Friday 11/4/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[Steelcurtain77]

Wizard from DRF Santa Anita betting window for Breeder's Cup?

 

[superbeets]

German Bundesliga TODAY 19:30

Hertha Berlin

v

Mgladbach

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT3		7/5	11/5	21/10	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT HERTHA BERLIN	RECENT FORM
A DH WA DH WA WA L​ Most recent​	1 - 4 1 - 2 1 - 0 0 - 2	H DA WA LH WH DH D​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Gladbach have failed to score in their last four league fixtures

EXPERT VERDICT: Hertha Berlin are one of two Bundesliga sides to have maintained a 100 per cent home record this season and they can extend it by beating Borussia Monchengladbach in the capital. Pal Dardai's side have been in the top six all season and may have more energy than mid-table Gladbach, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Celtic on Tuesday.

RECOMMENDATION: Hertha Berlin
1

French Ligue 1 TODAY 19:45

Montpellier

v

Marseille

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT S		31/20	11/5	15/8	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT MONTPELLIER	RECENT FORM
H LA DH WA LA WA D​ Most recent​	0 - 1 2 - 1 2 - 3 0 - 1	H WA DH WA DA WH D​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Montpellier have only lost once at home this season

EXPERT VERDICT: Marseille are unbeaten at home but their away form is letting them down and they are easy to oppose at Montpellier. The hosts are towards the bottom of the Ligue 1 table but they have played their best football at the Stade de la Mosson this season and can overcome OM.

RECOMMENDATION: Montpellier
1

Spanish La Liga TODAY 19:45

Malaga

v

Sp. Gijon

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS5		8/11	13/5	17/4	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT MALAGA	RECENT FORM
H WA LH WA DH WA L​ Most recent​	1 - 0 1 - 0 2 - 0 1 - 1	A LH LA LH LA DH D​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Sporting Gijon are winless in seven matches

EXPERT VERDICT: Malaga already look likely to repeat last season’s mid-table finish but they should improve their current position with a win against struggling Sporting Gijon. The visitors began their campaign by picking up seven points from their opening three games but have struggled since and look vulnerable.

RECOMMENDATION: Malaga
2

Spanish La Liga Sa 5Nov 12:00

Granada

v

Deportivo

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS2		8/5	11/5	9/5	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT GRANADA	RECENT FORM
H LA LH LA LH DA L​ Most recent​	1 - 1 2 - 1 1 - 1	H LA LH WA LA LH D​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Granada have not won this season

EXPERT VERDICT: Granada are winless and rooted to the bottom of the La Liga table and their poor run looks set to continue against Deportivo. The visitors are not doing much better but they can take plenty of positives from Monday’s draw with Valencia and a first road win of the season might not be far away.

RECOMMENDATION: Deportivo
1

Premier League Sa 5Nov 15:00

Man City

v

Middlesbro

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		2/9	6	14	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT MAN CITY	RECENT FORM
H DA LH DA LA WH W​ Most recent​	0 - 2 1 - 0 3 - 1 1 - 0	A LH LA DH LA DH W​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Manchester City are unbeaten at home in the Premier League this season

EXPERT VERDICT: Pep Guardiola’s men ended a run of six games without a win and reignited their title charge with victory at West Brom last weekend and they should prove too strong for Middlesbrough. Boro beat Bournemouth last weekend but only Burnley and Sunderland have scored fewer goals on the road this term.

RECOMMENDATION: Man City to win 2-0
1


REFEREE: Kevin Friend STADIUM:

Premier League Sa 5Nov 15:00

Bournemouth

v

Sunderland

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		—	—	—	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT BOURNEMOUTH	RECENT FORM
H D*H WA DH WH DA L​ Most recent​	2 - 0 0 - 1 0 - 1 0 - 1	H LH DA LA LA LH L​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Sunderland have scored only twice in five away games this season

EXPERT VERDICT: Bournemouth’s defeat at Middlesbrough was their first loss in five Premier League games and they have won three of their last four home matches. Sunderland are without a win in ten league games and have scored just once in their last three outings so they should once again be outclassed.

RECOMMENDATION: Bournemouth
3


REFEREE: Mike Dean STADIUM:

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Canadiens (9-0) at Blue Jackets (4-3)

Date: November 04, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Columbus Blue Jackets (4-3-1) host the Montreal Canadiens (9-0-1) at Nationwide Arena on Friday.

The Canadiens, arguably the hottest team in the NHL, have yet to lose a game in regulation this season. They are riding an eight-game winning streak coming into Columbus.

"It's nice to arrive in the morning and have the two points there, but we know it's time to get back to work at practice. We have to make sure that when the play is there we make it, and we have to start playing that way against Columbus 1/8on Friday 3/8," Habs captain Max Pacioretty told the team's website.

Although goaltender Carey Price (6-0-0) stopped 42 shots in their 3-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, the team's sluggish start to the game served as a wake-up call. At one point, they were outshot 24-3 in Wednesday's win.

"We worked on our execution this morning to make sure we're ready to work right from the start of the game tomorrow in Columbus," continued head coach Michel Therrien. "We know the Blue Jackets are a hardworking team, and they have a tough building to win in."

On the blue line, Shea Weber helps make the Canadiens' back end more stable. Since being traded to Montreal from the Nashville Predators straight-up for P.K. Subban, he's tallied four goals and six assists for 10 points in 10 games. He has a plus-minus of plus-14 and is averaging more than 25 minutes per game.

The Blue Jackets are above .500 for the first time this season after an overtime win Tuesday against the Dallas Stars. Two factors that factor into Columbus' success are their special teams and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.

They have the best power play in the NHL, converting at 35.0 percent. Add to that their penalty killing unit ranking fifth at 88.9 percent, allowing three goals on 27 chances, and their special teams' play is helping them when called upon. Cutting down on the number of penalties they take will help ease the burden on their special teams.

Conversely, Montreal is 15th on the power play (20.0 percent), but is second in the NHL when they are a man-down (90.0 percent).

Between the pipes, Bobrovsky has started all eight games for the Blue Jackets, recording 4-3-1. Although he gave up five goals in the team's season opener, he has a 2.02 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage.

Defensively, Seth Jones (2-4-6) has been a workhorse for the Blue Jackets. The 22-year old leads the team in time on the ice (149:57), and has shined as part of the top-defensive pairing with 19-year-old Zach Werenski.

"I think I've been playing pretty consistent," Jones told the team's website. "The main thing for me is to be solid defensively first and I think I've done a pretty good job with that, with Zach, so I think we're playing very well together and having a lot of success right now."

Jones has been used in all situations, having the ability to skate the puck out of danger, while jumping into the play offensively when warranted.

"He's been good all year long," head coach John Tortorella said. "He has been ready and he's brought people along with him. As we've talked about: our back end is going to be our engine as we move forward here, and he's a big part of it."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Coyotes (4-6) at Ducks (4-5)

Date: November 04, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- When the Anaheim Ducks and the Arizona Coyotes meet Friday night at the Honda Center, both teams also will be facing a third opponent.

Injuries have claimed key players on both sides. The Ducks' Ryan Getzlaf and Nick Ritchie are both day-to-day after receiving hard hits during Tuesday night's 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle scratched both before Wednesday night's 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and neither participated in Thursday's optional skate.

Getzlaf sustained an upper-body injury but Ritchie's condition generates the greater concern. The 20-year-old left winger left Tuesday night's game late in the second period after Kings defenseman Tom Gilbert hit him in the head while checking him into the glass. Ritchie underwent the league's concussion protocol and Gilbert received a three-game suspension Thursday for his hit, which did not result in a penalty. Carlyle said both forwards will skate in Friday morning's practice.

Ritchie and Getzlaf joined right winger Corey Perry to form Anaheim's top line. But against Pittsburgh, center Antoine Vermette replaced Getzlaf while Rickard Rakell moved into Ritchie's spot at left wing. Expect the same formation if neither Getzlaf nor Ritchie is available Friday night.

The Ducks hope to avoid the kind of ragged start that sabotaged them during their past two home games, Wednesday night's 5-1 loss and a 4-0 defeat to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 28.

"It's inexcusable," defenseman Cam Fowler said Wednesday night. "Two stinkers in a row at home is not good for a team that expects high things, like we do. Collectively as a group, we're just not there defensively."

The Coyotes, meanwhile, missed four regulars in Thursday night's 3-2 shootout win over the Nashville Predators. Center Martin Hanzal and left winger Tobias Rieder missed their first games of the season because of lower-body injuries. The pair joins defenseman Michael Stone and goalie Michael Smith among the injured. Rieder remains questionable against Anaheim but none of the other three are expected to play.

Replacing Hanzal against Nashville was center Christian Dvorak, who was recalled from Tucson in the AHL and scored his first NHL goal Thursday night. The 20-year-old Dvorak joins a young core that features forwards Max Domi and Anthony Duclair. Last season, Dvorak amassed 52 goals and 121 points in 59 games for the OHL's London Knights.

Arizona received some good news on Wednesday, when Smith skated for the first time since injuring his left leg in the second game of the season Oct. 18 against the Ottawa Senators. Smith remains week-to-week.

"He looks fine out there skating," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett told the Arizona Republic. "But there are just a couple movements that he's going to have to be able to get to before he starts stopping pucks."

Despite the injuries, the Coyotes overcame their 1-5 start by winning three of their next four, reinforcing General Manager John Chayka's optimism.

"The effort and work ethic of our group, and the battle we've shown is good to see," Chayka told the Republic. "You know you have a character group that's going to push through this. There's still lots of expectation that this is a good group of players, and they're going to turn it around."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Jets (4-6) at Red Wings (6-4)

Date: November 04, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings and Winnipeg Jets are coming off of overtime losses of the same score when they play Friday at Joe Louis Arena.

Detroit (6-4-1) lost 4-3 in Philadelphia on Wednesday night and Winnipeg (4-6-1) dropped a 4-3 decision at Washington on Thursday night.

The Red Wings, who have lost three straight after a six-game winning streak, blew 2-0 and 3-2 leads against the Flyers.

"It wasn't a perfect 60 minutes, but I thought we had enough good stuff out there to win," Detroit captain and forward Henrik Zetterberg said.

The Red Wings took a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals 26 seconds apart by forwards Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou .

Chris Vandevelde scored in the second period and Roman Lyubimov tied it early in the third the third.

Zetterberg's goal 8:18 into the third period have Detroit a 3-2 lead.

But Mark Streit tied the game 3-3 with 1:04 remaining in regulation after goalie Michal Neuvirth was pulled for an extra attacker and Jakub Voracek scored for the Flyers 1:41 into overtime.

Larkin called it a tough way to lose.

"Especially in this building, where historically we haven't been successful in the past however many years," he said.

The Red Wings last won in Philadelphia in Game 2 of the 1997 Stanley Cup Final and last won in the regular season there on June 25, 1997 (0-11-1).

Without six veteran players, the Jets rallied from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game in the third period and send it to overtime against the Capitals on Thursday night.

Veteran right winger Chris Thorburn took a "family day" and the team was already without injured forwards Bryan Little, Drew Stafford and Shawn Matthias and defensemen Tyler Myers and Mark Stuart.

Winnipeg defenseman Tobias Enstrom made it 3-1 with his shorthanded goal at 2:11 into the third period. It was Enstrom's first goal in 22 games, dating to Feb. 25.

Center Adam Lowry scored at 5:23 of the third to make it 3-2 off a setup from defenseman Dustin Byfuglien. Mark Dano tied the game at 3-3, 8:49 into the third period.

Alex Ovechkin's power-play goal 3:21 into overtime won it for Washington. It was Ovechkin's second goal of the game.

"We've got a resilient group, a young group of guys that maybe don't know any better, that we shouldn't be doing this every night," center Blake Wheeler said. "But man, we did in the first game of the season and we've continued to do it. ... It's a pretty amazing feeling coming in the room after two periods being down 3-0 and knowing you've still got a shot to the hockey game."

It will most likely be the last game that Jets coach Paul Maurice will coach at Joe Louis Arena.

Maurice began his coaching career at the arena in the early 90's when he was an assistant coach and then the head coach and general manager in the major junior Ontario Hockey League with the Detroit Jr. Red Wings who are now the Flint Firebirds.

It was also a homecoming for Winnipeg center Andrew Copp, who is from Ann Arbor, played youth hockey in the metropolitan Detroit area and played at the University of Michigan.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Grand Salami - November

The Grand Salami in pro hockey is decided by adding up all the goals scored in every game scheduled for that particular day. You can wager on 'over' or 'under' the Grand Salami total. The total is set by adding up all listed 'over/under' odds for each game on that particular day.

Note: The Grand Salami will have no action if any game is suspended or cancelled before the regulation time of three twenty minute periods. Also, regardless of the number of goals scored during the shoot out portion of the overtime, the final scored recorded for the game will give the winning team on more goal than its opponent based on the score at the end of regulation time.

*The majority of sportsbooks do not put out a total on the Grand Salami when there is only one game on the card. For tracking purposes, we will continue to show the 'over/under' for goals and combined goals scored on days with just one game.

NHL GRAND SALAMI
Date No. of Games Total Goals Combined Goals Scored Result
11/1 12 66.5 57 UNDER
11/2 3 16.5 16 UNDER
11/3 12 65.5 65 UNDER
11/4 3 - - -
11/5 13 - - -
11/6 6 - - -
11/7 3 - - -
11/8 10 - - -
11/9 3 - - -
11/10 10 - - -
11/11 6 - - -
11/12 11 - - -
11/13 6 - - -
11/14 1 - - -
11/15 13 - - -
11/16 2 - - -
11/17 10 - - -
11/18 5 - - -
11/19 11 - - -
11/20 5 - - -
11/21 7 - - -
11/22 5 - - -
11/23 12 - - -
11/24 2 - - -
11/25 11 - - -
11/26 9 - - -
11/27 6 - - -
11/28 2 - - -
11/29 12 - - -
11/30 3 - - -

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA roundup: Durant lights up Thunder
By The Sports Xchange

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Kevin Durant overwhelmed his former mates with a long-range shooting exhibition Thursday, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 122-96 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in a rematch of last year's Western Conference finals.
Durant connected on seven of 11 3-point attempts en route to a season-best 39 points, helping the Warriors outscore the Thunder 42-30 from beyond the arc en route to their fourth consecutive win after a season-opening loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Russell Westbrook countered with 20 points, 10 assists and six rebounds for the Thunder, who took the court undefeated in four games but quickly fell victim to the wear and tear of a tough 85-83 road win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
Stephen Curry had a his 21-point, seven-assist outing for Golden State, which got 18 points from Klay Thompson.

Cavaliers 128, Celtics 122
CLEVELAND -- LeBron James scored a season-high 30 points to go with 12 assists as Cleveland defeated Boston.
Kevin Love scored 26 points and Kyrie Irving added 23 for the Cavs, who improved to 5-0 for the first time since the 1976-77 season. It is the second time James has been 5-0 in his career. The other time was 2011-12 with Miami, and that year ended with James' first championship.
Isaiah Thomas scored 30 points and Avery Bradley had 26 points for the Celtics. Boston played without Al Horford (concussion) and Jae Crowder (sprained ankle).

Nuggets 102, Timberwolves 99
MINNEAPOLIS -- Danilo Gallinari scored 19 points and Jusuf Nurkic added 18 as Denver held off Minnesota.
Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 32 points and 14 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins added 25 for the Timberwolves.
Wilson Chandler also scored 19 points for Denver. Jameer Nelson added 14 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.

Bucks 125, Pacers 109
MILWAUKEE -- Jabari Parker scored 27 points and hit a career-high four 3-pointers leading Milwaukee past Indiana.
Giannis Antetokounmpo also scored 27 points for Milwaukee while Greg Monroe collected 16 points and 16 rebounds.
Paul George led the Pacers with 23 points. Reserve CJ Miles added 19.

Magic 102, Kings 94
ORLANDO -- Evan Fournier scored 29 points and Orlando pulled away in the fourth quarter from Sacramento.
DeMarcus Cousins led all scorers with 33 points but had little help as Sacramento dropped its third straight game.
Serge Ibaka scored 17 points while reserve Jeff Green added 15 for Orlando.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL roundup: Nash scores late in Rangers' win
By The Sports Xchange

NEW YORK -- Rick Nash scored with 1:21 remaining in the third period to lift the New York Rangers to a 5-3 victory against the Edmonton Oilers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.
J.T. Miller added an empty-net goal with 1:04 remaining to seal the win.
Kevin Hayes and Michael Grabner had a goal and an assist each and Jesper Fast also scored for the Rangers. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stopped 20 shots.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Patrick Maroon and Adam Larsson scored for the Oilers, who got 26 saves from goaltender Cam Talbot.

Maple Leafs 2, Sabres 1
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Mitchell Marner scored twice to lead Toronto over Buffalo.
Frederik Andersen was exceptional between the pipes, making 42 saves for the Maple Leafs.
Marcus Foligno scored for the Sabres, who saw a three-game winning streak end. Buffalo goalie Robin Lehner made 27 saves.

Flyers 3, Islanders 2 (SO)
NEW YORK -- Claude Giroux's lone shootout goal powered Philadelphia over New York at the Barclays Center.
Travis Konecny and Matt Read scored in regulation for the Flyers. Read's goal came in the final minute to force overtime.
Jaroslav Halak made 40 saves for the islanders, who got goals from John Tavares and Dennis Seidenberg.

Capitals 4, Jets 3
WASHINGTON -- Alex Ovechkin scored his second goal of the night with 1:39 left in overtime and Washington defeated Winnipeg.
Nicklas Backstrom scored the other goal for the Capitals.
Trailing 3-0 after two periods, the Jets rallied to force overtime and pick up a point on goals from Toby Enstrom, Adam Lowry and Marko Dano.

Senators 1, Canucks 0
OTTAWA -- Goalie Mike Condon stopped 27 shots, sparking Ottawa to over Vancouver in his debut with his new team at Canadian Tire Centre.
The shutout was the second of Condon's 57-game NHL career. It was also the Senators' third shutout in 10 games this season. Condon was acquired on Wednesday in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins that cost the Senators a fifth-round draft pick.
Senators winger Mike Hoffman scored the only goal at 14:42 of the second period and Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 23 shots.

Panthers 4, Devils 3 (OT)
SUNRISE, Fla. -- Vincent Trocheck scored on his own rebound with 43 seconds left in overtime as Florida topped New Jersey at the BB&T Center.
Trocheck had two goals in the game and has six on the season. Aaron Ekblad and Denis Malgin also scored for the Panthers.
Travis Zajac, P.A. Parenteau and Pavel Zacha scored for the Devils.

Bruins 4, Lightning 3 (SO)
TAMPA, Fla. -- Jimmy Hayes converted a shootout attempt in the 10th round to give Boston a victory against Tampa Bay at Amalie Arena.
Brandon Carlo, David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner scored for the Bruins while Tuukka Rask made 30 saves through regulation and overtime, allowing more than a goal for just the second time in six starts this season. Rask stopped 9-of-10 Lightning shooters in the shootout.
Tyler Johnson scored twice for the Lightning while Victor Hedman notched his second goal of the season. Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 28 saves and stopped 8-of-10 attempts in the shootout.

Blackhawks 4, Avalanche 0
CHICAGO -- Marian Hossa scored two goals and Corey Crawford registered his 21st career shutout with a season-high 38 saves as Chicago beat Colorado at the United Center.
Artemi Panarin capped win with a goal and Jonathan Toews scored the game's first goal.

Stars 6, Blues 2
DALLAS -- Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin combined for seven assists to help Dallas top St. Louis at American Airlines Center.
The Stars got two goals from John Klingberg and one each from Patrick Eaves, Stephen Johns, Jason Spezza and Jordie Benn. Seguin had four assists, tying a career-high, and Benn added three helpers. Antti Niemi stopped 28 of 30 shots.
Paul Stastny and Alex Pietrangelo each had a goal and an assist for The Blues, who lost their second straight game.

Coyotes 3, Predators 2 (SO)
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Arizona won its second straight game with a win over Nashville at Gila River Arena.
Anthony Duclair scored his first of the season and rookie Christian Dvorak scoed the first of his career in regulation for the Coyotes. Duclair and Radim Vrbata scored in the shootout for Arizona.
Louis Domingue made 35 saves for Arizona. Pekka Rinne had 26 for Nashville.
Matt Irwin and Craig Smith scored for the Predators.

Flames 3, Sharks 2
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Rookie Matthew Tkachuk scored his second goal of the game to break a late tie as Calgary handed San Jose its first home loss of the season.
Troy Brouwer also scored for the Flames.
Brent Burns and Melker Karlsson scored for the Sharks.

Kings 3, Penguins 2 (OT)
LOS ANGELES -- Nic Dowd scored the game-winning goal at 2:37 of overtime, and Los Angeles ended a four-game skid with a victory over Pittsburgh at Staples Center.
Trevor Lewis scored to end the Kings' 205 minute, 25 seconds scoreless streak. Matt Greene also scored for L.A.
Sidney Crosby scored both of the Penguins goals and Kris Letang had two assists.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Heat (2-2) at Raptors (3-1)

Date: November 04, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

TORONTO -- The Miami Heat are learning to cope without Dwyane Wade this season.

They also will have to learn how to cope with the Toronto Raptors' hot-scoring DeMar DeRozan on Friday when the teams meet for the first time since the second round of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Heat had Wade then, but he left in the offseason to play for the Chicago Bulls.

The Raptors, meanwhile, retained DeRozan, and the shooting guard has scored at least 30 points in each of his first four games this season.

He scored 40 points for the second time this season Wednesday when the Raptors defeated the Washington Wizards 113-103 at the Verizon Center. He also hit his only 3-pointer of the season in that game.

"He gets to the line, so that kind of makes up for him not shooting (3-pointers) because he'll probably shoot double-digit free throws," Heat guard Tyler Johnson said. "It's definitely rare. I think D-Wade was able to do something similar to that where he would maybe shoot one or two 3s a game but still put up 30."

DeRozan is averaging 36.3 points on 55.4 percent shooting this season.

"The team is built around him," said former Raptors forward James Johnson, now with the Heat. "I'm not taking anything away from DeMar. He's a great player. He has 190 moves in his bag, but the team plays around him and they play around him well."

The Raptors (3-1) defeated the Heat in seven games in the playoff series in May. Despite dealing with a thumb injury, DeRozan averaged 22.1 points while shooting 38.8 percent in the series.

"He is playing at another level right now," said Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry, who took three stitches over his right eye in the first half Wednesday. "He's making my life a lot easier and everyone on our team's life a lot easier. He's saving possessions, he's creating offense."

DeRozan said, "I'm just a student of the game. I work extremely hard in the summer, extremely hard. I try to put everything together, be a student of the game while working, always feeling like I'm new to the game so I can soak up as much as possible. I try to release that when I get on the court."

Meanwhile, the Heat (2-2) are trying to establish a go-to player when the game is on the line now that Wade is gone.

"We knew where the ball was going (last year). This year, it's whatever matchup we can exploit," said Johnson, who scored nine points in the final five minutes of regulation time and in overtime when the Heat defeated the Sacramento Kings 108-96 Tuesday.

"What we do have right now is a lot of guys that can attack and make plays," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "The game may dictate how that's played out in the fourth quarter. Those things you have to go through it. You can plan and talk as much as we do behind the scenes, but you have to go through it ultimately, and the team will let you know."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Hornets (3-1) at Nets (2-3)

Date: November 04, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

NEW YORK -- The Charlotte Hornets were hopeful in their chances at re-signing Jeremy Lin.

Their desire to retain Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams also was significant, and it left leaving little salary-cap space for Lin, whom Charlotte could not go above the cap to retain.

Before signing as a free agent with the Brooklyn Nets, Lin said on social media last season was the most enjoyable year he spent in the NBA.

Even so, Lin could not get the three-year, $36 million deal from Charlotte that he received from Brooklyn. He will be a spectator Friday night when the teams meet at Barclays Center.

Lin is sidelined due to a strained left hamstring. The Nets announced Thursday that Lin will be re-evaluated in two weeks, meaning the ailment will cost him at least seven games.

The injury occurred at some point in the first half of the Nets' 109-101 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, two days after Brooklyn's 30-point loss to the Chicago Bulls.

With Lin out, Nets coach Kenny Atkinson could hand point guard responsibilities to Isaiah Whitehead and Sean Kilpatrick, who played the position during summer league games.

Kilpatrick recorded his first career double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds Wednesday, and Whitehead scored five points in 20 minutes.

"We don't have the luxury of not playing hard every possession," Kilpatrick said. "That's something we're starting to instill. As soon as Jeremy went out, I was like, 'I'm going to have to play the point.' Coach did a great job of making sure I played the point because you never know when that time is going to come."

The point guard rotation also could involve Randy Foye, whose strained right hamstring has been upgraded to probable after he missed the previous five games.

"Obviously, it's tough to be there without J-Lin," said Nets center Brook Lopez, who scored 34 points Wednesday. "We're confident he'll be all right."

Regardless of who is at the point, the Nets (2-3) will be facing an opponent that will be looking for a better start.

The Hornets improved to 3-1 with a 109-93 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. They recorded the win after trailing by as many as 13 at during the first half.

Batum scored 17 of his 20 points in the third quarter. He was 6 of 8 from the field with three 3-pointers in the decisive quarter, and the Hornets were 16 of 22 from the field in waking up from a shaky first half.

"I had to get more aggressive," Batum said. "The first week and a half (of the season), I was too passive and just tried to move the ball and get everybody involved. So sometime I have to look for my shot, and I had to do it. I had to step up. I wasn't playing like myself. That's why I had to step up, and in the third quarter, I was able to hit some shots and get my rhythm back."

Hornets coach Steve Clifford said of Batum, "You could tell that he was going to come out and look for his shot more. You could tell from his body language that he was upset, in a good way, that he knew we had to play better. He was aggressive right from the start of the second half."

Clifford will hope he does not have to discuss slow starts after Friday. In the past three games, the Hornets averaged 22 points and 34.4 percent shooting (21 of 61) in the first quarter.

"We have to start better, though," Clifford said. "Since the first game in Milwaukee, we haven't started well, so we have to try to do better with that."

The Hornets swept the four meetings with the Nets last season. Charlotte completed the sweep with a 105-100 victory in Brooklyn on March 22 and won despite Kemba Walker shooting 4 of 14.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Knicks (1-3) at Bulls (3-1)

Date: November 04, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

CHICAGO -- For much of the young season, the Chicago Bulls haven't had trouble keeping defensive pressure on opposing teams.

The constant pressure, coupled with a blend of balanced scoring and an up-tempo style of play, led to a flawless start and three straight wins. But when the Bulls surrendered 36 first-quarter points in a 107-100 loss to the Boston Celtics Wednesday night, it resulted in an uphill climb the Bulls couldn't manage to finish.

"We could just never quite get over the hump," coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters after the Bulls dropped their first loss of the season.

The Bulls hope to solve their defensive lapses Friday when they host the New York Knicks at the United Center. The Knicks have experienced defensive issues of their own of late, which have mounted in New York dropping three of its first four games.

The Knicks sustained their second straight double-digit loss Wednesday in a 118-99 drubbing at the hands of the Houston Rockets. Already struggling to establish offensive rhythm under first-year coach Jeff Hornacek, the Knicks' defensive struggles have been even more alarming.

In each of its first four games, New York has allowed no fewer than 102 points, which has been a problem and could pose one against the Bulls, who have twice scored 118 points and have found plenty of production not only from its starting lineup headlined by Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo, but from its bench.

New Knicks guard Derrick Rose -- who will make his return to Chicago along with former Bulls teammate Joakim Noah Friday -- told reporters after the loss to Houston that things had to change if the Knicks hope to reverse their course.

"It's nothing but defense," Rose said Wednesday night. "If we don't come out and play defense, we're going to keep getting smacked like this."

The frustrations are apparent with Rose, who was part of some Chicago teams during his tenure with the Bulls that thrived on keeping plenty of pressure on opposing teams. So now that he's on the opposite end of the spectrum with the Knicks, Rose understands what is at the core of New York's problems.

"I've been on teams where we're building a culture here -- we're trying to bring a defensive culture here," Rose told reporters. "Trying to make something last and establish something. It takes time."

While Chicago has its share of new faces and is still experimenting to get the on-floor chemistry right, Hoiberg is hoping that Wednesday night's defensive struggles against the Celtics can be fixed.

Among the Bulls' biggest issues was defending the perimeter as the Celtics were able to find their range behind the 3-point arc and connected on 14 of their 32 attempts.

Hoiberg liked the way his team battled back from a pair of double-digit deficits to tie the game at 100 in the closing minutes, he lamented the fact that the Bulls simply didn't do enough defensively to keep themselves in the game.

"We weren't contesting shots," Hoiberg told reporters. "We had a guy there, he was two or three steps behind as opposed to getting (shooters) into a long two or force them into the help (defense) where they'd have to make another pass.

"I just thought we gave them too many dare shots."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL

Friday’s games

Montreal won six of last nine games with Columbus (Blue Jackets won last two), with three of last four series games going over total. Canadiens won three of last four visits here (over 2-1-1). Montreal allowed total of nine goals in winning its last eight games, winning 3-2/4-2 in last two road games. Under is 4-0-1 in their last five games. Columbus won four of last six games; their last seven games stayed under.

Winnipeg is 6-3 in its last nine games with Detroit; over is 5-3 in last eight series games. Jets are 3-2 in last five visits to Motor City. Winnipeg lost four of its last six games (under 5-0-1); they scored 10 goals in the six games. Detroit lost its last three games, scoring total of five goals; over is 4-2 in their last six home games.

Road team won five of last seven Arizona-Anaheim games; Coyotes are 3-2 in last five visits to the Pond. Last four series games went over the total. Ducks were outscored 9-1 in losing last two home games- under is 5-3-1 in their last nine games. Anaheim is 2-3 in last five games overall. Arizona had a tough game at home last nite with Nashville; they’re 1-5 on road. Under is 5-2 in Coyotes’ last seven games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Trail Blazers (2-3) at Mavericks (0-4)

Date: November 04, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

The first week hasn't gone as expected for the Dallas Mavericks. Still in search of their first win, the Mavericks (0-4) host only their second home game Friday night against the Portland Trail Blazers.

The winless start is obviously a source of concern, but the Mavs aren't hitting the panic button. At least not yet.

"It's frickin' four games in," Dirk Nowitzki said after Wednesday's 97-81 setback at Utah. "You've just got to keep battling and then stop the bleeding at home. We know we have two tough teams coming in, tough matchups, but we've got to stop the bleeding."

The last time the Mavericks opened the season 0-4 in 2006-07, they rebounded to win a league-best and franchise-record 67 games. Of course, that Dallas squad was coming off an appearance in the NBA Finals and Nowitzki was in his prime.

These Mavs don't have the same margin of error. Dallas and New Orleans (0-5) are the only teams without a win in the Western Conference.

"We're fighting, but we've got to play better," said Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, who suggested changes could be coming.

The Blazers (2-3) aren't exactly off to the races, even with Damian Lillard playing at an MVP-like level. The two-time All-Star point guard is averaging 32.6 points -- third in the league -- 6.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists.

Lillard is the first player to score at least 27 points in his team's first five games since Kobe Bryant in 2005-06 season. Lillard's 163 points in the first five games are the most ever in franchise history.

Lillard also joined some elite company in surpassing the 7,000-career point mark. He's the fifth-fastest player in NBA history to tally at least 7,000 points and 2,000 assists behind Oscar Robertson, Tiny Archibald, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James.

Lillard's 27 points Wednesday night weren't enough in Portland's 118-115 overtime loss at Phoenix. The Blazers were up 90-83 on the Suns midway through the fourth quarter, but couldn't close the deal.

"Up six, up seven, you've got to put them away," CJ McCollum said. "A team like that with good players, they're going to fight, especially at home. Once they see they've got a chance then they're really going to try to turn it up. It's a learning experience. Obviously, you don't want to have too many of those."

McCollum scored a season-high 24 on 8-of-18 shooting from the floor, including 3-6 from 3-point range, against the Suns. Evan Turner had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Mavericks have enjoyed success in the series with Portland. Dallas has won four straight at home and 26 of the last 32 games. The Mavs haven't lost a season series since 2009-10.

Nowitzki is expected to make his American Airlines Center debut after missing last week's home opener with a stomach illness. He returned against the Jazz after missing two games.

Nowitzki scored only nine points and admitted to be winded.

"I've just got to keep battling through it and get my stamina back," said Nowitzki, who was also experiencing soreness in his Achilles while out.

Portland should be without center Festus Ezeli, who's nursing a left knee injury.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Spurs (4-1) at Jazz (3-2)

Date: November 04, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

SALT LAKE CITY -- Life during Gordon Hayward's absence may not be too difficult for the Utah Jazz to handle after all. Behind the inspired play of veteran point guard George Hill, the Jazz are proving to be a tough customer even while Hayward continues to heal from a broken finger.

Hill is enjoying the finest start to a season during his nine-year NBA career. Through five games, he is averaging a team-best 21.4 points while shooting 54.8 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3-point range. Hill has been a steadying influence for Utah's offense, providing energy on critical baskets and timely assists.

"I'm glad my teammates have confidence in me in controlling the tempo out there and trying to make plays," Hill said, after scoring a season-high 25 points to lead the Jazz to a 97-81 victory over Dallas on Wednesday night. "Numbers or not, I just want to win."

When the Jazz (3-2) acquired Hill in a trade with Indiana over the summer, it gave them a legitimate floor general at point guard -- something that Utah has sorely lacked in recent seasons. He has done everything the team hoped he could do -- and more -- since the trade.

Handling the scoring load just comes with the territory of Hill showing Utah that the team made a wise decision

"We had a high opinion of George, that's why we traded for him," Utah coach Quin Snyder said. "That's the essence of who he is. He's just going to do is asked of him and what he thinks that he needs to do to help us win games. That's what he's done."

San Antonio needs no introduction to how dangerous Hill can be on the court. He spent his first three years in the league with the Spurs, averaging 9.9 points and 2.4 assists in 231 games.

Hill caused all sorts of trouble for San Antonio on Tuesday, scoring 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting and dishing out seven assists to lead the Jazz to a 106-91 victory. It marked Utah's first road victory over the Spurs since 2010. It also was the team's first victory over San Antonio since a 90-81 defeat in Salt Lake City on Feb. 23, 2015.

The Spurs had no answer for the energy he generated and spread throughout the rest of the Jazz roster.

"They were aggressive the entire 48 minutes and we were in and out in that regard and it cost us," Spurs coach Greg Popovich said.

The Spurs (4-1) will be shorthanded in their quest to avenge their only loss this season. Tony Parker and Danny Green will not play on Friday night. Parker is out with a sore right knee and Green is sidelined with a left quad strain.

Their absence means Kawhi Leonard will have to deliver a big performance again for San Antonio. Leonard has led the team in scoring all five games this season and totaled 30 points against Utah. The 6th-year forward is averaging 28.4 points per game, which ranks 7th among NBA players this season.

Leonard has increased his scoring average each of the previous five seasons. He also saw significant improvements in his field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage and 3-point field-goal percentage last season.

San Antonio swept the season series with Utah a year ago, winning all four games between the two team by an average margin of 21 points.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Hawks (3-1) at Wizards (0-3)

Date: November 04, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- Wizards center Marcin Gortat called winless Washington's previous game a "must win." They lost to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night with another late collapse. Whether that makes Friday's matchup with the Atlanta Hawks a must, must win or not, John Wall and company surely want to break through.

The Wizards (0-3) host the Hawks (3-1) at 7:00 p.m. in a rematch from their opening night loss at Atlanta. Since falling 114-99 on Oct. 27, Washington fell 112-103 at Memphis and dropped its home opener 113-103 as Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan scored 40 points. In each game, the Wizards fell apart in the fourth quarter. Toronto converted 21 turnovers by Washington into 30 points.

"Tonight the points off turnovers," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. "I think we had 20 turnovers for over 30 points. That's hard to overcome. Defensively, in the first half we gave up too many easy 3s that we have to make sure we close out and know our personnel -- whoever has the hot hand or whoever's a 3-point shooter."

Atlanta dropped its first game of the season Wednesday 123-116 as Los Angeles Lakers guard Lou Williams scored 16 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter.

"They just played better than us. I give credit when credit is due," Hawks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. said. "They came out with a sense of urgency in that second half. (Giving up) 39 in the third quarter and 33 in the fourth is unacceptable."

The Hawks held their opponents under 100 points in each of their first three games.

"You can't ever feel good if you give up that kind of offense in two consecutive quarters," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said.

In each of their three games, the Wizards fell apart in the fourth quarter. Atlanta outscored Washington 33-19 in the fourth quarter.

Dwight Howard had 31 points and 11 rebounds in the loss to the Lakers. The Hawks center had 11 points and 19 rebounds in the first meeting with Washington. Paul Millsap led Atlanta with 28 points against the Wizards.

Wall, who had two knee surgeries in the offseason, had 33 points, 11 assists and nine turnovers against the Raptors. Otto Porter went for 23 points and 11 rebounds.

"It's still early. Don't count us out," Porter said. "At the same time, we just have to take and learn from these early games. We're trying to take steps, especially going forward, with close games like that. We have to find someone to push it over the top."

Spotty bench play contributed to Washington's setbacks. Brooks turned to rookie guard Tomas Satoransky in the second half over backup point Trey Burke. That swap could happen again against Atlanta.

"It's definitely something that's going to be considered," Brooks said of using the 6-foot-7 Satoransky, who joined the Wizards four years after being selected in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft. "Tomas brings a lot of energy and brings some toughness and has good size and athleticism. He's played that position his entire life. I thought he's had some great moments in exhibition."

Six Hawks are averaging at least 10 points per game, led by Millsap (17.0), Howard (15.5) and Hardaway (14.8).

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Free NBA Picks: Friday, Nov. 4, 2016, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews

The NBA's Revenge Tour continues on Friday, a night after Russell Westbrook took his pent-up frustrations out on former teammate Kevin Durant in Oakland. On Friday, it will be interesting to see how New York point guard Derrick Rose is welcomed back to his hometown of Chicago. In the 2010-11 season, Rose became the youngest-ever MVP and arguably the most popular athlete in the Windy City since some Jordan guy. The Bulls were poised to be LeBron James' top challenger in the Eastern Conference for years. But we all know what happened after that with Rose's injuries. He fell out of favor with fans eventually and the front office as well because he kept talking about free agency in the summer of 2017 and cashing in even though the Bulls were already paying him an insane amount of money. So Chicago cut bait and dealt Rose to the Knicks this offseason. I actually think Rose will get a mix of cheers and boos because he was a high school legend in the city as well.

Hawks at Wizards (+1, 207)

Atlanta comes off its surprising first loss, 123-116 at home to the Lakers. Dwight Howard had 31 points and 11 rebounds and Tim Hardaway Jr. had 26 points for Atlanta. Hardaway Jr. has been a huge surprise thus far. Washington remains winless following a 113-103 home loss to Toronto on Wednesday. The Wizards got 33 points and 11 assists from John Wall but coughed it up 21 times, which led to 30 Raptors points. These teams opened the season against one another in Atlanta and the Hawks won 114-99 behind 28 points from Paul Millsap. Wall finished with only 12 points on 3-for-15 shooting. There could be some hard feelings here as the Hawks' Kent Bazemore was called for a flagrant foul on Wall, and Wall tried to go after Bazemore but was restrained.

Key trends: The Hawks are 5-2-1 against the spread in the past eight in Washington. The over is 4-1 in the past five meetings there.

Early lean: Hawks and over.

Heat at Raptors (-8.5, 197)

Miami beat visiting Sacramento 108-96 in OT on Tuesday behind 25 points from Goran Dragic and 22 from Tyler Johnson. Hassan Whiteside had 14 points and 11 rebounds and tied a franchise record with a fourth straight double-double to open a season. Toronto won 113-103 in Washington on Wednesday behind 40 points from DeMar DeRozan, who is second in the NBA in scoring. DeRozan has tied Mike James' 2005 franchise record with four consecutive 30-point games. This is a rematch of the Eastern Conference semifinals, won by the Raptors in seven. Toronto has won three straight regular-season games in the series and three in a row at home.

Key trends: The home team is 4-0 ATS in the past five. The over is 4-1 in the previous five meetings in Toronto.

Early lean: Raptors and over.

Hornets at Nets (+5, 205.5)

Charlotte beat Philadelphia 109-93 on Wednesday. Nicolas Batum, re-signed to a big deal this offseason, scored 17 of his 20 points in the third as the Hornets rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit. Kemba Walker led Charlotte with 22 points. Roy Hibbert missed a second straight game for the Hornets. The Nets upset the Pistons 109-101 on Wednesday and have been much more competitive than expected. Trade candidate Brook Lopez had 34 points and 11 rebounds. However, Jeremy Lin left with a strained left hamstring, so he's likely out here against his former club. Backup point guard Greivis Vasquez is already out. Charlotte swept Brooklyn 4-0 last year and has won three in a row at the Nets.

Key trends: The road team is 6-1 ATS in the past seven meetings. The over is 7-3 in Brooklyn's past 10 overall.

Early lean: Hornets and over.

Knicks at Bulls (-8, 204.5)

First of an ESPN doubleheader. Another new Knick/former Bull I know who will be cheered is Joakim Noah here, who left as a free agent. The team never made an effort to bring him back because it looked like Noah was pretty much done, but he was always beloved in Chicago for his hustle and was very active in the community unlike Rose. New York lost a second straight Wednesday, 118-99 at home to Houston. Rose had 16 points but was 8-for-18 from the field. Chicago suffered its first loss of the season, 107-100 in Boston on Wednesday. Jimmy Butler led Chicago with 23 points and nine rebounds. Doug McDermott sat out with a concussion, but he almost played so could here. New York won three out of four meetings last season but Chicago has won nine of the past 10 at home.

Key trends: The home team is 4-1 ATS in the past five meetings. The over is 4-1 in the past five in Chicago.

Early lean: Bulls and over.

Clippers at Grizzlies (+3.5, 199)

Los Angeles suffered its first loss of the year Wednesday, 85-83 at home to Oklahoma City. Just about every Clipper had an off game other than Chris Paul, who had 15 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and six steals. Memphis improved to 3-0 at home with an 89-83 overtime win over New Orleans. James Ennis had 16 points and 10 rebounds as he continues to start with Chandler Parsons recovering from knee surgery. Guard Tony Allen, who missed the first three games of the season with a sore right knee, got his first start. Los Angeles has won four of the past five regular-season meetings but lost the lone trip to Memphis last season.

Key trends: The Grizzlies are 6-2 ATS in the past eight meetings in Memphis. The under is 5-1-1 in the past seven meetings.

Early lean: Grizzlies and under.

Suns at Pelicans (-1.5, 215)

Phoenix got its first win of the year with a 118-115 overtime win over Portland on Wednesday. Eric Bledsoe made the winning 3-pointer at the buzzer. You could almost see that coming with the Blazers having played Golden State on Tuesday night. Devin Booker returned to the Suns lineup after missing one game and had 15 points. Winless New Orleans looks like the NBA's worst team despite a Top-5 talent in Anthony Davis. It lost in overtime at Memphis on Wednesday as Davis had an off night with 10 points. The Pelicans starters managed only 19 points. That's ridiculous. These teams split four meetings in 2015-16.

Key trends: The home team is 8-2 ATS in the past 10 meetings. The over is 6-0 in the Pelicans' past six on Friday.

Early lean: Pelicans and over.

Trail Blazers at Mavericks (-1.5, 208)

Portland lost a second straight Wednesday, 118-115 in OT at Phoenix. Damian Lillard's 27 points led the Blazers, with C.J. McCollum adding 24. It's just the team has very little outside those two. Lillard's 163 points in the season's first five games are the most ever by a Blazer to start a season. Dallas is winless after a 97-81 loss in Utah on Wednesday. Harrison Barnes led the Mavericks with 14 points, but they shot 26.9 percent behind the arc. Dirk Nowitzki returned after missing two games but had only nine points. Dallas won two of three last year and has won four in a row at home vs. Portland.

Key trends: The Blazers are 0-4 ATS in past four in Dallas. The over is 8-1 in the previous nine there.

Early lean: Mavericks and over.

Spurs at Jazz (+5.5, 186)

San Antonio was shocked at home by the Jazz 106-91 on Tuesday for its first loss of the year. Kawhi Leonard had 30 points and LaMarcus Aldridge 21, but no one else did much. The Spurs had won 10 straight at home in the series didn't lose their first home game all of last season until April 10 and finished 40-1 at the AT&T Center. Utah dominated Dallas on Wednesday behind 25 points from new addition George Hill. He has scored 18-plus points in all five games, the only Jazz player to do so.

Key trends: The Spurs are 2-6 ATS in their past eight in Utah. The under is 9-1 in the previous 10 meetings there.

Early lean: Spurs and under that tiny total.

Warriors at Lakers (+11, 227)

Second of the ESPN doubleheader and a potential major letdown game for the Warriors off the heated showdown Thursday with Westbrook's Thunder. This is Golden State's first matchup against former assistant and interim head coach Luke Walton, who led the team to a 39-4 mark to open last season. The Lakers ended a three-game losing streak with a 123-116 win in Atlanta on Wednesday. Lou Williams scored 16 of his 18 points in the fourth. Center Timofey Mozgov sat out with an eye contusion and is questionable here. Golden State was 3-1 last year vs. L.A. but the loss was one of the biggest upsets in league history.

Key trends: The Warriors are 10-4 ATS in the past four meetings. The under is 12-5 in the Lakers' past 17 at home.

Early lean: Sometimes I don't agree with the trends -- Lakers and over.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Suns (1-4) at Pelicans (0-5)

Date: November 04, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

NEW ORLEANS - It is five losses and counting for the winless New Orleans Pelicans, and in any election year, those are awful polling numbers.

The 0-5 Pelicans get another chance at breaking their early-season slide Friday night when they host the 1-4 Phoenix Suns at the Smoothie King Center, but don't necessarily count on it.

Even in a game when the Pelicans' bit players came to play -- putting up decent numbers in an 89-83 overtime road loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night -- forward Anthony Davis, who had scored 50, 45 and 35 points in three of New Orleans first four losses, had an atrocious night.

Davis is still averaging 31 points per game, but he went 3-of-13 from the floor and scored a season-low 10 points in the loss to Memphis. He knows he wasted a rare opportunity because the Pelicans' role players actually showed up.

Rookie guard Buddy Hield, mired in a shooting slump in the first four games, scored a career-high 18 points and was 4 of 9 from 3-point range. Swingman Lance Stephenson, who awakened a dormant New Orleans offense in a 35-20 second quarter, led the Pelicans with 21.

"Everybody else stepped up and made the plays and kept us in the game," Davis said. "I didn't come through on my end, and that's on me. I didn't perform to the level I'm capable."

At the end of regulation, with the score tied, Davis wound up fighting the clock and missed a 3-pointer. The Pelicans only needed a two-pointer or a foul shot to win.

"The only people who can dig us out of this is us," said New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry, whose team opened 0-6 last year and eventually was 1-11 before playing respectably in the last five months of the season. "No one's going to feel sorry for you at this level."

The Suns, meanwhile, notched their first victory of the season with a 118-115 overtime decision at home against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. Guard Eric Bledsoe nailed a tough 3-pointer on the right wing over the outstretched arms of Damian Lillard to get the relief victory.

"I wanted the ball and Coach gave it to me, and I delivered," said Bledsoe, who scored 12 of his 20 points in the final 5:07 of regulation and the five minutes of overtime.

Bledsoe had made only 3 of 15 shots before exploding down the stretch.

"I had to be extra aggressive," Bledsoe said. "This team is going to go as far as I take them, and I've got to do that. I have to lead by example."

The Pelicans and the Suns split four games last season. Bledsoe played in three of those games and averaged 25.5 points per game.

Gentry said he was pleased that Hield, who missed his first 12 3-point attempts over four games, seems to be getting more comfortable with his outside stroke.

"He still has a long way to go," Gentry said. "He's a young player trying to learn the league and what it's all about. He's a real conscientious kid. We will sit down with him, watch tape and he will learn from the mistakes he made and some of the breakdowns he had."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA

Friday’s games

Hawks won six of last eight games with Washington; four of last five series games went over. Atlanta won three of last four visits here; underdogs covered five of last seven series games. Hawks won three of last four games (over 2-2); they won only road game at Philly. Wizards lost first three games (over 3-0), losing only home game by 10 to Toronto.

Hornets won last four games with Brooklyn, but Nets covered four of last five in series; over is 6-3 in last nine series games. Charlotte won three of first four games (over 3-1), winning both road games, at Miami/Milwaukee. Brooklyn is 2-3, 2-1 at home (over 3-2); they’re 4-1 vs spread so far this season.

Toronto ousted Heat from playoffs in seven games LY;* Miami lost its last three games here by 4-8-27 points. Last three series games went over total. Heat split their first four games (over 3-1) this season, winning only road game by 12 at Orlando. Raptors won three of their first four games (over 3-1).

Rose/Noah return to Chicago here, on same day Cubs have their victory parade. New York won three of last four games against the Bulls, but lost four of last five visits to Windy City (2-3 vs spread). Knicks are off to 1-3 start, losing last two games by 13-19 points; three of their four games stayed under total. Chicago are off to 3-1 start, covering both games as a home favorite.

Home side won seven of last ten Phoenix-New Orleans games; three of last four went over total. Suns lost three of last four visits (over 3-1) to Bourbon Street, with losses by 4-15-6 points; they’re off to a 1-4 start, 1-1 as a road underdog. Three of last four Phoenix games went over total. Pelicans lost their first five games (1-4 vs spread); they’re 0-2 as a home favorite. Over is 3-2 in New Orleans games.

Clippers won four of last five games with Memphis but Grizzlies covered six of last eight series games; five of last six series games stayed under total. Clippers lost three of last four visits to Memphis, with losses by 11-16-6 points. Grizzlies are 3-0 at home, 0-2 on road (over 3-2); their last two wins were both in OT. Clippers are off to 3-1 start, winning only road game, at Portland.

Dallas won three of last four games with Portland (over 3-1); Trailblazers lost last four visits to Dallas, by 12-16-10-5 points. Three of last six series games went to OT. Portland lost three of last four games; they’ve split pair of OT games on road- all five of their games have gone over total. Dallas lost its first four games, losing only home game to Houston by 8- their last three games stayed under.

Spurs won four of last five games with Utah, but loss was 106-91 Jazz win in Alamo Tuesday night; last three meetings in Utah stayed under the total. San Antonio is 4-1 this season (over 3-2), 3-0 on road, 1-0-1 as a road favorite. Utah beat Lakers/Dallas in its two home games; they are 3-2 overall, 1-1 as home favorite. Three of last four Jazz games stayed under total.

Former Golden State assistant Walton is now Lakers’ coach. Golden State won eight of last ten games with LA (7-3 vs spread); Warriors lost two of last three against the Lakers here. Last four series games stayed under total. Golden State had “big game” with Thunder last night; they’ve won four games in row, but are 1-2 as road favorites. Lakers are 2-3 this season, 4-1 vs spread; they upset Rockets in only home game so far.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Clippers (3-1) at Grizzlies (3-2)

Date: November 04, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

Looking to improve a struggling offense that resulted in the team's first loss of the season, the Los Angeles Clippers open a two-game road swing Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Clippers' offense vanished at times in an 85-83 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night at Staples Center. Los Angeles endured a stretch of almost five minutes in the fourth quarter without a field goal and fell victim to another standout performance by Russell Westbrook, the NBA's leading scorer, who had 35 points, six rebounds and five assists.

The Clippers, who shot 39.1 percent against Oklahoma City and committed 19 turnovers, have experienced offensive dry spells in their four games. Los Angeles (3-1) is shooting 42.5 percent and an awful 28.7 percent from 3-point range on the season, the latter ranking 26th in the NBA.

Forward Blake Griffin said the Clippers, ranked 22nd in offense at 100.3 points per game, eventually would break out.

"I don't think we are worried," said Griffin, who finished with 14 points on 7-of-21 shooting and missed all three of his free throws against the Thunder. "It is not something we can't figure out. It is early in the season and it is a frustrating loss, but we are going to move on and correct our mistakes. We will use this as a learning process Friday and Saturday."

The Grizzlies (3-2) also have gone through funks. In what Memphis coach David Fizdale described as an "ugly" 89-83 victory over the winless New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, the Grizzlies prevailed despite hitting only 35.1 percent of their shots.

That is par for the course so far, with the Grizzlies ranking 26th offensively at 97.4 points while allowing opponents to score 102.9 points per game. They are shooting 40.8 percent overall. The opposition has connected on 45.9 percent.

But that matters little against the Clippers, who took two of three from the Grizzlies last season. The two adversaries have a history of testy playoff and regular-season battles.

"That's where the 'We Don't Bluff' came from, battling those guys," Grizzlies guard Tony Allen told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Allen made his season debut against the Pelicans by scoring just four points after missing the previous three games with a sore right knee.

"It's obviously a rivalry for us. We like to battle with those guys," Allen said.

Allen isn't the only Memphis player battling health issues. The club has proceeded with caution with point guard Mike Conley and center Marc Gasol, who are still recovering from injuries lingering from last season. Conley underwent Achilles surgery during the offseason, while Gasol sustained a broken right foot.

Fizdale rested the pair in a 116-80 road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.

Memphis also has been playing without Chandler Parsons, who is rehabbing from a knee injury.

Following Friday's contest, the Clippers travel to San Antonio to face the Spurs on Saturday. The Spurs also will be playing the second end of a back-to-back following a Friday night date at the Utah Jazz.

The Grizzlies wrap up their four-game homestand with games against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday and the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.