Monday 11/30/15 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[superbeets]

Italian Serie A TODAY 18:00

Sassuolo

v

Fiorentina

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BTEU		13/5	5/2	11/10	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT SASSUOLO	RECENT FORM
HWALHWADHWAL​ Most recent​	1 - 3 0 - 1	AWHWAWAWHDAD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Sassuolo are unbeaten in their last ten home fixtures

EXPERT VERDICT: Sassuolo are unbeaten at home this season and may prove tricky opposition for Fiorentina at the Mapei Stadium even with Domenico Berardi suspended. Fiorentina have gone six games without defeat but may not have fully recovered from Thursday’s hard-fought 2-2 draw away to Basel in the Europa League.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
1

 

[superbeets]

Portuguese Liga TODAY 19:00

Sporting Lisbon

v

Belenenses

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT2		1/7	13/2	16	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT SPORTING LISBON	RECENT FORM
HWAWHWALAWAW​ Most recent​	1 - 1 3 - 0 0 - 0 2 - 0	AWHWALHLHWHD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Islam Slimani has scored seven in his last eight Primeira games

EXPERT VERDICT: High-flying Sporting started the weekend five points clear in the Primeira Liga and they should at least maintain that margin with a win against their city rivals. Islam Slimani has been a key component in Sporting’s success this season and the Algerian looks the man most likely to break the deadlock.

RECOMMENDATION: I Slimani first goalscorer
1

 

[superbeets]

Championship TODAY 19:45

Bolton

v

Brentford

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS1		17/10	5/2	17/10	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT BOLTON	RECENT FORM
HLHDADALHDAL​ Most recent​	3 - 1 1 - 0 1 - 2 1 - 0	AWAWHWHLADHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Bolton are winless in ten matches

EXPERT VERDICT: Brentford have won five of their last seven matches – including road wins at Wolves and Charlton and - and they could heap further misery on rock-bottom Bolton. Wanderers have beaten only Wolves this term, and despite being unbeaten at home the draw specialists lack quality in all departments.

RECOMMENDATION: Brentford
1


REFEREE: Carl Boyeson STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Italian Serie A TODAY 20:00

Napoli

v

Inter

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BTEU		4/6	11/4	9/2	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT NAPOLI	RECENT FORM
HWADHWHWAWAW​ Most recent​	2 - 2 1 - 0 4 - 2 3 - 1	HDADAWHWAWHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Napoli are unbeaten in 17 fixtures

EXPERT VERDICT: Napoli have not lost in any competition since the opening weekend of the season and should be backed to defeat Inter. Maurizio Sarri’s rock-solid side have not conceded a goal in their last seven matches and can show they are the dominant force in Italy despite Inter currently sitting above them in the standings.

RECOMMENDATION: Napoli
1

 

[superbeets]

Portuguese Liga TODAY 21:00

Braga

v

Benfica

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		9/5	9/4	6/4	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT BRAGA	RECENT FORM
HWADHWALAWHW​ Most recent​	2 - 1 0 - 1 1 - 2 1 - 1	ALHLAWHWHWAD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Braga have won four of their five home league games, drawing the other

EXPERT VERDICT: Braga are unbeaten at home and look a good price to beat Benfica. The visiting champions are wobbling in defence of their title having already lost twice away from Estadio da luz this season, against Porto and Arouca. It would not be a huge shock to see them beaten again.

RECOMMENDATION: Braga
1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Baltimore at Cleveland

When: 8:30 PM ET, Monday, November 30, 2015
Where: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

The Johnny Manziel era could be coming to an end in Cleveland after the latest transgression by the 2014 first-round draft pick prompted the Browns to demote him to third string. With Manziel in quarterback limbo, Josh McCown will reclaim the starting job when Cleveland hosts the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night in a matchup of teams trying to avoid the AFC North cellar.

Manziel's latest stumble occurred one week after he was named the team's starter. A video of the second-year quarterback partying in Texas during the Browns' bye week surfaced and Manziel reportedly lied to coach Mike Pettine over when the incident took place. "When you have a great opportunity in front of you, it is important that you demonstrate that you can handle the responsibility that comes with it," Pettine said. Baltimore also will have a change under center after Joe Flacco suffered a season-ending knee injury in last week's win over St. Louis.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Browns -3. O/U: 41

ABOUT THE RAVENS (3-7): Flacco has started every game since he was drafted by Baltimore in the first round in 2008, and his injury paves the way for backup Matt Schaub to make his first start since the 2013 regular-season finale with Houston. The Ravens suffered another key injury last week as running back Justin Forsett fractured his right forearm and was replaced by rookie Javorius Allen, who rushed for 67 yards and added five receptions for 48 yards. All of Baltimore's games have been decided by eight points or fewer, with the last three settled by a combined eight points.

ABOUT THE BROWNS (2-8): Cleveland has lost five in a row since squeezing out a 33-30 overtime victory at Baltimore, a game in which McCown threw for a franchise-record 457 yards and became the first Browns quarterback with three straight 300-yard games. A rib injury to McCown opened the door for Manziel, who guided Cleveland to only 19 points in road losses at division rivals Pittsburgh and Cincinnati prior to last week's bye. McCown has two capable targets in receiver Travis Benjamin and tight end Gary Barnidge, but Cleveland's ground game is 31st and the defense ranks 30th.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Cleveland's victory last month was only the second in its last 15 meetings with Baltimore.

2. The Ravens are the first team to block a kick (punt, extra point or field goal) in four straight games since the Chicago Bears in 2007.

3. Barnidge has seven touchdown catches in his last eight games.

PREDICTION: Browns 23, Ravens 20

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Randall the Handle

Ravens (3-7) at Browns (2-8)

Getting a jump on some Christmas shopping might be the way to go with this one. If you must, we only see one way to play here and that’s taking any points offered. While the Ravens have been ravaged by injuries, all the while staying close in games, the Browns are just useless. The Johnny Manziel circus remains center stage in Cleveland and the distraction is clearly affecting an already porous club. The Browns have smallish receivers, crummy runners and an underwhelming defence that is just plain tired. Cleveland has been outscored 119-45 over its past four games, all one-sided losses. While Mike Pettine might be a decent coach, he is unable to make lemonade from the lemons handed to him. Baltimore is thin with all the hurts but still a better choice than the alternative. TAKING: RAVENS +3

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Mike O'Connor

CLEVELAND (-3) 26 Baltimore 17

This is a great spot for the Browns coming off their bye playing at home on Monday night football and I expect to get their best effort in this game. On the flip side the Ravens are in a terrible spot off a last second win in a game where they lost quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Justin Forsett for the season. With a 3-7 record and now without their starting quarterback and running back, the Ravens officially know that this is a lost season. For a veteran team that had high hopes entering this season after a good run in the playoffs last year where they had the Patriots on the ropes, they can’t be very inspired to go and play the Browns in what is essentially a meaningless game. Flacco’s replacement, Matt Schaub, is well past his prime and will have trouble moving the ball in this game - since the beginning of the 2013 season Schaub has just 10 touchdown passes (2.7% touchdown pass rate) to go along with 16 interceptions (a terrible 4.4% interception rate). With a subpar rush offense that has only averaged 98 yards at 4.0 ypr against teams that allow 110 yards at 4.3 ypr that will likely be worse than that (back-up Javorius Allen has been .3 ypr worse than Forsett), Schuab and the Ravens offense is going to struggle. On top of that, their offensive line has not played well and is also banged up - starting center Jeremy Zuttah went on IR last week (prior to going down, Zuttah had graded out as Pro Football Focus's #8 center), and this past week left tackle Eugene Monroe and left guard Kelechi Osemele didn’t finish the game and it looks like they’ll miss this game. Let’s not forget that they lost top wide-out Steve Smith a few weeks ago. With all of the injuries they have to deal with this offense is going to have some problems in this game.

On the other side, Cleveland will start Josh McCown after another Johnny Manziel fiasco, but he is clearly their best quarterback with 11 touchdowns and a very good 4.6% touchdown rate (and just and 4 interceptions with an excellent 1.6% interception rate). In addition, McCown torched this Ravens secondary for 457 yards in the Browns 33-30 win back in Week 5 in Baltimore.

Adjusting for the loss of Flacco and Forsett, and with McCown in for Cleveland my model projects a 7.9 point Browns win. I don’t have any situations that apply to this game but I like the spot and with all of the personnel adjustments, I like the Browns minus the short number.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

ALLEN EAST MAN

Baltimore / Cleveland Under 41.5

This should be an ugly Monday night game, and I don't see a lot of points. The Ravens just lost quarterback Joe Flacco for the year and also lost their starting running back. The Ravens have been decimated by injuries this season, and they have really struggled to put points on the board. The 'under' is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings between these two teams. The 'under' is also 3-1 in Baltimore's last three games and in Cleveland's last three games. The Browns have not scored over 20 points in their last four games and have only managed 19 points in their last two weeks with Johnny Manziel under center. Baltimore's offense won't be very good without Flacco, and this one should be low scoring and stay 'under'.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Avalanche (9-13) at Islanders (12-8)

Date: November 30, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

Matt Duchene has had a hand in nearly half of Colorado's goals in November while scoring more than any Avalanche player has during that month since the franchise relocated from Quebec in 1995.

The problem is that the Avalanche have lost just as much as they did when Duchene was having trouble producing in October.

Colorado looks to win for just the third time in seven tries as it begins a four-game road trip Monday night against the New York Islanders.

Duchene has 11 goals and nine assists for the second-most points in the NHL since Nov. 1 after finishing with a goal and two assists in Saturday's 5-3 victory over Winnipeg.

Colorado (9-13-1), which has 44 goals during the month, had lost four of its previous five.

'I think the biggest thing is it was just nice to get back on the sheet and help the team with the offense," said Duchene, who had a seven-game point streak end in Wednesday's loss to Ottawa. "That's the biggest thing and it was a big win for us.

'I'm playing with two amazing hockey players in (Gabriel Landeskog) and Nate (MacKinnon). They make it easier for me.'

The Avalanche have gone 6-7-0 during Duchene's hot stretch, though, after a 3-6-1 start during which Duchene had just one goal and one assist. Their 70 goals against on the season are the fifth-most in the league, and Semyon Varlamov has a .890 save percentage while giving up at least three in 10 of his 13 starts.

Duchene has a minus-1 rating despite being on the ice for 22 Colorado goals.

"I just feel that it always has to be the hard way for us," said coach Patrick Roy, who picked up his 100th career victory Saturday. "But you know what? I like what I'm seeing. I like the resilience of our guys, the compete level. This is a good hockey club."

Duchene had two goals and two assists in his previous two against the Islanders before New York peppered Varlamov with 46 shots in a 6-0 victory Nov. 11, 2014.

Varlamov stopped 87 of 90 shots while going 2-0-1 in his previous starts against the Islanders (12-8-4), who are looking to earn at least a point in four straight.

John Tavares scored with 3:36 left in the third period Saturday to give New York a 3-2 victory over Tampa Bay, which scored the game's first two goals. The Islanders rallied from a two-goal deficit the previous night but lost to Florida 3-2 in a shootout.

'A lot of things haven't been bouncing our way, but we've been really working for everything we've been getting,' Tavares said. 'We're getting timely goals and certainly we seem to be getting better as the game goes on.'

Tavares and Josh Bailey scored on the power play, an encouraging sign after the Islanders went 2 for 36 with the man advantage over their previous 12.

'I had faith in our power play,' coach Jack Capuano said. 'We had a couple of good ones in the last nine periods of hockey we played, but we didn't have the results that we had (Saturday). Fortunately, we got the bounces that we needed.'

Thomas Greiss made 29 saves and stopped a penalty shot against the Lightning as Jaroslav Halak got the night off. Halak, who has a 2.02 goals-against average in 13 starts, is 4-0-2 with a 1.30 GAA against the Avalanche since 2011.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Hurricanes (8-11) at Rangers (15-6)

Date: November 30, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

Mired in their worst stretch of the season, the New York Rangers hope a matchup with an opponent they've dominated in recent years can help them get back on track.

The Rangers carry a three-game losing streak into Monday night's game against the Carolina Hurricanes, whom they've beaten in 17 of 18 meetings.

New York (16-6-2) recorded a 10th consecutive home victory over the Hurricanes on Nov. 10, winning 3-0. The Rangers have outscored Carolina 30-9 during the streak, with Henrik Lundqvist yielding one or no goals while starting eight times.

Lundqvist made 33 saves in the most recent matchup, but he's struggled in his last two outings. He surrendered a season-high five goals in Wednesday's home loss to Montreal and four in Friday's defeat at Boston.

Though backup Antti Raanta fared better Saturday against Philadelphia, the Rangers lost 3-0 to put them on the verge of their first four-game regulation skid since Feb. 3-11, 2011.

'We all need to man up,' coach Alain Vigneault said after New York was outshot 34-24. 'I need to get this group to play better, and I'm very confident this group knows the right way to play. I'm very confident that we have the right leadership in that dressing room. I am confident that they know they can execute and play a lot better than we are right now.'

That had been the case for Rick Nash, who scored six times in a four-game goal streak prior to Saturday. Leading scorer Mats Zuccarello doesn't have a point in four straight, however, and center Derek Stepan is likely out for at least a month after suffering broken ribs on a hit by the Bruins' Matt Beleskey.

"We need everybody to be up to their game for us to be successful," defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. "We need guys going through people, we need guys close for support in case there's a breakdown and a lot more communication, a lot more fire in our game."

Nash had a goal and an assist Nov. 10 in New York's seventh straight victory over Carolina (8-11-4).

The Hurricanes lost 4-1 at Buffalo on Friday after the Sabres scored three unanswered goals over the final 28 minutes.

"I thought we had, actually, a really good 40 minutes, and for whatever reason, it wasn't a great third," forward Kris Versteeg told the NHL's official website. "I thought we really played a good game and had opportunities to score and do things like that. To carry that as a positive, we've been playing some good hockey lately."

Carolina had gone 2-0-1 in its previous three outings.

Cam Ward was pulled after two periods Friday after giving up three goals on 14 shots. He stopped 20 shots Nov. 11 and has posted a 4.03 GAA in his last five road starts against New York, losing each in regulation.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Oilers (7-14) at Maple Leafs (5-11)

Date: November 30, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to get another chance Monday night to figure out how to win without top goaltender James Reimer.

The Maple Leafs are winless in games Reimer has not started and are expected to give Garret Sparks his NHL debut in this home matchup with the Edmonton Oilers.

Reimer did not play in Saturday's 4-2 loss to Washington even though coach Mike Babcock indicated that the No. 1 goalie would despite a lower-body injury. Reimer is 7-3-4 with a 2.07 goals-against average.

Toronto (7-11-5) fell to 0-8-1 in the nine games Reimer has not started. All of those results have gone to Jonathan Bernier, who gave up four goals for the third straight start Saturday and is 1-14-2 with a 3.39 GAA in his last 17 starts.

'I've got to be better," Bernier said.

He won't get the chance Monday since the Maple Leafs are turning to Sparks, who was called up from the minors Saturday to serve as Bernier's backup. Sparks had a 1.90 GAA in the minors.

"We got to find a way to win a game," Babcock told the NHL's official website. "He's played well in the minors. Gets his opportunity."

The Maple Leafs will play without left wing Joffrey Lupul, who is tied for the team lead with eight goals and is out with an undisclosed injury.

They have taken three straight at home against the Oilers, who are completing a five-game trip they began at 0-2-1 before Saturday's 3-2 shootout win over Pittsburgh. Edmonton (8-14-2) is now seeking to finish it with five points out of a possible 10.

"We have an opportunity to finish a hard, long trip with a chance to come home even," coach Todd McLellan said. "That's certainly going to be our goal now, that's all we can achieve."

Leon Draisaitl and Lauri Korpikoski scored first-period goals for Edmonton, which blew a two-goal advantage before Matt Hendricks and Jordan Eberle converted in the shootout.

'It feels good to win,' McLellan said. 'I thought we had a good effort from a lot of players and the guys got a good reward. We buckled down when we needed to.'

Taylor Hall assisted on Draisaitl's goal to end his three-game drought without a point. He leads the club with nine goals and 25 points.

Edmonton continues to play without injured rookie Connor McDavid, who is out with a fractured clavicle and is rehabbing in the Toronto area where he hails from. He will meet up with his club Monday.

Oilers defenseman Justin Schultz returned to the lineup for the first time since Oct. 25 on Saturday after being out with a back injury.

"I felt good, obviously the first couple of shifts were a little fast, I don't remember it being this fast, but once I got those under my belt it was good and I thought I got better as the game went on," Schultz said.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Canucks (8-8) at Ducks (7-11)

Date: November 30, 2015 10:00 PM EDT

The Anaheim Ducks and Vancouver Canucks have been fixtures in the postseason in recent years, but neither team has played like a playoff team in 2015-16.

Anaheim looks to avoid a third straight loss Monday night when it hosts Vancouver, which has dropped six of eight.

The Ducks (8-11-5) have reached the playoffs in eight of the last 10 years, while the Canucks (9-8-7) have gotten there in 11 of 14. Anaheim has continued to struggle this season after posting the best record in the Western Conference last season, though, going 3-4-3 in its last 10.

Vancouver, meanwhile, has lost nine of 12.

The Ducks lost 3-2 in overtime to Chicago on Friday, their second loss beyond regulation to the Blackhawks this season. They surrendered two goals in the final 1:41 before Artem Anisimov scored in OT.

Anaheim fell to Chicago in the Western Conference finals and has lost 10 of 14 overall meetings.

"This isn't about Chicago," said center Andrew Cogliano, who scored his third goal. "It's about playing our game, putting a team away and finishing it."

Anaheim is 1-5 in games decided past regulation, having led in four of those defeats.

"For 58 minutes, we were pretty solid whenever we had to be," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "They came in and found a way. It's not that it's them. It's giving up two goals in the last minute, and an overtime goal again. It's pretty frustrating."

Vancouver (9-8-7) will be playing on the road for the 10th time in 13 games. The Canucks have also been unfortunate beyond regulation, with three of their last nine losses getting decided in that fashion, including a 3-2 shootout defeat at Dallas on Friday.

Henrik Sedin forced overtime with a power-play goal with 4:10 remaining in the third period, but the Canucks surrendered two power-play goals in five opportunities.

"Five-on-five, I thought we deserved another point," Sedin said. "Special teams, I thought we didn't deserve anything."

The Canucks' penalty killing has been abysmal over the last 12 games, as they've given up 14 goals on 44 opportunities. They had allowed three goals in 32 chances prior to that stretch.

They've scored on 11 of 37 man advantages in the past eight games, but Sedin's goal was the only one in seven chances against the Stars.

"Our timing is off (on the power play)," he told the team's official website. "We're not executing when we need to. You can talk about outworking the other team, but if you have an extra man out there, you got to be able to use the guys that are open. We had a tough time setting up. We stuck with it, but it wasn't good enough."

The Ducks have gone 8 for 26 on the power play over the last 10 games, but are minus-9 in even-strength situations in that span and a league-worst minus-19 on the season. Vancouver is plus-5 on five-on-five.

Both Sedins own seven-game point streaks, with Henrik recording three goals and seven assists in his and Daniel tallying six goals and six assists.

Vancouver won 2-1 in a shootout at Anaheim on Oct. 12, their second straight victory in the series. The Canucks haven't won three consecutive meetings since Nov. 27-Dec. 30, 2007.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL

Hot teams
-- None tonight.

Cold teams
-- Colorado lost four of its last six games. Islanders lost three of last five games.
-- Hurricanes lost seven of their last nine games. Rangers lost last three games, scoring 4 goals.
-- Edmonton lost six of its last eight games. Toronto lost last three games, scoring five goals.
-- Canucks lost six of their last eight games. Anaheim lost seven of its last ten games.

Series records
-- Islanders won six of last nine games with Colorado.
-- Rangers won their last seven games with Carolina.
-- Maple Leafs won six of last seven games with Edmonton.
-- Ducks won seven of last ten games with Vancouver.

Totals
-- Six of last seven Colorado games went over the total.
-- Under is 4-0-4 in last eight Carolina-Ranger games.
-- Five of last seven Toronto games went over total.
-- Six of last seven Anaheim-Vancouver games stayed under.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Celtics (9-8) at Heat (10-5)

Date: November 30, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

Unless Luol Deng has a very good morning, the Miami Heat will start Gerald Green in his place again.

After turning in his best performance of the season, Green is expected to continue filling in for the injured Deng as the Heat host the Boston Celtics on Monday night.

Deng has missed two games with a strained left hamstring, and he's not expected to return yet.

"I hope that I magically wake up and I feel great," said Deng, who is averaging 10.3 points.

Barring that, Green will get a third straight start. He earned it after scoring a season-high 25 points while hitting 8 of 14 from the floor in Friday's 97-78 win at New York. He was also effective defending Carmelo Anthony, who missed his final eight shots and finished with 11 points.

Deng wasn't surprised by Green's defensive effort.

"We know Gerald can do that," he said. "Any time you can put him out there and he can get you 20. He's a great scorer. He gives us a different look. We said it from the start that this is a deep team. It's good that when guys are out or not playing great that we got guys who are ready to step up."

That hasn't always been the case with Green, who is on his eighth team since being drafted 18th overall by Boston in 2005. He's missed six games this season after being hospitalized following an incident at his apartment. He was suspended by the Heat (10-5) for two of those for conduct detrimental to the team.

"What I do have to do, which is a requirement to wear this jersey, is to go out there and keep playing defense and that's what I'm going to do," Green said.

That attitude fits in with Miami yielding an Eastern Conference-best 91.7 points per game, a big reason the team is atop the Southeast Division and 8-2 at home.

Dwyane Wade is averaging 22.3 points during the Heat's three-game home winning streak. He scored 34 while connecting on 13 of 23 from the field, but that wasn't enough in a 100-90 home loss to the Celtics (9-8) on March 9.

Boston is trying to avoid its first four-game road losing streak since Dec. 21-Jan. 3.

The Celtics are surrendering an average of 114.0 points and 51.6 percent shooting - 40.6 from long range - over the last three games, and they're 0-7 overall when opponents reach the century mark.

After allowing a total of 158 points in home wins over Philadelphia and Washington, Boston fell apart in Sunday's opener of this five-game trip. The team shot 40.9 percent from the field and 18.5 from beyond the arc while getting outrebounded 54-34 in a 110-91 loss at Orlando.

"It's not just one guy, all five guys on the court were lacking," said forward Jae Crowder, who had 12 points. "They came up with every loose ball and every offensive rebound they got, they scored on or so it seemed. We have to get better on that."

Isaiah Thomas leads Boston with 21.2 points per game, but he's totaled 34 while making 10 of 29 from the floor over the last two on the road. The guard scored 25 points at Miami in March but only mustered four in a 93-86 home defeat later that month.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rockets (7-10) at Pistons (8-9)

Date: November 30, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

Whether or not there was a rift between James Harden and former Houston coach Kevin McHale, Harden seemed to take it upon himself to will the Rockets to victory even more so once interim boss J.B. Bickerstaff took over.

He finally found out how nice it can be when he gets some help from his teammates.

The Rockets seek a third consecutive victory when they visit the slumping Detroit Pistons on Monday night.

Harden averaged 27.3 points but shot just 37.2 percent during Houston's 4-7 start before McHale was fired Nov. 18, ending a reportedly contentious relationship and leading to McHale's wife taking jabs at Harden through social media.

It didn't take long for Harden to move on, scoring 45 points in a win over Portland hours after McHale was let go. It was the first of three 40-point performances during the Rockets' 3-3 stretch that includes a 50-point effort in Friday's 116-114 win over Philadelphia.

Harden, averaging 34.5 points and shooting 44.6 percent under Bickerstaff, had an off night Sunday, going 10 of 28 from the field and missing all seven 3-point attempts while scoring 26.

Four others scored in double figures, though, to help Houston (7-10) beat New York 116-111 in overtime. The Rockets trailed by 14 in the fourth quarter, but Marcus Thornton hit a 3-pointer with 32 seconds left in regulation to help Houston get it to the extra session.

Thornton and Clint Capela (11 rebounds) scored 18 points apiece while Trevor Ariza added 16 and Dwight Howard finished with 14.

It marked Harden's lowest point total in a Houston victory.

'It was a lesson in perseverance,' Bickerstaff said. 'We got down, but we didn't give in. It is a credit to our guys' mental toughness and fortitude.'

Houston has won eight of the last nine meetings with Detroit after Harden finished with 38 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in a 103-93 victory March 6.

The Pistons (8-9) head into this meeting having lost four of five after falling 87-83 at Brooklyn on Sunday. They've been woeful offensively over their last four, shooting 36.1 percent after making 34 of 101 from the field against the Nets.

That performance dropped Detroit to the bottom of the NBA in field-goal percentage at 40.8. Andre Drummond had his 15th double-double with 20 points and 18 rebounds, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope finished with 21 points.

Reggie Jackson finished 4 of 20 from the field.

'I think what it really came down to is we were mentally very weak,' coach Stan Van Gundy said. 'We got very frustrated, you know, missing shots, thinking we're getting fouled. It affected our defense. I thought we took several bad shots in the fourth quarter just trying to draw fouls instead of trying to get good shots. I just didn't think we played very smart, poised basketball and that was disappointing.'

The Pistons have fallen off since a 5-1 start as they continue to play without guard Brandon Jennings, who is still recovering from a torn left Achilles suffered in January.

'I like the guys we have. I like the character of our team. I like the fit of our team," Van Gundy said. "We've just got to keep working to improve on both ends and gain experience, both together and individually.'

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Spurs (14-3) at Bulls (9-5)

Date: November 30, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

The San Antonio Spurs are off to the second-best start in the NBA, thanks in large part to them ranking first in the league in scoring defense.

That could be spell trouble for the Chicago Bulls, who find themselves in an offensive slump going into Monday night's meeting at the United Center.

At 14-3, the Spurs trail only undefeated Golden State, and they've won 11 of 12. They're giving up an 89.7 points per game and have held six of their last nine opponents to 84 or fewer, while accomplishing that feat eight times on the season - twice more than they did in 2014-15.

They limited Atlanta to 42.5 percent shooting in Saturday's 108-88 home victory, shutting down a Hawks team that had averaged 106.4 points in its previous five games.

San Antonio excelled defensively last season, too, giving up 97.0 points per game to rank third. LaMarcus Aldridge has helped fuel the improvement with the Spurs allowing 96.0 points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor. Tiago Splitter (100.9), Aron Baynes (102.5) and Boris Diaw (104.1) split the majority of the starts at power forward in 2014-15.

"Usually we are a team that builds defensively, slowly," guard Manu Ginobili said. "This year we started very well, very aggressively. The addition of LaMarcus gives us more size. He has quick feet to switch, to get in a better position quicker."

Chicago (9-5) followed a four-game winning streak by dropping two of three to end a four-game trip. The Bulls shot 37.6 percent in those three contests and were held to fewer than 95 points in each.

They shot a season-low 34.8 percent in Friday's 104-92 loss to Indiana, going 21 for 66 on 2-point shots. Nikola Mirotic scored a season-high 25 points but the other starters were a combined 14 of 49 from the field.

Chicago was also outscored 21-5 on the fast break and has given up a 73-29 advantage in transition in the last four contests.

"Just have to keep fighting to get better; just didn't play well," coach Fred Hoiberg told the team's official website. "Especially on the offensive end as a team. Movement, get the ball swung; we're doing it in practice, getting the ball swung. We've got to carry it over to the games."

Derrick Rose has shot 11 for 36 in two games since sitting out two with a sprained ankle.

"Oh, my God, I felt like I played like (crap) tonight," he said. "I don't know what the case might be. Thanksgiving, I don't know. It's a hard one losing like that in here, but the energy level, my energy, wasn't up. It is a tough game when you come back from the West Coast, but we can't use that as an excuse."

Pau Gasol is also struggling, shooting 35.8 percent over his last five games, though he's still been a factor on the glass with 56 rebounds in that span.

Tony Parker is in the midst of an extremely efficient stretch for the Spurs, shooting 68.0 percent over his last five games. He's made 53.6 percent in his last eight meetings with Chicago.

San Antonio has won four of the last six meetings, while the Bulls are 5-1 at home this season.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Nuggets (6-11) at Bucks (6-11)

Date: November 30, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

The Milwaukee Bucks made lineup changes in order to alleviate their defensive woes, though it didn't prevent a sixth loss in seven games.

Coach Jason Kidd has not decided whether he will stick with a defensive-minded lineup when the Bucks try to hand the visiting Denver Nuggets a seventh straight loss Monday night.

Kidd opted to use Michael Carter-Williams and Jabari Parker off the bench for the first time in Sunday's 87-82 defeat at Charlotte, giving O.J. Mayo his first start and Jerryd Bayless his first in his last six games.

The moves were made because Milwaukee (6-11) allows 109.0 points per 48 minutes for the league's worst mark. They changes proved very successful, as the Bucks yielded a point total that matched their second-lowest and limited the Hornets to 38.6 percent for their second-best mark.

Milwaukee held Charlotte to 37.5 percent shooting in the first quarter in building a six-point lead.

'I thought the lineup switch got us off to a really good start,' said Kidd, who said he will discuss with his staff what lineup to use Monday. 'Defensively, guys were into it. We got a lot of deflections. We had multiple shooters on the floor.'

Milwaukee outscored Charlotte in every quarter except the second, a period that proved decisive as the Hornets held a 23-9 edge.

"The effort was there, the energy was there, the understanding is you gotta play four quarters and we just came up short in one of them," Kidd said.

One horrific quarter was an issue for Denver (6-11) in Saturday's 92-81 loss at Dallas. The Nuggets were outscored 25-5 in the third after going into halftime up by four.

"Our challenge is to play for 48 minutes and we've been unable to do so lately," coach Michael Malone said. "We go to Milwaukee and we gotta try to get that losing streak over by getting a win and to stop beating yourself on the road."

The Nuggets haven't lost seven in a row since Jan. 16-26.

"I temper my frustration with the understanding that we are a very young team," Malone said. "When we start our normal lineup, we have a 19-year-old, a 20-year-old and a 21-year-old so being young in the Western Conference makes it difficult. So it is frustrating, nobody likes to lose, we all hate to lose but you lose six games in a row, that gets old after a while."

The 21-year-old player in question is second-year guard Gary Harris, who started the first 16 games before sitting out Saturday with a concussion. Randy Foye took his place in the lineup.

Denver welcomed back Kenneth Faried, who had 10 points and five rebounds in 14 minutes after missing three games with a sprained ankle.

Faried scored on a putback of Danilo Gallinari's missed shot for the winning basket in Denver's 103-102 home victory over Milwaukee on Nov. 11. Gallinari scored 25 in the Nuggets' 10th victory in 11 games against the Bucks.

Bayless led Milwaukee with 22 points and Greg Monroe had 18 and 10 rebounds. Carter-Williams and Parker missed the contest due to injuries.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Thunder (11-6) at Hawks (11-8)

Date: November 30, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

If Kevin Durant's importance to the Oklahoma City Thunder wasn't evident last year, he's provided a few more reminders since returning from his latest injury.

As Durant and the Thunder look to extend an outstanding run, the Atlanta Hawks continue their search for consistency when the teams meet Monday night.

Somewhat overshadowed by the Golden State Warriors' remarkable start and Stephen Curry's scoring exploits, Durant has more quietly compiled numbers comparable or exceeding to those from his 2013-14 MVP campaign. The star forward is shooting a torrid 47.1 percent from 3-point range and 52.4 overall in averaging 28.4 points through 11 games.

Durant has been particularly hot since coming back from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for six games, averaging 30.3 points on 58.5 percent shooting in three Thunder wins. He totaled 34 along with a season-high 13 rebounds as Oklahoma City (11-6) recorded its fourth consecutive victory with Friday's 103-87 decision over Detroit.

"I was feeding off the energy of the crowd and the teammates," he said. "In single coverage I feel like I can score on anybody. I was aggressive."

After going 27-28 in games Durant missed in 2014-15, the Thunder are 8-3 with him in the lineup this season.

Durant's performance and the Thunder's dominance on the glass offset an off night from Russell Westbrook, held to a season-low 14 points while committing 11 turnovers. Oklahoma City, which leads the NBA in rebounding margin (plus-7.7), owned a 58-38 advantage on the glass and held league rebounding leader Andre Drummond to seven.

The Thunder's prowess in that area could present problems for the Hawks' relatively small lineup. Atlanta (11-8) ranks near the bottom of the league with a minus-3.7 rebounding margin and is 5-7 when finishing with an even or negative differential.

Atlanta was outrebounded 49-43 by San Antonio on Saturday, though its 108-88 defeat to the formidable Spurs was more a result of poor shooting. The Hawks were 6 of 26 on 3-pointers while matching their lowest scoring output of the season, which came one night after they went 14 of 39 from beyond the arc in a 116-101 win at Memphis.

'There is really not much positive from us,' center Al Horford said of Saturday's outcome. 'For us as a team, the best thing is to put this behind us.'

The Hawks did force 16 Spurs turnovers and are averaging 20.9 points per game off opponent's miscues, second-best in the NBA. Oklahoma City's 17.1 giveaways per game is among the league's worst marks.

Paul Millsap ranks among the league leaders with 37 steals and is averaging 19.5 points and 10.3 rebounds over his last four, though the forward was limited to a season-low eight points by San Antonio.

Millsap had 22 points and 10 rebounds in a 103-93 victory over the Thunder at Philips Arena on Jan. 23, Atlanta's lone win in the last five matchups. Westbrook amassed a 36-point, 14-assist, 10-rebound triple-double to lead Oklahoma City to a 123-115 home triumph on March 20.

The Thunder have won nine of 12 in Atlanta and haven't dropped consecutive road games to the Hawks since 1993-94 when the franchise was based in Seattle.