNDER is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
#23 Clemson at #5 Duke
* Clemson is 11-1 ATS in its last 12 road games following 3+ home games.
* Duke is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 home games.
* The road team is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings.
Kentucky at Florida
* Kentucky is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 road games.
* Florida is 7-0 ATS in its last 7 games against Southeastern opponents.
* The UNDER is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings.
PREGAME.COM
Pacers G Jamaal Tinsley (13 ppg; knee) is probable for tonight's game, but F Jermaine O'Neal (15 ppg; foot) is doubtful.
Bucks G Mo Williams (17 ppg; flu) returned to practice and should be ready on Saturday.
Kentucky G Jodie Meeks (11 ppg; hip) is NOT in tonight's probable starting lineup.
UCLA F Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (10 ppg; groin) is IN today's probable starting lineup.
Miami-Florida C Anthony King (8 ppg; groin) is IN tonight's probable starting lineup.
Bulls G Kirk Hinrich (11 ppg; back) has been downgraded to doubtful for tonight's game.
Rockets F Tracy McGrady (23 ppg; knee) has been upgraded to expected to play tonight.
Grizzlies F Rudy Gay (19 ppg; flu) has been added to the injury report as doubtful for tonight's game.
SMU G Derrick Roberts (10 ppg; groin) is NOT in tonight's probable starting lineup.
Oklahoma State's leading scorer F James Anderson (16 ppg; ankle) is IN today's probable starting lineup.
Marshall's leading scorer F Markel Humphrey (14 ppg; foot) is IN tonight's probable starting lineup.
James Madison F Juwann James (12 ppg; knee) is IN tonight's probable startiing lineup.
St. Joseph's G Tasheed Carr (12 ppg; ankle) is NOT in tonight's probable starting lineup
Looking at the weekend's top matchups
I hate to keep running this topic into the ground but ... the Atlantic 10 is one heck of a conference this season.
If I were throwing together a 65-team "mock" field this afternoon, I'd include Charlotte, Dayton, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Xavier in it.
Other quickie comments before diving into this weekend's games:
The victory at California (99-90, double OT) Thursday night by Arizona State was the biggest in Herb Sendek's short (one-plus seasons) stint at the Pac-10 school. Yes, it was even bigger than the Sun Devils' home wins over Xavier, Oregon and Arizona because it showed that they're capable of beating a quality opponent in a hostile environment. And that's something that a lot of teams that some people assume are NCAA tourney "locks" haven't done yet. ASU will be in the NCAA tournament.
South Carolina's Dave Odom, who announced his retirement Friday as the program's coach, effective at the end of the current season, is something approaching as nice a guy as there is in his profession. And that profession will miss him dearly, on and off the floor.
Rumors have been running rampant over the past weeks that Pepperdine coach Vance Walberg's relationship with his administration and players had reached the "rocky" stage. So the news that he was "resigning", for "personal and family" reasons didn't exactly come out of left field.
A quick spin around the weekend schedule:
Saturday
Non-conference
Ohio State at Tennessee
Frank Says: Easily the best of the action of the non-conference variety this week. The host Vols are humming along and getting themselves into position to lap up a No. 1 seed in the tournament if North Carolina/Memphis/Kansas/UCLA were to falter. They'd have to collapse to fall from being at least a No. 2 seed. The Buckeyes would create themselves, and the Big Ten, a lot of at-large bid goodwill with a strong performance in this one.
ACC
Clemson at Duke
Frank Says: Can anyone prevent a 1-2 UNC-Duke (or vice versa) finish in the conference? The Tigers seem the most capable but to do so are going to need to get a "push" for that gut-twisting loss at home the Tar Heels. Coming out of Cameron Indoor Stadium with a W would do the trick quite nicely, thank you very much. In a nutshell: How well can the Blue Devils neutralize the Tigers' superior post strength (led by Trevor Booker), and can Clemson keep Mike Krzyzewski's stable of slashers and jump shooters from slicing up its half-court defense?
Maryland at North Carolina
Frank Says: Remember when a Terps-Tar Heels showdown would be the Game of the Week? Since dropping three in a row in late December, however, Gary Williams' team has won five of six, including a four-point decision at Charlotte that looks better by the day. The near-escapes at Clemson and Georgia Tech aside, No. 1 UNC is still in solid position to be 22-0 when those fellows from Durham visit on Feb. 6.
ATLANTIC 10
Charlotte at Massachusetts
Frank Says: A cool matchup of two teams very much in contention for a conference title/at-large bid. The 49ers are 2-0 in conference and have won five of six, including the 10-point eybrow-raiser at Clemson a few weeks ago. Leemire Goldwire of Charlotte, one of the best sub-six foot "shooting guards" in college hoops, went for 36 points against Saint Joseph's Wednesday night — and turned the ball over seven times without an assist. You don't see that a lot. Interesting thing about Massachusetts' 12-4 start: The Minutemen averaged 90 points in games at Syracuse, Boston College, Vanderbilt and Dayton, and won three of them.
BIG EAST
Notre Dame at Georgetown
Frank Says: Does a 26-point loss (to Marquette) in the only "true" road game on their schedule offer some perspective to the Irish' 13-3 and 3-1 records? Yes. But Mike Brey has a quality team and an all-conference lock in sophomore Luke Harangody, and Notre Dame should put forth a much more competitive performance against the Hoyas, who are attempting to bounce back from their Monday night loss at Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati; Villanova at Syracuse
Frank Says: The Panthers continue to play better than had been anticipated following the loss to injuries of Mike Cook and Levance Fields. Jonny Flynn (24 points/5 rebounds/4 assists) had his best Big East game for the Orange in the 22-point win over Rutgers Wednesday night. Both Villanova and Syracuse are far from on stable at-large footing at the moment. But they're members of a conference that offers plenty of opportunities to play yourselves into that status.
BIG 12
Kansas at Missouri
Frank Says: If one of the three unbeatens is going to lose this weekend, this is where it's going to happen. The Tigers clocked Texas in Columbia last week. If the Jayhawks prevail with as much relative ease as they did in Lincoln, Neb., last week, the "Kansas is really the best team in the country right now!" school of thought will pick up a few thousand more disciples.
Texas A&M at Kansas State; Texas Tech at Oklahoma; Baylor at Nebraska
Frank Says: All of these clubs are in the at-large hunt, the Red Raiders getting into that discussion based on the spanking they gave the Aggies in Lubbock earlier this week.
MISSOURI VALLEY
Illinois State at Drake
Frank Says: OK, everyone who doesn't need to check out the conference standings to know that these teams are a combined 12-0 in conference and 29-3 overall, raise your hands ... amazing, isn't it? This could be the weekend's best, and most fiercely competitive, game in the country. So much for the consensus of national thought that the MVC is "down", just because Bradley, Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa and Wichita State have had their struggles.
Indiana State at Creighton
Frank Says: These teams are tied for third (at 4-2). The Bluejays (13-3) are in reasonable position to play themselves into at-large consideration if they finish in the top three in the conference.
PAC-10
USC at UCLA
Frank Says: The Trojans' 1-3 start in conference has taken some of the national shine off this game. As Tim Floyd's USC team (10-6 overall) struggles to gain cohesiveness at both ends of the floor, Ben Howland's Bruins are solidifying the national perception that they've got as much chance as do unbeatens North Carolina, Kansas and Memphis of cutting down nets in San Antonio. Watching how the Trojans guard Kevin Love and how the Bruins try to keep O.J. Mayo in check is, if nothing else, worth tuning into this one (CBS, 3:30 p.m. ET) for.
Arizona State at Stanford; Arizona at Cal
Frank Says: The four teams involved in down-to-the-wire decisions Thursday night swap opponents. And the Sun Devils, depending on what happens in Westwood earlier Saturday, could come out of the Bay Area this week sitting in first place by themselves! Amazing — but then again, so is ASU's James Harden, who, as is the case with Kevin Love, is in the hunt for both Freshman and Player of the Year honors in the Pac-10.
SEC
Kentucky at Florida
Frank Says: A showdown of teams that have been much worse (the Wildcats) and better (the host Gators) than most anticipated back in November. The Gators were every bit as impressive in their narrow loss at Mississippi earlier this week as they were in any of their 15 victories. And Kentucky still has too much talent to be going into the game with a 7-8 record.
Sunday
ACC
Florida State at Wake Forest
Frank Says: Each of these teams, in theory, has enough talent to finish closer to third place than 12th in the conference standings. The Deacon Demons haven't lost at home but the Seminoles (they've won at Florida and Georgia Tech) have played fairly well on the road.
BIG EAST
Marquette at Connecticut
Frank Says: For the Golden Eagles, only five days separated a 26-point home win over Notre Dame and a 20-point loss at Louisville. Is life on the road that difficult in the Big East? It is, apparently, when the home team is playing as well as Rick Pitino's Cardinals are. The Huskies experienced something Thursday night (a home loss; in this case, by 12 points to Providence) that any team that aspires to finish in the upper three spots in the Big East can't afford many of. Another to Marquette drops Jim Calhoun's team to 2-4 in conference, with nary a non-conference victory that will get anyone on the NCAA selection committee jazzed.
BIG TEN
Michigan State at Minnesota
Frank Says: The last time the Spartans went on the road, things got a bit, well, ugly when they were able to manufacture all of 36 points in a seven-point loss to Iowa. They weren't exactly an offensive juggernaut against Ohio State (prevailing, 66-60) in East Lansing, Tuesday night, either. The Gophers were the latest opponent to figure out that Eric Gordon isn't the only quality freshman 15-1 Indiana has after Jordan Crawford went for 16 points in the Hoosiers' 65-60 victory against them Thursday night.
PAC-10
Oregon at Washington State
Frank Says: The Ducks swept the Cougars a year ago, winning in Pullman, 77-74. Aaron Brooks averaged 23.5 points in those games for Oregon, but he's playing for the Houston Rockets now, and the Cougars are even better than when they won 26 games and finished second in the conference. Do you have a hunch about who I think is going to prevail in this one?
Pacers lose O'Neal for 2 weeks
January 19, 2008
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal will miss at least two weeks with a bruised left knee, team officials said Saturday before Indiana played Sacramento.
Earlier this week, O'Neal said he was not fully healed from knee surgery to repair torn meniscus cartilage last April. He said he's surprised the healing process has been so slow.
O'Neal said he had trouble during Wednesday's practice, but he started that night against Golden State. He left the game with 2:58 remaining in the first quarter after going scoreless and committing four turnovers in the first 9 minutes.
O'Neal spoke with team doctors and trainers, and after a strength test, the decision was made to sit him the rest of the game.
He is a six-time All-Star who averaged 19.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks last season, but has missed 89 games over the past 3 1/2 seasons because of injuries, illnesses and suspensions.