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UFC 207 betting preview and odds: Nunes vs Rousey, Cruz vs Garbrandt
By MMAODDSBREAKER

Amanda Nunes (+123) vs Ronda Rousey (-139)

Amanda Nunes, the 28-year-old Brazil-born bantamweight, enters her first UFC women’s bantamweight title defense on a four-fight winning streak. Nunes last fought in July 2017 when she headlined UFC 200 and defeated Miesha Tate to become the promotion’s champion at 135 pounds.

Ronda Rousey, the longtime UFC women’s bantamweight champion, defended her title belt five consecutive times prior to facing Holly Holm at UFC 193. Holm dethroned Rousey with a head kick and follow-up strikes to give Rousey her first professional defeat. This is Rousey’s first fight since her loss to Holm in November 2015.

This title clash is a really interesting matchup for two key reasons.

The first reason is that both fighters are fast starters and tend to slow down quickly in their fights. Nunes is certainly the better stand-up striker with better hands. She will be looking to keep this fight on the feet and score early in this bout. The polar opposite is true for Rousey. While she can throw on the feet, she has a major advantage on the ground against any of her opponents. Her armbar technique is right at the top of the sport when it comes to effective submission technique. If she can get Nunes to the ground, she has a very good chance to end the fight and do so early. Both fighters have the ability to implement their game plans and succeed in winning the fight utilizing their strengths: Nunes by knockout and Rousey by submission.

The second reason this fight is extremely intriguing comes down to Rousey’s mentality for this bout. Rousey hasn’t fought in over 12 months. After her loss to Holm, she struggled to talk to the media and share her thoughts on the fight. She is a fighter that excels when confident but really struggles when things get difficult. The Holm loss was difficult for her, as it was the first time she faced real adversity in MMA. One has to wonder if she’s ready for this bout. Her unwillingness to do interviews and promote the fight like other Pay-Per-View main event fighters have done presents further questions about her readiness. Nunes is a fighter that requires Rousey’s full preparation.

Nunes is as dangerous an opponent that Rousey has faced. Nunes is slightly bigger than Rousey and physically won’t be intimidated by her opponent. If Nunes is able to land anything early in this bout, things may not go well for the former champion.

Dominick Cruz (-211) vs Cody Garbrandt (+185)

Dominick Cruz is one of the best fighters in all of MMA and looks to continue his reign at the top of the bantamweight division. Cruz has won all five of his fights in the UFC. 2016 has been defined by his battle with Team Alpha Male. He’s already beaten TJ Dillashaw and Urijah Faber, and he is now looking to beat Garbrandt to give him a clean sweep over one of the top fight team’s in the sport.

Cody Garbrandt, the Ohio born and raised fighter, was a high school wrestling standout, winning a state championship in his freshman year. Garbrandt has been fighting professionally for about four years. He has won all 10 fights in his professional career and enters his first UFC title fight off a quick knockout of veteran Takeya Mizugaki.

Cruz looks to extend his winning streak to nearly 10 years when he takes on undefeated title challenger Garbrandt at UFC 207. Cruz has made a career of beating Team Alpha Male fighters. His movement is difficult to decipher, and his ability to fight a consistent pace over 25 minutes makes him very difficult to beat.
Garbrandt is going to struggle in this regard. Despite being in a position to fight for a UFC championship, he simply doesn’t have the experience to deal with Cruz’s unorthodox movement. Garbrandt has very good hands, but he’s a fighter that tends to excel against fighters that lack good head movement and are rather stationary targets.

Cruz will implement a strong game plan where he will be able to land strikes and get out of range before Garbrandt is able to throw punches. Garbrandt will be swinging at a lot of air in this bout. Look for Cruz to put on a consistent performance over the course of five rounds, winning a clear decision on the scorecards. Cruz is too quick, too clever and too experienced for Garbrandt. Given that Cruz is not a power striker, the best bet to consider for this fight is Cruz by Decision (+134). This is a fight he should win, and do so rather convincingly, so it shouldn't be close on the scorecards.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

In the Crease - Week 12
By Joe Williams

Streaky Teams
Wins and Losses Streak Over/Under Streak
Boston 3-0-3 past six road Arizona Under 15-3-4 past 22 overall
Columbus 12-0 past 12 overall Columbus Under 4-1-2 past seven road
Minnesota 10-0 past 10 overall Dallas Under 4-0 past four overall
Ottawa 4-0 past four overall, 3-0-1 past four home Edmonton Under 5-0-2 past seven overall
Pittsburgh 8-0-1 past nine home N.Y. Islanders Over 6-1 past seven overall

Bedeviled
The New Jersey Devils have struggled mightily since the calendar turned to December, and they are in the midst of a 1-7-1 slide dating back to Dec. 8. Goaltending has been a major reason for the skid, as they have allowed three or more goals in 17 of the past 19 outings overall. Things do not figure to get any better, as Pittsburgh skates into town Tuesday following by a home-and-home with Washington and a visit from Boston. The Pens have outscored the Devils 8-4 in two earlier losses, while the Caps have yet to face New Jersey this season. Pittsburgh is 4-1 in the past five meetings, although the home team is 24-6 in the past 30 in the series and Pittsburgh has won just five of their past 21 trips to Newark.

Sour Notes in Music City
The Nashville Predators have been struggling on home ice lately. They were pounded 4-0 against Los Angeles in their most recent home game Thursday, and they are 2-3-2 in their past seven in Nashville. The next three home games feature the red-hot Minnesota Wild Tuesday night, as they skate in on a 10-game winning streak. One of those wins was a 5-2 Wild victory in Nashville Dec. 15. The Chicago Blackhawks follow that visit Thursday, and the Eastern Conference leading Montreal Canadiens come to town Jan. 3 for the first game of the New Year. It might be a good idea to continue to fade the Predators at home until they can solve their issues. Nashville has allowed 26 goals over their past seven games at home.

Looking Ahead

Friday, Dec. 30
The Predators head to St. Louis looking to tame the Blues. Nashville hasn't had a lot of success in the Gateway City, however, losing three straight along the banks of the Mississippi River, and five of their past seven. The 'under' is 5-2-1 in the past eight meetings in this series, too. The Blues have piled up an impressive 7-1-2 mark in their past 10 home games, including a 3-1 win back on Nov. 19 against the Predators.

Vancouver hosts Anaheim in the late game Friday. The Ducks won their most recent trip to the Pacific Northwest by a 3-1 count back on Dec. 1, cashing as a -165 favorite. Anaheim has outscored Vancouver 7-3 in two meetings this season, and the Ducks have won eight of their past 10 trips to British Columbia. Anaheim has outscored Vancouver 36-15 during the 10-game span in Vancouver. The Canucks limp in with the third-fewest points in the Western Conference, and they haven't won back-to-back games at home since opening the season 4-0.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL roundup: Jackets, Wild keep winning
By The Sports Xchange

WINNIPEG -- The Columbus Blue Jackets just keep on rolling.
Hockey's hottest team won its 14th straight game on Thursday night, downing the Winnipeg Jets 5-3 in a feisty affair at the MTS Centre.
Nick Foligno led the way with a goal and two assists, Alexander Wennberg had two goals and Brandon Saad and Lukas Sedlak scored for the Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky won his league-best 23rd game in stopping 31 of 34 shots he faced.
Shawn Matthias, Bryan Little and Mathieu Perreault scored for the Jets in the losing effort.

Wild 6, Islanders 4
SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- Minnesota extended its winning streak to 12 games with a win over New York Islanders.
Chris Stewart, Erik Haula, Mikael Granlund, Marco Scandella, Jared Spurgeon and Jordan Schroeder scored for the Wild.
Brock Nelson scored twice and Jason Chimera and Nick Leddy scored for the Islanders.

Devils 2, Capitals 1 (SO)
WASHINGTON -- Keith Kinkaid stopped 43 shots, Michael Cammalleri and Jacob Josefson scored shootout goals and New Jersey defeated Washington at Verizon Center.
PA Parenteau scored in the second period for the Devils and Daniel Winnik tied it in the third for the Capitals.

Bruins 4, Sabres 2
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Ryan Spooner scored with 3:53 remaining for his second goal of the game to lead Boston over Buffalo.
David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron also scored for the Bruins, who overcame an early 2-0 deficit and scored four unanswered goals. Tuukka Rask was terrific in net and made 31 saves.
Marcus Foligno and Kyle Okposo scored for the Sabres. Robin Lehner made 34 saves.

Maple Leafs 3, Lightning 2 (OT)
TAMPA, Fla. -- Toronto won its fourth consecutive road game, getting an overtime power-play goal on a rebound by Nazem Kadri with 1:23 left for victory over Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena.
Auston Matthews and Tyler Bozak also scored for the Maple Leafs.
Brian Boyle and Ondrej Palat scored in regulation for the Lightning.

Canadiens 3, Panthers 2 (OT)
SUNRISE, Fla. -- Phillip Danault scored a breakaway goal 39 seconds into overtime as Montreal rallied to beat Florida.
Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher scored for the Canadienswhile Alexander Radulov, Nathan Beaulieu, Danault and Pacioretty recorded assists. Al Montoya posted 31 saves.
Jason Demers and Vincent Trocheck scored for the Panthers. Jussi Jokinen, Jonathan Marchessault and Keith Yandle had assists and James Reimer made 38 saves.

Blackhawks 3, Predators 2
ASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Patrick Kane's 700th career point, a tie-breaking goal at 14:48 of the third period, lifted Chicago over Nashville at Bridgestone Arena.
Corey Crawford made 36 saves for the Blackhawks, who also got goals from Jonathan Toews and Artem Anisimov.
Pekka Rinne stopped 20 shots as the Predators dropped their fifth straight home game. Mike Fisher and Filip Forsberg scored the Nashville goals.

Red Wings 3, Senators 2 (OT)
OTTAWA -- Anthony Mantha scored at 1:07 of overtime to give Detroit a victory over Ottawa at Canadian Tire Centre.
Thomas Vanek and Tomas Tatar also scored for the Red Wings.
Derick Brassard and Mark Stone scored for the Senators.

Stars 4, Avalanche 2
DALLAS -- Tyler Seguin had two goals and an assist and Jamie Benn added two assists to lead Dallas past Colorado.
Devin Shore and Jamie Oleksiak also scored for the Stars, who won their third straight.
The Avalanche got goals from Matt Duchene and Mikhail Grigorenko.

Oilers 3, Kings 1
EDMONTON, Alberta -- Eric Gryba isn't known for scoring goals, but his first goal of the season stood as the winner as Edmonton beat Los Angeles.
Patrick Maroon and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored for the Oilers.
Nick Shore scored the Kings lone goal.

Rangers 6, Coyotes 3
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- New York scored four power-play goals in seven opportunities, the key one a deft deflection by Matt Puempel in a win vs. Arizona.
Puempel recorded his first career hat trick for the Rangers, who also got goals from Nick Holden, Chris Kreider and J.T. Miller and 19 saves from Antti Raanta.
Christian Dvorak, Anthony Duclair and Tobias Rieder scored for the Coyotes, who got 26 saves from Mike Smith.

Ducks 3, Flames 1
CALGARY, Alberta -- Jakob Silfverberg and Rickard Rakell scored third-period goals to lead Anaheim over Calgary at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Antoine Vermette had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, while Ryan Kesler chipped in with two assists.
Mikael Backlund scored for the Flames, who had won two games in a row and three of their previous four.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blackhawks (23-10) at Hurricanes (15-12)

Date: December 30, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

RALEIGH, N.C. -- With playing marque teams in consecutive games, the Carolina Hurricanes aren't easing into the post-holiday schedule.

The Hurricanes tangle with the visiting Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night at PNC Arena, something that should heighten the team's alert level.

For former Chicago player Teuvo Teravainen, that's no problem.

"We look to the next game," Teravainen said. "We need two points."

While the Blackhawks have the best record in the Western Conference, they needed a comeback Thursday night in Nashville to snap a three-game losing streak. The 3-2 victory might be the type of outcome that can ignite a spark for the team.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said it helps that the Blackhawks can be a four-line team. That might be extra vital in this game with Carolina because Chicago will be in its third game in four nights, while the Hurricanes will have played only once in the previous week.

There are matters of execution at both ends of the ice that could be more important for the Blackhawks.

"When we are successful (the defense) is part of our offense," Quenneville said. "The offensive side of the D-side is sometimes overlooked."

Carolina is coming off Wednesday night's 3-2 loss in Pittsburgh, which holds the second-most points in the NHL behind Columbus.

There were numerous positive aspects for the Hurricanes, such as putting 46 shots on net. Yet they had only two goals to show for it.

"It's a race to three (goals) in this league," Carolina coach Bill Peters said. "We have to find a way to finish some of these chances. ... Rusty in execution. Make sure if you're not going to get on the scoresheet, you can't give any up."

The Hurricanes had a few inspiring third periods before the holiday break so it was a reversal of sorts in Pittsburgh when they relinquished a lead.

"We had lots of chances and probably should have won (that game)," forward Elias Lindholm said. "Just keep building. Stay around the net and be hungry."

Carolina is trying to increase a 10-game point streak in home games. That's the best stretch at home since a 12-game home winning streak almost eight years ago.

The Hurricanes are without defenseman Justin Faulk, who missed Wednesday's game with a lower-body injury and his status is described as possibly in limbo for a couple of weeks. Ryan Murphy took his place on the blue line.

"He came in and moved the puck," Peters said. "I thought he did some good things."

Carolina, which swept the two-game series from the Blackhawks last season, relies in part on the best penalty killing in the NHL, operating at 90.6 percent.

Quenneville said the Blackhawks must return to the style that worked so well for them early in the season and part of that requires making it difficult for opposing teams to move with the puck.

"We're better when we're tough to play against," Quenneville said.

This is the last game for Chicago before Monday's outdoor contest at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Predators (15-14) at Blues (19-12)

Date: December 30, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

ST. LOUIS -- The NHL schedule-maker did not do the Nashville Predators any favors coming out of the Christmas break.

Waiting for them as a belated present were three games in four nights, all against Central Division rivals. They opened with a 3-2 overtime loss to Minnesota on Tuesday night, followed by a 3-2 setback against Chicago on Thursday night, the third consecutive loss by the Predators.

The Predators got on a plane after that game to fly to St. Louis, where they meet the Blues on Friday night.

They could be without two key players for that game. Right winger James Neal had to come out of Thursday's contest in the second period because of an upper-body injury. Defenseman P.K. Subban (upper-body) missed the last six games and the team said he is not expected to play against the Blues.

"In our division, it feels like everyone is winning, especially now when we lose division games," Nashville left winger Filip Forsberg said. "Other teams are going to get ahead of us. We have to realize the moment; we still have half of the season left but at the same time, you can't just push the reset button after the New Year ... you have to get more urgent and string some wins together."

St. Louis won its first game after the break behind the first career hat trick from Robby Fabbri, scoring four goals in the third period in a 6-3 victory Wednesday night at home over the Philadelphia Flyers.

The four goals were one more than the Blues scored in the third period of their last nine games combined.

"I know it's an easy thing to say, but you want your game to be simple, and when you want to score so badly, you can make it very complicated, and we have done that," St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We have made it very complicated."

Most of the Blues' problems have come on the road, where they are 5-10-1. The win over the Flyers improved their home record to 14-2-4.

The game against Nashville is the second contest of a season-high six-game homestand for the Blues, including the outdoor Winter Classic matchup against the Blackhawks on Monday at Busch Stadium.

Defenseman Colton Parayko hopes the Blues learned something with their comeback from a 4-3 deficit against the Flyers which they can use in the future, beginning Friday night.

"If we have the lead, I think we've been holding back with the lead almost," Parayko said. "We went in (to the third period) tied and went down and didn't give up. We stuck together and that's one of the things we wanted to change coming back from this break and it was noticeable for sure."

After getting the night off against the Flyers, regular goalie Jake Allen gets the start in goal for the Blues against the Predators.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Flyers (20-13) at Sharks (22-12)

Date: December 30, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

Other than one time over nearly 13 years, the San Jose Sharks have skated away with wins in their matchups with the Philadelphia Flyers.

San Jose will try to continue its dominance over Philadelphia on Friday night at SAP Center.

The Sharks (22-12-1) may have the right opponent coming while looking for their eighth win in nine games. San Jose has taken five straight -- and 14 of the last 15 -- from Philadelphia (20-13-4) dating back to Feb. 16, 2004, outscoring Philadelphia by a 58-35 margin.

The teams have not met since the Sharks scored three power-play goals en route to a 4-2 win on Dec. 30, 2015, in San Jose. Currently, the Sharks are in the bottom half of the league with only 19 man-advantage goals.

The Sharks, winners in 12 of 16 games in northern California, return home after defeating the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 in overtime on Tuesday behind Brent Burns' team-high 14th goal and his 100th with San Jose.

The Sharks are the only division leader yet to reach 100 goals, scoring 88 or an average of 2.51 per game. As has been the case in recent seasons, the Sharks are succeeding through a stingy defense. Heading into this contest, San Jose has surrendered just 77 goals, or an average of 2.20 per game. Only the Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild have lower per-game averages.

"We don't need to score four to win," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer told the San Jose Mercury News. "A lot of nights, two is enough with the way we defend and the pride we take in that, and the goaltending we get."

That stellar defensive play begins with Martin Jones. If he starts, Jones will be trying to join the Blue Jackets' Sergei Bobrovsky as the only goalies with 20 wins this season. At home, Jones is 10-4-0 with a 1.65 goals-against average, a .930 save percentage and a shutout.

"He's good now. I can only imagine many years from now how good he will be," Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic told the Mercury News.

Over the last 15 matchups with the Flyers, San Jose is 9-0-0 when limiting them to two goals or less.

Sharks captain Joe Pavelski will be looking to notch a point in his fifth straight game. Given his history against the Flyers, he should see his name on the scoresheet at least once.

Pavelski has nine goals and three assists in 12 career games versus Philadelphia. Pavelski scored twice, including the game-winner, in the most recent matchup a year ago, and recorded the second of his four career hat tricks in a 7-3 win over the Flyers on Feb. 27, 2014 in Philadelphia.

Pavelski needs four points to reach 600 for his NHL career.

Philadelphia will try to avoid its fifth loss in six games after giving up four third-period goals in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues.

"We just wanted too easy of a night. We wanted to play too easy of a game. We have to be better and we'll address that and get forward," Philadelphia coach Dave Hakstol said after the loss.

The Flyers are 8-8-1 on the road, and have been outscored 13-4 during a three-game skid away from home. They'll close out this road trip on New Year's Day against Anaheim.

"Overall, we have to do a better job of taking time and space away," Flyers goalie Steve Mason told the Philadelphia Daily News. "We have to be a lot better. We have some tough games in the next couple of days and if we get the same type of play, we're going to end up on the losing end again."

Playing in an opposing rink, Mason is 4-7-1 with a 3.22 GAA and .887 save percentage, and he's lost in each of his last three road starts, allowing nine goals on 59 shots. He's 0-1-2 against the Sharks and was in net during the Flyers' loss in San Jose last season.

The player to watch on Philadelphia is Claude Giroux. In 11 career matchups with San Jose, he's scored six goals -- no current Flyer has more than two. The center is tied with Wayne Simmonds for second on the club with 31 points; however, Giroux has recorded only two assists in his last six road games.

Simmonds, who scored his team-leading 17th goal in the loss to the Blues, has only two assists in six career games against the Sharks.

The Sharks and Flyers will conclude their season series on Feb. 11 in Philadelphia.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Ducks (18-12) at Canucks (15-18)

Date: December 30, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- It is often said that the real NHL season begins after Christmas.

That is when playoff (if not Stanley Cup) contenders separate themselves from the also-rans, and the going gets much tougher -- and more physical.

On Friday, the Vancouver Canucks (15-18-3) will try to demonstrate their ability to handle the heavy hitting for postseason purposes as they host the Anaheim Ducks (18-12-7) at Rogers Arena.

"It's the second-half push now," Vancouver rookie defenseman Troy Stecher said. "We're not in a playoff spot, and that's where we want to be."

The Canucks, five points below the playoff bar, are hoping that a win over one highly physical opponent will lead to another. They edged the Los Angeles Kings, who are often described as one of the league's heaviest teams, by a 2-1 score Wednesday.

The performance was not spectacular -- especially considering that the Kings outshot Vancouver 31-8 over the final two periods and 37-20 on the night. But the win was gritty and something that the Canucks hope to build on against Anaheim.

Despite the lopsided shot count, the Canucks kept the Kings mostly on the perimeter.

"We have to change up some things," Stecher said. "Obviously, you never play a perfect game. There are some things we have to work on."

Improved physical play ranks among the priorities. Coach Willie Desjardins indicated that the Canucks, whose toughness has often been questioned, do not really have a choice.

"We're gonna get that (increased physicality) as we go forward here," Desjardins said. "Guys just have to battle. We've just gotta keep battling."

With defenseman Alex Edler now back from a broken finger that had kept him out since late November, Desjardins appeared less worried than he might have been a month ago, although rearguard Erik Gudbranson, one of Vancouver's more physical players, is out for an extended period following wrist surgery.

"We've got some big boys (with) Edler back in, and (Luca) Sbisa is physical," Desjardins said. "I think teams will come at us that way, but we've just gotta keep our feet moving and, if they take penalties, we've gotta score on the power play."

A rare Vancouver power-play goal, by winger Loui Eriksson, kick-started the win over Los Angeles. Desjardins might have his wish for more power-play opportunities granted after the Ducks showed considerable animosity in a 3-1 win over the Flames in Calgary on Thursday night.

When it comes to killing penalties, the Ducks are well below the league's best. However, the Canucks also will have to maintain discipline in order to neutralize one of the NHL's best power-play units. The Ducks went 2-for-6 in man-advantage situations Thursday.

Even with the victory over the Flames, Anaheim owns just two wins in its past six games (2-2-2).

"I thought we got better as the game went along," Ducks goalie John Gibson said after making 31 saves at Calgary. "They jumped on us a little bit in the first period, but once we weathered that storm, we got our power play going and settled down from there and locked it down."

Although Jakob Silfverberg extended his scoring streak to three games, the Ducks have not been getting as many goals as they would like from captain Ryan Getzlaf and fellow top forward Corey Perry.

Getzlaf has just four goals while Perry has seven. Lately, the nominal No. 2 line of Silfverberg, Ryan Kesler and Andrew Cogliano, known more as a penalty-killing specialist, have generated most of Anaheim's production.

"We've got to score goals," Getzlaf, referring to his line, told The Orange County Register this week. "That's our job. That's what we're here for. (Kesler's line is) a line that's playing complete hockey right now. We expect them to contribute offensively as well as defensively. Our line has to be better in the goal-scoring department."

Getzlaf and Perry toiled on separate lines in Calgary. Anaheim's blue line also has a new look with rookie defenseman Brandon Montour slated to play only his second NHL game in Vancouver after making his debut in Calgary. Montour, an offensive defenseman, was promoted from San Diego of the American Hockey League after Sami Vatanen was sidelined due to illness.

The Ducks are 2-0-0 against the Canucks this season with wins at home and away.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Grand Salami - December

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
12/1 12 64.5 70 OVER
12/2 2 10 8 UNDER
12/3 12 63 58 UNDER
12/4 7 36 40 OVER
12/5 4 21 30 OVER
12/6 9 49.5 49 UNDER
12/7 4 20.5 29 OVER
12/8 10 54.5 58 OVER
12/9 6 30.5 26 UNDER
12/10 10 53 68 OVER
12/11 8 42 32 UNDER
12/12 2 10.5 10 UNDER
12/13 10 54.5 69 OVER
12/14 4 21.5 30 OVER
12/15 8 42.5 49 OVER
12/16 7 37 34 UNDER
12/17 10 52 50 UNDER
12/18 6 31 31 PUSH
12/19 5 OFF OFF
12/20 12 64.5 68 OVER
12/21 2 10.5 10 UNDER
12/22 10 54.5 51 UNDER
12/23 12 62.5 68 OVER
12/24 No games scheduled - - -
12/25 No games scheduled - - -
12/26 No games scheduled - - -
12/27 10 54.5 63 OVER
12/28 5 27.5 29 OVER
12/29 12 65.5 70 OVER
12/30 4 - - -
12/31 11 - - -

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA roundup: Westbrook ejected as Thunder fall to Grizzlies
By The Sports Xchange

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Marc Gasol scored 25 points, Troy Daniels had 22 and Zach Randolph added 21 to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 114-80 victory Thursday night over the Oklahoma City Thunder, which lost Russell Westbrook in the third quarter to an ejection.
Westbrook, averaging a triple-double (31.7 points, 10.9 assists, 10.6 rebounds), was kicked out of the game with 6:41 remaining in the third quarter after arguing with officials and receiving his second technical foul. The Grizzlies led 61-45 when he departed.
Westbrook, who has 15 triple-doubles this season, left with 21 points, five rebounds and no assists in 23 minutes. He finished as the Thunder's leading scorer. Enes Kanter had 19 points, while Steven Adams grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds.

Hornets 91, Heat 82
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Nicolas Batum narrowly missed his second triple-double in the past four games, and Charlotte controlled the second half for a victory over Miami at the Spectrum Center.
Batum finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, going without an assist in the fourth quarter largely because teammates kept missing open shots. He had 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a win over the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 23.
The Hornets trailed by seven at halftime but scored the first eight points of the third quarter and went on to outscore the Heat 31-17 in the period.

Cavaliers 124, Celtics 118
CLEVELAND -- Kyrie Irving scored 32 points and registered his fifth double-double in his last seven games to allow Cleveland to hold on for a victory against Boston.
The Cavaliers blew nearly all of an 18-point lead entering the fourth. A driving basket by Isaiah Thomas pulled Boston within 117-116 with about a minute left before Irving countered with a drive of his own.
Thomas was fouled on the Celtics' next possession and sank both free throws while Irving subbed out of the game with 47 seconds left. Irving seemed to be grabbing at his right hamstring on his way off the floor and remained out the rest of the night.

Suns 99, Raptors 91
PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Eric Bledsoe had 22 points and 10 assists and Devin Booker added 19 points in Phoenix's victory over Toronto at Talking Stick Resort Arena.
Forward P.J. Tucker had 14 points and center Tyson Chandler had 13 rebounds as the Suns won for the second time in seven games. They are 7-4 against the East this season.
Guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan had 24 points apiece for the Raptors, which shot 40.0 percent from the field and made 7-of-27 3-point field-goal attempts while tying a season low in points.

Jazz 100, 76ers 83
SALT LAKE CITY -- George Hill scored 21 points, collected eight rebounds and dished out six assists in his return, helping Utah defeat Philadelphia.
Gordon Hayward and Rodney Hood added 20 points apiece to propel the Jazz to their second straight victory. Utah held the Sixers to just nine fourth-quarter points.
Trailing by four points after three quarters, Utah raced away by outscoring the Sixers 21-2 over the first six minutes of the fourth period. Hood ignited the run with back-to-back baskets that gave the Jazz the lead for good. Hill finished it off with a pull-up jumper, putting Utah up 91-76 with 5:57 remaining.

Mavericks 101, Lakers 89
LOS ANGELES -- Wesley Matthews scored 20 points and Harrison Barnes added 17, and Dallas extended its dominance of Los Angeles with a victory at Staples Center.
Dwight Powell came off the bench to contribute 14 points and six rebounds for the Mavericks, who beat the Lakers for the 12th consecutive time, seven of those occurring at Staples. Devin Harris also scored 14 points, while Dorian Finney-Smith had 12 points.
Dallas is 4-14 on the road, but three of those victories were registered in Los Angeles. The Mavericks are 2-0 against the Lakers this season and also recorded a win over the Clippers this month.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Bulls (16-16) at Pacers (15-18)

Date: December 30, 2016 4:00 PM EDT

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Pacers will host the Chicago Bulls on Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. These two teams have already met three times this season, including a Bulls' win over Indiana in Chicago on Monday of this week.

The home teams have won each of the three contests between these teams so far. The Pacers (15-18) have dropped four straight games, their longest losing streak of the season. On the bright side, they've been a much better team at home (11-5) compared to the road (4-13) this year.

Both of these teams played on Wednesday, with Indiana losing to Washington 115-111, as the Bulls defeated the Nets 101-99 behind Jimmy Butler's 40 points.

Both teams are also getting healthier. Monta Ellis returned to action for the Pacers for the first time since Decmeber 10th, in limited minutes off the bench on Wednesday. For Chicago, Michael Carter-Williams is back and the Bulls have their full roster healthy for the first time since the first week of the season.

Paul George has been in the headlines a lot recently after getting fined for comments against officiating. He scored 34 points on Wednesday, but is still searching for answers for his team.

"I owe this team more," George told the Indianapolis Star. "I'm going to give more, regardless of what's going on on that court. We have to understand we're a smaller team, so everybody has got to be tied together. We're not a big team like we used to be here. We've all got to have each other's back on the defensive glass."

Not only did Butler score 40 points for the Bulls in Wednesday's victory, he also hit the game-winning shot. "Everything y'all see me do, I do every night. Over and over again," Butler told ESPN Chicago. "That's where the confidence comes from, is the work that you put in every single day that y'all don't see. But yeah, that's in the repertoire."

Butler has been extremely valuable once again this season. When he's on the court, the Bulls shoot 45 percent and outscore their opponents by four points per 48 minutes. When he's on the bench, the Bulls get outscored by 10 points per 48 minutes.

Between Butler and Dwyane Wade, the Bulls have multiple late-game options to go to. It was Wade who made the big play over Indiana in their last meeting.

The Pacers and Bulls are just 18th and 23rd, respectively, in the NBA in scoring so far this season. Their game on Monday was a low-scoring affair, but this one figures to see more points as both teams had an off-day on Thursday.

One thing that will be worth watching is how many 3-point attempts the Bulls take. They are last in the NBA in 3-point attempts per game (19.5), but the Pacers give up the 3rd most 3-point attempts (30.1) in the NBA this season.

It will be the final regular season matchup between these two teams this season.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Nets (8-23) at Wizards (15-16)

Date: December 30, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- When one of the NBA's hottest teams faces the team with the league's second-worst record, John Wall and the Washington Wizards will get a chance to show the Brooklyn Nets just how much they've improved.

The Wizards (15-16) look to sweep a three-game homestand and win their eighth straight at home Friday night in their second meeting against the Nets (8-23) this season.

Washington triumphed in Brooklyn by rallying from a 16-point halftime deficit to get a victory 118-113 on Dec. 5. The Wizards had not found their groove yet as evidenced by a 124-116 loss to the Orlando Magic in the next game.

Since then, the Wizards are 8-3. That includes Wednesday's 111-105 win over the Indiana Pacers.

With Bradley Beal sitting out the second half with an ankle injury suffered in the first quarter, Wall stuffed the stat sheet with a near triple-double. He scored 23 of his 36 points after halftime to go with 11 rebounds and nine assists.

"Well, for me, I was kinda just still trying to be aggressive, but get everybody involved," Wall said. "Coach (Scott Brooks) said he would be back and was just getting tape but then like a couple minutes went by and I said What is he doing? Is he coming back? And he said 'No, he's out.' I think took a mindset approach of being more aggressive and trying to get to the basket."

The three-time All-Star is averaging 24.9 points and 10.4 assists in December, but Wall is receiving ample help of late. Otto Porter's breakout season included 32 points in Monday's win over the Milwaukee Bucks and 22 against Indiana. Washington collectively outrebounded the Pacers 54-34. Simply winning without one of their starters available wasn't a realistic thought a few weeks back.

"I think we're just playing better," said center Marcin Gortat who is averaging 14.9 points and 11.7 rebounds. "I mean we understand the rotation, we understand the system, we understand what we got to do. The bench is playing much better."

Beal (right ankle sprain) is "questionable" to face the Nets, Brooks said Thursday.

Brooklyn's last two games were decided at the buzzer. Randy Foye's 3-pointer dumped the Charlotte Hornets 120-118 on Monday, but Chicago's Jimmy Butler played the hero role with a step-back jumper as the Bulls won 101-99 on Wednesday. The Nets fell to 3-11 in December and dropped their 12th straight road game since Nov. 12.

"We gave ourselves a shot," Nets center Brook Lopez said after scoring 33 points in the road loss. "We need to play like that every night."

Defense remains the primary concern. Brooklyn and the Phoenix Suns allow a league-high 114.3 points.

Jeremy Lin (strained left hamstring) will not face the Wizards. The point guard is expected to miss his second consecutive game after playing six games following a 17-game absence with the same injury from Nov. 4 to Dec. 12.

"I'll say this, the severity of it is not the same as the first one. This injury is not as severe," Nets general manager Sean Marks said to reporters before Wednesday's game. "He was evaluated 1/8Wednesday 3/8 by our doctors and some other sources on what's going on with him. It is a left hamstring strain, a different area to the first one, so it is not the same injury.

"They're not linked. We will not give a timeline simply because you never know. Every player's different. Some guys recover quicker than others."

Lin's absence leaves Foye, rookie Isaiah Whitehead and Spencer Dinwiddie to face Wall. Forward Joe Harris (hip pointer) is questionable for the Nets.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Heat (10-23) at Celtics (19-14)

Date: December 30, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

BOSTON -- After their valiant comeback in Cleveland came up just short Thursday night, the Boston Celtics return home to try to beat the lowly Miami Heat for the third time this season Friday night.

Both teams played road games Thursday, with the Celtics (19-14) almost coming all the way back from 20 points down before losing 124-118 to the champion Cavaliers. The Heat (10-23) dropped their third straight and eighth in their last 10, falling 91-82 at Charlotte.

The loss was only the second in the past eight games for the Celtics, who have been better on the road. Their victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night raised their home record to just 7-6. The Heat are 5-11 on the road.

Boston fell into a big deficit at Cleveland before the Celtics' bench sparked a fourth-quarter comeback. Still, coach Brad Stevens was not pleased with the Celtics' defense earlier in the game.

"If they have 100 points after three quarters, you don't have a real chance to beat them," Stevens said. "We've got to play a lot better than that. Our guys did a great job in the comeback, but I was disappointed in the first three quarters."

Isaiah Thomas again led the Celtics, this time with 31 points and nine assists, his 17th straight 20-point game -- the longest current NBA streak. He has scored under 20 once this season, and he had 18 in that game.

Avery Bradley, who needed X-rays on his left hand and hurt both hands during the game, scored 23 points, but Al Horford had just six points and four rebounds and was a minus-18 in 29 minutes.

Bradley finished the game after the X-rays and said afterward he was fine.

In Miami's loss at Charlotte, Heat guard Josh Richardson scored 20 points, two shy of his career high, while Tyler Johnson had 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists off the bench.

"There were some good things when we weren't turning the ball over," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, whose team gave away possession 17 times. "So if that's more in the 10- or 12-turnover range then you would like to see what the rest of the offense would have looked like.

"They are a very good, well-schooled, veteran experienced defensive team, so you're not going to score 130 points against them. We wanted to make it a possession game going down the stretch, but the turnovers just made it too tough."

Spoelstra used his 12th different starting lineup of the season in the loss.

"During the course of the game, particularly the first half, I really liked the efforts," Spoelstra said. "You could see the energy, the multiple efforts on possessions, contesting shots, gang rebounding, things of that nature. We're building habits.

"This group is learning how to win and what it takes. There's some pain that's going along with that. In the second half, for the most part we defended. There were some stretches where we didn't, we had some breakdowns. You add that to the turnovers, a good experienced team makes you pay for that."

Boston is looking for its sixth consecutive win over Miami. Two of those contests came this season in Florida -- Thomas with 25 points and eight assists and Bradley scoring 18 in a 112-104 win Nov. 28, and Thomas scoring 23 and Bradley 20 in a 105-95 victory Dec. 17.

Heat guard Goran Dragic, who missed a Tuesday home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder because of back spasms and then played 32 minutes and finished with five points and eight assists Thursday night, led the Heat in both games against Boston. He had 27 points and 17 assists in the first game and 31 points in the second. Hassan Whiteside pulled down 17 rebounds in both games.

The Heat, who are off to their worst start since 2007-08, found out Tuesday they would be without Josh McRoberts indefinitely because of a foot stress fracture.

The Celtics are 3-3 on the back end of back-to-backs, while the Heat are just 1-5.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Pistons (15-19) at Hawks (16-16)

Date: December 30, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

ATLANTA -- Earlier this month the Detroit Pistons handed the Atlanta Hawks one of their worst defeats of the season. The Pistons were headed on an upward trajectory, having won five of six, while the Hawks were in the throes of a seven-game losing streak.

When the teams meet for the second time on Friday at Philips Arena in Atlanta, the situations are quite different from that encounter on Dec. 2, when Detroit whipped the Hawks 121-85.

Detroit (15-19) has lost six of its last seven, including Wednesday's 119-94 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Atlanta (16-16) has stopped its freefall and won six of its last 10, including Wednesday's 102-98 overtime win against the New York Knicks.

Coach Stan Van Gundy turned the heat on himself after the Pistons were handed their 12th double-digit loss of the season.

"This is entirely on me," he said. "We have had too many games where we are getting buried. I'm embarrassed right now and I have a lot of thinking to find a way to get this fixed. This is brutal."

Van Gundy's decision to use forward Tobias Harris off the bench has worked. Harris had 23 points and 12 rebounds on Wednesday. Harris has led the team in scoring in each of the three games he has played since taking the sixth-man role.

The Pistons tried to use only eight men in the first half against the Bucks. Van Gundy also tried a lineup that included both point guards, Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith, in the game at the same time; it resulted in a 14-10 advantage during the first six minutes of the second quarter.

Van Gundy will also need to find a way to neutralize Atlanta center Dwight Howard, whom he previously coached at Orlando. The Pistons did a good job frustrating Howard in the first game and he finished with two points and six rebounds, easily his least productive game of the season.

Atlanta didn't have forward Paul Millsap in that first game and Detroit took advantage on the boards, outrebounding the Hawks 54-32.

The Hawks might be weary after its physical encounter with the Knicks. Coach Mike Budenholzer relied heavily on six players, with four of the starters going nearly 40 minutes. Point guard Dennis Schroder had 27 points and five assists to lead the win.

"That's big time," Schroder said. "I'm glad we won the game. Everybody fought for 48 minutes and in overtime, the extra five minutes. I'm happy we won the game.

Howard's back issues, which forced him to miss three starts, appear to be resolved; he had 16 points and 22 rebounds against the Knicks. He ranks third in the league with 13.3 rebounds.

But Atlanta's Tim Hardaway Jr. continues to struggle with a right groin injury that kept him out of two games. He played 13 minutes against the Knicks but was 0-for-7 from the floor.

Atlanta is 12-3 in its last 15 home meetings with the Pistons.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Bucks (15-15) at Timberwolves (10-22)

Date: December 30, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

It's beginning to sound like a broken record for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who face the Milwaukee Bucks in Minneapolis on Friday.

Gain a big lead. Let the lead slip away. End with a loss. Rinse and repeat.

The latest such instance came Wednesday when Minnesota fell 105-103 to Denver. It was the 10th time this season the Timberwolves have lost a game in which they led by 10 points or more.

Wednesday's loss meant the first career triple-double for Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns went to waste as Towns' team fell to 10-22 on the season. Towns scored 15 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and had 10 assists.

"We played like our lives were on the line, that's really all we did," Towns told the Minneapolis Star Tribune after Wednesday's loss. "We played with such energy and intensity and sense of -- I don't know how to say it -- just a sense of determination that we wanted to come out with a 'W.'"

Milwaukee, meanwhile, is coming off a convincing road win over the Detroit Pistons. Jabari Parker's 31 points fueled the Bucks to a 119-94 win to bring Milwaukee's record back to .500 (15-15) after a loss to Washington two days earlier.

The Bucks are in the midst of a four-game road trip that will conclude Saturday in Chicago, one night after their game in Minneapolis. Like Minnesota, the Bucks have had trouble sealing games in which they held big leads.

"We feel pretty good that we're competing and we're really close to winning," Bucks forward Tony Snell told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "We've just got to capitalize and finish it off."

Friday's game features two of the more versatile big men in the NBA. Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo is listed at 6-foot-11 but can handle the ball like a point guard. Antetokounmpo is averaging 23.4 points and 9.0 assists, but also has an impressive 5.9 assists per game.

Meanwhile, Minnesota's Towns -- one year younger than Antetokounmpo -- is averaging a double-double of 22.0 points and 11.3 rebounds a game. Though he doesn't play any point guard like Antetokounmpo, Towns can hold his own when it comes to ballhandling.

Neither big man made much of an impact the first time the two squared off last year; Towns was held to eight points, while Antetokounmpo scored just 11. Both topped the 20-point mark in their second meeting. However, both games were wins for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.

Both Minnesota and Milwaukee have been inconsistent in the first few months of the season. The Bucks haven't won more than four straight, while Minnesota's longest winning streak is just two games.

The calendar will soon turn to 2017, and these two young teams hope the best is yet to come.

"Here of late we've been playing very well, not turning the ball over and finishing plays on both ends," Bucks coach Jason Kidd told the Journal Sentinel. "Hopefully we can finish '16, going into '17, on a high note."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Knicks (16-15) at Pelicans (13-21)

Date: December 30, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

NEW ORLEANS -- The New Orleans Pelicans have spent most of the last seven weeks trying to atone for an 0-8 start, and could take another step up the ladder Friday night when they host the New York Knicks at the Smoothie King Center, capping a five-game homestand.

A victory over the Knicks (16-15) would give the Pelicans (13-21) four consecutive wins and a 4-1 record during the home stretch, which New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry described as critical in making up for their abysmal early-season play.

"I didn't know what to expect," Gentry said after practice Thursday following the Pelicans' 102-98 victory over the shorthanded L.A. Clippers on Wednesday night. "I just knew that this homestand was going to be very important, any way you look at it, for us to have any semblance of trying to work our way back in. When you start (0-8), and four of those games you lose are at home, you have to make them up on the road. ... I think we've done a pretty good job of starting to dig ourselves out."

The Pelicans have used a smaller starting lineup, with 6-foot-10 forward Anthony Davis starting at center, in their last two games, and figure to go small again despite the presence of the Knicks' 7-foot-3 center Kristaps Porzingis.

Davis averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds in the last two games -- slightly below his season averages -- but the Pelicans were able to hurt Dallas and Los Angeles with their running game. They held an enormous 29-2 edge in fast break points against the Clippers, and guards Jrue Holiday, Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway and Tyreke Evans combined to score 52 points on 21-of-42 shooting and dished out 14 assists.

One of the most encouraging signs was the play of Evans, who missed 11 months after undergoing knee surgery in early 2016. Evan played 16 minutes against the Clippers and looked decisive in his cuts to the basket, finishing with 12 points and five assists. He also made a pair of open 3-pointers, usually not his strong suit.

"It was good," Davis said of Evans. "He was getting back into the rhythm of things, and he made some big plays for us, some big threes. He made some right plays -- some great passes for our shooters. As he finds a way to get back into the rhythm of things and get his legs back, we're going to try to help him as much as possible."

The Knicks dropped consecutive games, the latest a 102-98 overtime loss on the road to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. They played short-handed most of the night because Carmelo Anthony was ejected just before halftime when he committed a Flagrant 2 Foul by swinging his forearm into the jaw of Thabo Sefolosha while battling for a rebound.

At practice Thursday in New Orleans, Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek defended Anthony by saying the contact did not merit a flagrant foul.

"I don't blame him for what happened, honestly," Hornacek said. "Watch the replay, watch the action. The guy had his arms wrapped around his neck. It's like: I want to sometimes go up to a referee and wrap my arms around their neck. What are you going to do? Just stand there or you going to get the guy off you? It's a natural reaction. You're not going let a guy grab you around your neck. It's inadvertent and a reaction."

Anthony issued a challenge to his teammates to stop the two-game losing streak with a victory over the Pelicans.

"It's a game we have to win," Anthony said after practice. "We have to go get it. I thought we gave ourselves a chance to win (against the Hawks). (Friday) is something we have to go get."

This will be the first of two meetings this season. Each team won on its home court last season. Anthony averaged 25.5 points and 9.0 rebounds for New York. Davis posted 36 points and 11 rebounds in a losing effort at Madison Square Garden but did not play in the second game in March while rehabbing a knee injury.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Clippers (22-12) at Rockets (24-9)

Date: December 30, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

HOUSTON -- With the calendar set to flip to 2017 and teams throughout the league approaching the midpoint of their schedules, coaches are making concerted efforts to maintain the health and vigor of their heavy-rotation players.

For the Los Angeles Clippers, who will visit the Houston Rockets on Friday night at Toyota Center, it means deferring to the big picture and avoiding further risk to hobbled starters.

Clippers guard J.J. Redick has missed two games with a hamstring injury, including a 102-98 loss at the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night despite his improved shooting and running pregame. His backcourt mate, Chris Paul, returned from a three-game hiatus due to a hamstring injury and posted 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the Clippers' fourth straight loss.

Paul was not on the floor down the stretch of a tightly-contested game as Clippers coach Doc Rivers opted to adhere strictly to a minute restriction for Paul. Even with the game in the balance and his team already down two other starters (forward Blake Griffin remains sidelined following knee surgery), Rivers resisted the urge to insert Paul into the game in pursuit of a victory. One win in late-December was not worth the risk of losing Paul for an extended stretch of games given the team results of the three previous games without him.

"He wasn't going to play anymore," Rivers said of Paul, who played 30 minutes against the Pelicans. "It didn't matter. One step and he's hurt and you're yelling at me for keeping him on the floor."

Ranked fifth in the NBA in both offensive and defensive rating, good health appears to be the only thing keeping the Clippers from elite status.

The Rockets (24-9) understand the value of preserving their regulars, a big reason why their starters sat in the fourth quarters of back-to-back blowout wins over the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks on Monday and Tuesday.

With the Rockets hosting the Clippers and New York Knicks on Friday and Saturday, it will mark their sixth set of back-to-back games this month and fourth over the past two weeks. With their 123-107 win over the Mavericks, the Rockets improved to 7-0 in the second game of back-to-backs this season.

After leading by as many as 34 points in their 16-point home win over the Suns on Monday night, the Rockets led by as many as 29 before cruising to victory at Dallas. Establishing those sizable advantages has enabled Houston coach Mike D'Antoni to rest his high-minutes starters, an added bonus given that Houston is without center Clint Capela (leg) and played against the Mavericks without guard Patrick Beverley (thigh). Beverley is expected to return to the lineup against the Clippers.

"I like it a lot," Rockets forward Ryan Anderson said of the late-game rest. "It's important for us obviously. That means we're starting games our pretty well. We're handling our business.

"At the beginning of the season there were stretches where we let a lead go. We'd start the third quarter cold or not ready to go. The last few nights to be able to play a complete, full game and sit out the fourth is huge."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Trail Blazers (14-20) at Spurs (26-6)

Date: December 30, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

San Antonio forward LaMarcus Aldridge looks to keep a recent torrid shooting stretch going against his former team when the Spurs battle the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Aldridge scored 27 points hit 10 of his 12 shots from the floor on Wednesday in the Spurs' 119-98 win over hapless Phoenix. That sterling offensive performance followed up a 15-for-20 shooting, season-high 33-point performance on Sunday in a victory against Chicago.

"Yeah, I've been in a good rhythm and just playing with some confidence," Aldridge said. My shot is going in and my teammates are doing a good job of finding me out there, so they make it easy on me. I'm just trying to be more involved. I'm trying to look for my shot more and it's been paying off."

The Spurs (26-6) won on Wednesday despite the absence of leading scorer and two-time defending NBA Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard, who was scratched due to illness just before the game. It was the first game Leonard missed this season.

Leonard is expected back in the lineup for Friday's game versus Portland. The Spurs have won three straight games and eight of their past 10 contests.

San Antonio continues to be one of the best and most consistent teams in the NBA. There are stretches in games when the Spurs seem to lose some of their focus -- like in the win against the Suns when they gave up 65 first-half points -- but San Antonio usually finds a way to get back in the groove. The Spurs allowed just 34 points in the second half on Wednesday as their defense went to work.

"The whole game for us was picking up the defensive pressure in the third and fourth quarters," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "That's what you have to have to be a good basketball team, so I was pleased with that. A lot of our passes were ridiculous and we were not very solid with the ball tonight in a lot of situations, which was disappointing."

Portland heads to the Alamo City off a 126-121 win at home against Sacramento on Wednesday that allowed the Trail Blazers (14-20) to end a six-game losing streak.

"It was good to get off the schneid," Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts said after the win over the Kings. "We played a pretty solid game, start to finish. Our defense was solid."

Portland has lost 10 of it past 12 outings and has been forced to play its past two games without star guard Damian Lillard, who is nursing an ankle injury and whose availability is listed as day-to-day.

"We just need wins right now," Portland forward Mason Plumlee said. "Home, road, whatever."

Guard C.J. McCollum had a team-high 20 points for the Trail Blazers in the win versus the Kings while Maurice Harkless (12 points), Plumlee (12 points, 14 rebounds), Allen Crabbe (13 points) and Evan Turner (11 points) all reached double figures for Portland.

The Spurs and Trail Blazers played in Portland a week ago with San Antonio handing the Trail Blazers a 110-90 defeat. Leonard scored a game-high 33 points and Patty Mills added 23 points off the bench.

The Spurs have won four consecutive games against Portland, its longest winning streak against the Trail Blazers since winning a franchise-best 12 straight games from April 12, 2005 to April 6, 2008. The Trail Blazers have failed to score 100 or more points in four of its past five games against the Spurs.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: 76ers (7-24) at Nuggets (14-18)

Date: December 30, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

The Philadelphia 76ers were ready to celebrate a rare road win last season. They led the Nuggets in Denver by two March 23 and needed to prevent a desperation shot from going in.

The way their season played out last year, the Sixers had no such luck. Denver rookie Emmanuel Mudiay hit an improbable shot near halfcourt at the buzzer and the Nuggets walked off the floor with a 104-103 victory.

"Give Mudiay a lot of credit," Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said after that game. "I thought he had a great game, and for him to hit that circus shot at the end to win it, it was a cruel way to lose a game."

Philadelphia (7-24) gets a shot at redemption when it plays in Denver on Friday night. The Sixers are coming off a 100-83 loss at Utah on Thursday, so the task will be tougher against a suddenly resurgent Nuggets squad.

Denver (14-18) is 5-2 since suffering a 20-point loss in Dallas on Dec. 12. The key to the turnaround has been the return to full health and a lineup change that has the offense flowing. Guard Gary Harris missed 16 games with a foot injury but his insertion into the starting lineup is making a difference.

So has Nikola Jokic, who has come close to a triple-double twice in the last two weeks. In a rematch with the Mavericks on Dec. 19 he finished an assist shy of the milestone, and came up two rebounds short in a thrilling victory over Minnesota on Wednesday.

Jokic has been the biggest reason for Denver's uptick. The 21-year-old Serbian is shooting 67 percent since returning from a left wrist sprain Dec. 7 and he has been the Nuggets' do-all player. Among his career-high 11 assists Wednesday were some highlight reel passes for layups, including one to Wilson Chandler for a dunk.

"I don't know if there's a ceiling or not, I just know I would love to play with him," Denver coach Michael Malone said after the win over the Timberwolves. "If you listen to our bench we are always yelling 'cut, cut.' If you cut, he will find you, and there's a good chance that when he finds you you're going to have a layup."

Jokic will have a tough challenge in Philadelphia rookie Joel Embiid. After sitting out for two years because of injury, Embiid is showing why he was the No. 3 overall pick in 2014 out of Kansas. He leads the team at 18.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.38 blocks a game, the last of which ranks fourth in the NBA.

He has delivered on his promise, but is still working on his stamina. He sat out Thursday's game against the Jazz to rest his sore right foot, which gave third-string center Nerlens Noel a chance to play extended minutes.

"Never really knowing how many minutes you are going to get is a little different," Noel, who scored 14 points in 22 minutes, told The Philadelphia Inquirer. "So I try to prepare the same for every game, whether it's five or 15."

The Sixers are being careful with Embiid's minutes. He missed 10 games this season, eight of which have been scheduled off days coming during back-to-back games.

"My body has been kind of tired," Embiid told The Philadelphia Inquirer. "So that played a part of making that decision (to rest Thursday as opposed to Friday). ... I can get some rest, but I'll be fine."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Mavericks (10-23) at Warriors (28-5)

Date: December 30, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Curry brothers, Seth and Stephen, will duel for the second time this second time this season and the fifth time in their NBA careers when the Dallas Mavericks visit the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.

The teams, 2007 playoff combatants, currently reside at the opposite end of the spectrum in the Western Conference standings, with Dallas (10-23) owning a mark tied for the worst record in the West this season, while Golden State (28-5) is at the top.

That disparity was well represented in the clubs' first meeting of the season, with the Warriors exploding into a 33-point lead late in the first half en route to a 116-96 home romp.

Warriors fans got their first look that night at Dallas' version of Harrison Barnes, Golden State's 2012 first-round pick who was instrumental in the club's run to the 2015 championship and repeat trip to the NBA Finals last June.

Barnes left for the Mavericks' four-year, $94 million free agent offer in the offseason shortly after the Warriors got Kevin Durant to agree to a two-year, $54.3 million deal that exhausted almost all their available funds.

Barnes responded to a warm reception in his homecoming with a team-high 25 points in the lopsided loss.

"I wish we had gotten a win," Barnes, the Mavericks' leading scorer at 20.3 points per game, said after the game. "But I'm proud of how we fought."

Barnes took 20 shots in the game, which was only three more than Seth Curry, who started for the Mavericks at point guard.

Seth Curry missed 13 of his 17 shots, including seven of his nine 3-pointers, in a rare head-to-head with his brother Stephen, the Golden State point guard.

Seth Curry finished with 10 points and nine assists, while brother Stephen, the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, countered with 24 points and six assists.

"Extremely weird, but it's also fun," Stephen Curry said of the duel with his younger brother. "Tough night for him tonight, but he's confident. He knows who he is."

In head-to-heads with his brother, Seth Curry came up on the short end both on the scoreboard and in the stats all four times.

In leading the Warriors to three straight wins over Seth Curry's Sacramento Kings during the 2015-16 season and the Nov. 9 thumping of Dallas, Stephen Curry contributed an average of 26 points and 8.3 rebounds to the Golden State cause, while Seth totaled just 26 points and 15 points for the opposition.

Seth Curry hasn't started a game since Nov. 23, but he is displaying the most consistent form of his career off the bench in recent games. He had seven points and three steals Thursday in Dallas' 101-89 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, giving him a 10.3 scoring average in 15 games and double-figure scoring in 10 of the 15 since his return to the bench.

Dallas will be playing a back-to-back for the seventh time this season when it faces the Warriors. The Mavericks have lost on the second night on all six previous occasions, falling by an average of 14.5 points.

The 21-point loss at Golden State in November also occurred on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Warriors haven't played since a 121-111 home win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.