Sports Reporter for today.
NBA
TUESDAY, MARCH 20
TORONTO over *ORLANDO by 10
Orlando has lost 6 of 7. When these teams squared off in February the Magic were a minus 20 in points in the paint. Toronto comes to town in a foul mood after losing to OKC on Sunday. TORONTO 111 – 101
BEST BET
*NEW ORLEANS over DALLAS by 19
Dallas is 0 for 2 against this club this season. When they lost to them earlier this month they were beaten off the glass and Anthony Davis had a pretty pedestrian game. Dallas has lost 3 of 4 including a defeat by the Nets. Dallas is banged up too. Dennis Smith Jr. is out, J.J. Barea is iffy and they recently lost Wes Matthews. If New Orleans wants to continue after 82, then they’d better win this game. Of the 11 games after this one, the Pelicans will face just 3 teams that are not in a playoff position. Nikola Mirotic has been the wild card for this club as he can fill it up.They hosted Boston on Sunday and the game was relatively close until the last quarter when Boston had just 13 points. New Orleans continues to share the ball in DeMarcus Cousins’ absence, as they had 33 assists vs. the Celts. NEW ORLEANS 117 – 98
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS over *MINNESOTA by 1
Minnesota won the first 2 match-ups with the Clips this year but Jimmy Butler had 33 in one of those wins and 19, 8 boards and 8 assists in the other. When they played in January the Clips were beaten off the glass and careless with the rock. This is much bigger game for Los Angeles. They are playing to make the post season and they hosted Portland on Sunday. In that game they came out flat and it cost them. On the positive side, Montrezl Harrell was a beast with 24, 7 boards and 2 rejections. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 113 – 112
OKLAHOMA CITY over *BOSTON by 1
Boston beat this club in November but Russell Westbrook was 7 for 20 and Melo was even worse at 3 for 17. Boston got 25 in that game from Kyrie Irving and he’ll be watching this one. Against New Orleans on Sunday the Celts allowed the Pelicans to shoot 50% from the floor. OKC is probably a team that will improve in playoff situations. They have multiple guys that can get their own shot and Cory Brewer has filled a defensive void as the 2 guard. OKLAHOMA CITY 104 – 103
*UTAH over ATLANTA by 14
Atlanta has no motivation. They are dead last in the East. Utah is one of the hottest clubs going with 9 straight but they still have to play. They are only a half game out of the 8th seed. UTAH 111 – 97
DETROIT over *PHOENIX by 4
Phoenix is 0 for March. They have not only lost 9 of 10 they were blown out in 5 of those defeats. Both Devin Booker and T. J. Warren are iffy here. Detroit is on the outside looking in and although they are not totally eliminated from the playoffs, they will need plenty of help. At least the Detroit big men have a shot to control the paint. DETROIT 110 – 106
HOUSTON over *PORTLAND by 4
Portland has been winning everything that is not nailed down but they are far from a perfect club. If the starting Portland guards are not on, the Blazers could suffer. They don’t share the ball. The Blazers are dead last in assists. Houston beat this club in January and James Harden didn’t play. The Rockets know they have to compete against this ‘swaggy’ team. HOUSTON 110 – 106
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TUESDAY, MARCH 20
NIT TOURNAMENT - QUARTERFINALS
PENN STATE over *MARQUETTE by 3
Are the Nittany Lions actually better without Mike Watkins? That seems like a ridiculous question, but the team has won four of its six games without the sophomore forward, including its first two NIT games. The team is effective playing small and Josh Reaves has become a factor on the boards. The team does not have a shot blocker, but has played swarming defense. Marquette does not have a traditional big man on offense as well, but they may try to force the ball into the paint to try to take advantage of Penn State’s lack of size. PENN STATE 74-71
*LOUISVILLE over MISSISSIPPI STATE by 8
When all of the pieces for Mississippi State come together (as they did in the win over Baylor on Sunday), the team looks very strong. Lamar Peters had 10 assists, Tyson Carter scored 19 points, and Quinndary Weatherspoon hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. However, that is a lot that has to go right for a team that had little success on the road. The Cardinals have taken care of Northern Kentucky and Middle Tennessee State thus far in the NIT. They should roll over Bulldogs. LOUISVILLE 76-68
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