Friday’s Sports Matinee Cheat Sheet
The day after Thanksgiving means a day of quiet contemplation about how much you’ve eaten…and a ton of matinee action in all sports. So we bring you the quick one stop shop for all the afternoon games.
NBA:
Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics (-1, 201)
The Chicago Bulls might yet prove to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, but they’ll hardly resemble one when they face the Boston Celtics on Friday. The Bulls could be without three starters — Derrick Rose (hamstring), Joakim Noah (knee) and Taj Gibson (ankle) — when they continue their seven-game road trip. The Celtics could use a break, having lost five of their last six with the lone victory against winless Philadelphia.
Chicago has gone 2-3 on its trip, which wraps up Sunday at Brooklyn, after a short-handed 114-109 loss at Denver on Tuesday in which Noah and Gibson sat out and Rose was limited to two points in 10 minutes. “Derrick’s not the only one,” Bulls coach Tom Thibedeau told reporters. “We’ve got a lot of stuff going on here. We’ve got to get people healthy.” The Celtics won the first meeting this season, 106-101 in Chicago, despite playing without star point guard Rajon Rondo.
TRENDS:
*Bulls are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games.
*Over is 10-2 in Celtics last 12 games following a ATS loss.
*Bulls are 5-1-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings
NHL:
New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers (-110, 5.5)
The New York Rangers stopped a losing skid when they hosted the Metropolitan Division-rival Philadelphia Flyers in the teams’ first meeting of the season last week. Coach Alain Vigneault’s club hopes to prevent another one from forming when it visits the Flyers on Friday afternoon to open a home-and-home set. Rick Nash, who scored in New York’s 2-0 triumph over Philadelphia to end an 0-1-2 slide, collected his team-leading 15th goal and an assist in a 4-3 setback to Tampa Bay on Wednesday.
Nash has recorded a goal in three straight and 13 of 21 games this season, a point in 16 of 21 and notched his 300th career assist against the Lightning. While those numbers certainly are impressive, Philadelphia is stringing together some rather gaudy numbers in its own right – albeit on the negative side after its 5-2 setback to Detroit on Wednesday. The Flyers have lost six of seven overall (1-5-1) and fell to 0-5-1 in their last six road contests heading into Saturday’s tilt in the house of horrors that is Madison Square Garden, where they’ve dropped nine in a row.
TRENDS:
*Flyers are 1-6 in their last 7 overall.
*Over is 6-2-3 in Rangers last 11 road games.
*Home team is 24-9 in the last 33 meetings.
Chicago Blackhawks at Anaheim Ducks (-120, 5.5)
The Chicago Blackhawks are having another successful run on their annual “Circus Trip” but they must withstand a rugged back-to-back finish to the six-game trek when they visit the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks on Friday. The Blackhawks have won six of eight after a 3-2 victory at Colorado, topping an opponent that beat them four times last season. “It’s a good start to the second half of the road trip,” forward Patrick Kane said. “It’s a lot better being 3-1 through the first four games than 2-2.”
Anaheim is riding a three-game winning streak following a stretch in which it had won only once in seven games (1-1-5) and has had 11 of its last 12 decided by one goal, including each of the past three victories. Since dropping their season opener, the Ducks have failed to earn a point in only two of 22 games and have played a league high nine games that were settled in overtime or a shootout. Anaheim has won six of its last eight against the Blackhawks, including a 1-0 victory at Chicago on Oct. 28.
TRENDS:
*Blackhawks are 5-1 in their last 6 vs. Western Conference.
*Under is 10-0-1 in Ducks last 11 games following a win.
*Blackhawks are 6-21-2 in the last 29 meetings in Anaheim.
NCAAF:
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at (20) Marshall Thundering Herd (-24, 74.5)
Marshall is one win away from locking up a perfect regular season. The Thundering Herd will try to improve to 12-0 when they host Western Kentucky in the regular-season finale on Friday. Marshall and defending National Champion Florida State are the only teams remaining without a loss, and the Thundering Herd are in the running for a New Year’s Six bowl game if they can hold off the Hilltoppers.
Marshall is having a hard time cracking the College Football Playoff rankings due to the strength of its schedule but is dominating the opponents in front of it and has already clinched the top spot in the Conference-USA East Division. Western Kentucky is bowl eligible as well after notching three straight wins by an average of 24.7 points. “For us, now we’re in the championship game,” Hilltoppers coach Jeff Brohm told reporters of the magnitude of the matchup with the Thundering Herd. “We get to play a championship game against an undefeated team on their home turf with a lot of implications for them riding on this game. It’s a great opportunity for us.”
TRENDS:
*Hilltoppers are 0-4 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
*Thundering Herd are 14-1-1 ATS in their last 16 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
*Over is 4-1-1 in Hilltoppers last 6 games following a S.U. win.
Arkansas Razorbacks at (17) Missouri Tigers (+3, 45)
All that stands between No. 17 Missouri and a second SEC East title is red-hot Arkansas. The visiting Razorbacks enter Friday’s new rivalry after snapping a 17-game conference losing streak with back-to-back shutouts of LSU and Ole Miss. It is the first regular-season meeting between the teams since 1963 but the first of many as they will face off at the end of the year as permanent cross-division opponents.
The Tigers defense, which is allowing just 109.3 rushing yards in conference games, will have its hands full with Arkansas’ big offensive line and tough running backs. “We’ve done a pretty good job (stopping the run) and it starts up front with our rush defense,” Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. “This is going to be a challenge for us. They’re very good at what they do.” Missouri has outscored its opponents 149-85 during its five-game win streak.
TRENDS:
*Razorbacks are 10-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
*Tigers are 21-8-1 ATS in their last 30 games overall.
*Under is 12-3 in Tigers last 15 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
Stanford Cardinal at (10) UCLA Bruins (-5.5, 50)
Tenth-ranked UCLA controls its destiny in the chase for the Pac-12 South crown and will play in the title game if it defeats visiting Stanford on Friday. The Bruins have won five consecutive games and have a lot of momentum entering the match with the Cardinal, who have frustrated UCLA’s offense in recent seasons. “They are good tacklers and disciplined,” Bruins coach Jim Mora told reporters. “We’re going to have to be very precise in everything that we do in order to get yards against them.”
Stanford won’t have standout receiver and returner Ty Montgomery (team-high 61 receptions) after he departed last week’s victory over California with a shoulder injury. “Ty will be out of this game,” Cardinal coach David Shaw told reporters. “He will not play this game and hopefully we’ll get him ready for the bowl game, which looks like a distinct possibility.” Stanford has been out of the Pac-12 title game chase and is in the midst of its fewest victories since 2008.
TRENDS:
*Under is 12-3 in Cardinal last 15 conference games.
*Over is 4-0 in Bruins last 4 Friday games.
*Cardinal are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 meetings.
(21) Colorado State Rams at Air Force Falcons (+7.5, 59.5)
Colorado State visits Air Force on Friday in the regular-season finale for both teams and should the No. 21 Rams prevail, they will become huge fans of Utah State. Colorado State is tied with No. 25 Boise State and Utah State atop the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference and can advance to the MWC title game with a victory, coupled with a Broncos loss to the Aggies on Saturday night. “At the end of the day, we can control only what we can control,” Rams senior quarterback Garrett Grayson, who has guided Colorado State to its first double-digit win season since 2002, told the Denver Post.
The Rams possess star power in sophomore wide receiver Rashard Higgins, who leads the nation in receiving yards and touchdowns, and Alabama transfer Dee Hart, a 1,000-yard rusher who scored six touchdowns in last week’s 58-20 victory over New Mexico. The Falcons saw their four-game winning streak snapped with a 30-14 loss at San Diego State on Nov. 21 as they began life without leading rusher Jacobi Owens, who is out for the season (foot). Air Force could also be slowed by an unspecified injury to quarterback Kale Pearson, who did not participate in team drills Monday but was present and in uniform.
TRENDS:
*Rams are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 road games.
*Falcons are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following a S.U. loss.
*Over is 7-0 in the last 7 meetings.
NCAAB:
Yale Bulldogs at (25) Providence Friars
LaDontae Henton and streaking Providence will try to avoid looking ahead when they host Yale on Friday. The 25th-ranked Friars, who rode Henton’s career-high 38 points and last-second shot deflection to a 75-74 win over Notre Dame in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic on Sunday, will next visit top-ranked Kentucky. Providence, ranked in a national poll for the first time since the end of the 2004 season, has won 38 straight home games against non-conference opponents.
The Bulldogs, picked to finish second in the Ivy League, have rebounded from a double-overtime loss at Quinnipiac in the opener to win five in a row, the latest an 82-60 home victory over Lafayette on Wednesday. Justin Sears led four players in double figures with 17 points and Yale had a 47-20 advantage on the glass. Providence has won five straight meetings with Yale, including a 76-74 triumph last Dec. 17 when Henton scored a big basket in the final minute to complete a 13-point effort.
TRENDS:
*Bulldogs are 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 road games.
*Over is 8-1 in Friars last 9 games following a ATS win.
*Bulldogs are 3-0-1 ATS in the last 4 meetings in Providence.
James Madison Dukes at (17) Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State is blowing through mid-major competition with the most efficient offense in the country led by freshman D’Angelo Russell. The 17th-ranked Buckeyes try to stay undefeated when they host James Madison as part of the Buckeye Classic on Friday. Ohio State has won its last two games by an average of 42.5 points and is shooting 60.8 percent from the field as a team.
The Buckeyes went into Wednesday leading the nation in field-goal percentage and barely lowered the mark while shooting 60.7 percent in a 91-64 win over Campbell. “I’m not sure how much longer we can shoot at this clip, but I think guys are taking more pride in their shots and seeing the ball go through the basket,” coach Thad Matta told reporters. The Dukes are not shooting the ball as well but have won four straight since dropping their opener to Virginia.
TRENDS:
*Dukes are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 road games.
*Over is 4-0 in Buckeyes last 4 games following a S.U. win.
*Buckeyes are 1-9 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
