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[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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League Two TODAY 19:45

Doncaster

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Portsmouth

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REFEREE: Jeremy Simpson STADIUM:

Copa del Rey TODAY 20:15

Ath Bilbao

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Barcelona

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[Can'tPickaWinner2]

10 Players to Watch: SBS Tournament of Champions
By Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange

1. Jordan Spieth, United States -- Out to regain the No. 1 world ranking he traded with Jason Day and Rory McIlroy last year, Spieth will be defending one of three titles he won a year ago in the first event of 2017. While three titles normally would be a good season for any golfer, it paled in comparison to the five tournaments, including the Masters and U.S. Open, he captured in a brilliant 2015 campaign. Spieth tied the tournament record of 30-under-par in winning the Tournament of Champions by 8 strokes over Patrick Reed last year and is 48-under is his only two appearances at Kapalua, having finished 1 shot behind Zach Johnson in solo second in 2014. Spieth, down to No. 5 in the world, is coming off a playoff victory over Cameron Smith and Ashley Hall in his last event of 2015, the Emirates Australian Open, in November.

2. Dustin Johnson, United States -- Coming off the best season of his career which has lifted him to No. 3 in the world, Johnson will be looking to extend his streak to 10 straight seasons with a victory on the PGA Tour, the longest active run on the circuit. The 2016 PGA Tour Player of the Year won three big events in 2016, including his first major title in the U.S. Open at Oakmont, the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the BMW Championship during the FedExCup playoffs. Johnson is playing in the Tournament of Champions for the seventh time, more than any player in the winners-only field, and won the tournament by 4 strokes over Steve Stricker in 2013, when rain shortened the event to 54 holes. He has finished in the top 10 four straight years at Kapalua, including a tie for sixth in his title defense, when he took the lead into the final round but closed with a 73.

3. Hideki Matsuyama, Japan -- The hottest player on the planet, the sixth-ranked Matsuyama won four of his last five tournaments around the world in 2016, including the WGC-HSBC Champions by a whopping 7 strokes over Henrik Stenson of Sweden and Daniel Berger. He has finished in the top 10 in six consecutive tournaments, including second in the CIMB Classic in Malaysia and a tie for sixth in the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta last September. The 24-year-old, who already has 12 professional victories, is playing in the Tournament of Champions for the second time, having tied for third in 2015 after sharing the lead with eventual winner Patrick Reed and Jimmy Walker after 54 holes before closing with a 70 as they went low at Kapalua. Matsuyama starts the new year leading the FedExCup standings thanks to his 1-2 finishes in the WGC-HSBC Champions and the CIMB Classic.

4. Patrick Reed, United States -- One of three former Tournament of Champions winners in the field, Reed might have run out of gas from playing more than 30 times in 2016 when he struggled to a tie for 51st in the CIMB Classic in Malaysia and tied for 60th in the WGC-HSBC Champions in his only two events of the Fall portion of the wrap-around schedule. However, he is coming off another fine season, including his fifth PGA Tour victory in the Barclays to start the FedExCup playoffs and two runner-up finishes among his 11 results in the top 10. One of those seconds came in the Tournament of Champions, which he led after a first-round 65, before finishing 8 shots behind runaway winner Jordan Spieth. A year earlier, Reed won the tournament when his 18-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole beat Jimmy Walker, after he also made birdie on the final hole of regulation play.

5. Jason Day, Australia -- The top-ranked player in the world will tee it up competitively for the first time since he withdrew from the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship at the end of the FedExCup playoffs because of a nagging back injury. Day claims he is at full strength again after 3 1/2 months off but will have to be careful since the back has become something of a chronic problem. The injury came at the end of a season in which he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the WGC-Dell Match Play Championship and the Players Championship among 10 finishes in the top 10 on the PGA Tour. Day, who has won eight times in the last two seasons on the circuit, is making his third appearance in the Tournament of Champions, having tied for ninth in 2011, tied for third in 2015 when he closed with a 62, and tied for 10th last year.

6. Bubba Watson, United States -- Watson will make his debut playing a pink golf ball made by Volvik, switching from the Titleist ball he has used for years. Already one of the longest hitters in the game, Watson said he thought about the change after watching the bombers playing Volvik during the World Long Drive Championship. Watson is making his sixth appearance in the Tournament of Champions, with his best result a tie for fourth in 2013, when the event was shortened to 54 holes by rain. He has finished 10th each of the last two years at Kapalua. Watson, ranked 10th in the world, is coming off a season in which he claimed his ninth PGA Tour victory in the Northern Trust Open at Riviera and finished second in his next outing, the WGC-Cadillac Championship. However, he didn't do much the rest of the year, with only two other top-10s.

7. Jimmy Walker, United States -- Even though Walker didn't player nearly as well throughout last season as he had in the previous two, he made it a year to remember when he claimed his first major title in the PGA Championship at Baltusrol, where he held off world No. 1 Jason Day by 1 stroke. After winning twice in each of the two previous seasons, he posted only two other top-10 results, including third in the Deutsche Bank Championship during the FedExCup playoffs. His best golf came late in the year, as he teamed with Rickie Fowler to finish second in the unofficial ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf in Australia two months ago. Walker is making his fourth start in the Tournament of Champions and held a 2-stroke lead heading to the final hole two years ago, but closed with a bogey that allowed Patrick Reed to catch him with a birdie, and win with another birdie on the first playoff hole.

8. Russell Knox, Scotland -- Coming off first two PGA Tour victories last season, Knox got off to a strong start to the new campaign in the Fall when he tied for 10th in the CIMB Classic, tied for ninth in his title defense in the WGC-HSBC Champions in China and finished solo third in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba. He earned that first PGA Tour victory by 2 strokes over Kevin Kisner in China and added another in the Travelers Championship, in which he held off Jerry Kelly by 1 stroke. That gave him a return trip to the Tournament of Champions, where in his first start last year he struggled to solo 27th in his debut on the Plantation Course at Kapalua. When Knox captured the WGC-HSBC, he became the first player to win his debut in the World Golf Championships since Jeff Maggert won the first event in the series history in 1999.

9. Justin Thomas, United States -- The 23-year-old Thomas is second behind Hideki Matsuyama in the early FedExCup standings on the strength of his successful title defense in the CIMB Classic in Malaysia two months ago and a tie for eighth in the Safeway Open to start the new season. He also tied for 23rd in the WGC-HSBC Champions in China. Thomas is making his second appearance in the Tournament of Champions, having finished in a tie for 21st in his debut on the Plantation Course at Kapalua last year. In addition to claiming his first PGA Tour victory in the 2015 CIMB Classic, he posted six other top-10 finishes last season, winding up third four times -- in the Frys.com Open, the Honda Classic, the Players Championship and the Travelers Championship. Thomas also was sixth in the Tour Championship and figures to start turning some of those close calls into victories.

10. Brandt Snedeker, United States -- Snedeker, the 2007 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, has had a fine career that includes eight victories on the circuit, and last year he continued to bounce back from a series of rib injuries that threatened his career. After losing to Fabian Gomez of Argentina on the second hole of a playoff in the Sony Open in Hawaii, he won the Farmers Insurance Open two weeks later by one stroke over K.J. Choi. Snedeker added five other top-10 finishes, including third twice, made it all the way to the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta and wound up 15th in the FedExCup standings. He will be making his fifth start in the Tournament of Champions, and last year he finished in a tie for third to equal his best result in the tournament in 2013.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

PGA Tour Picks: SBS Tournament of Champions Odds and Expert Predictions
by Alan Matthews

Welcome to my first PGA Tour preview of the New Year! I hit on five winners in the 2016 calendar year, and six if you include me casually referencing I liked Justin Rose to win the Olympic gold medal in Rio when I actually previewed that week's PGA Tour event.

Technically the 2016-17 wraparound season has already started with seven official fall events. Really none of those had world-class fields except for the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in China in late October. This year's overall schedule is basically back to normal after last year's Olympics caused some summer shifting. There are a handful of new sponsors this season, including in this Hawaii event. It had been called the Hyundai Tournament of Champions since 2011. The former WGC event at Doral on the Florida Swing was moved to Mexico this March basically because Donald Trump owns Doral. Of course no one expected him to become president when the Tour made the decision.

The Masters is obviously is held at Augusta National every year. The U.S. Open is at Erin Hills in Hartford, Wisc., for the first time in 2017. The British Open goes to Royal Birkdale in England and the PGA Championship is at Quail Hollow in Charlotte. That course usually hosts the Wells Fargo Championship the first week of May, but that tournament will be held at nearby Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington, N.C., with Quail Hollow being prepared for the U.S. Open. As usual, the season concludes with the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta, and this is a Presidents Cup year. That will be held at Liberty National in New Jersey the week after the Tour Championship.

At Sportsbooks , you can bet on just about every big-name player to win a major or not this year -- all yes-only props. Tiger Woods, if you are wondering, is +500. Can't say I recommend that. To win the money list title, Dustin Johnson is +350 to repeat, the same price as Rory McIlroy. DJ earned more than $9.3 million last season.

Keep in mind that most top Europeans won' t come over to the USA for a while as there are big-money events in the Middle East on the European Tour through the end of January. The SBS Tournament of Champions is as it sounds: open to only winners from the previous calendar year. But McIlroy, for example, isn't playing. A total of 32 players are expected to tee it up (11 first-timers) in the no-cut tournament, which is held at the spectacular Plantation Course at Kapalua on Maui.

There will be plenty of scoring this weekend as really the only defense the course has is wind, and it's often at players' backs. Unlike most PGA Tour courses, Plantation is a par 73. It looked like American Jordan Spieth was going to have another monster year in 2016 when he won this tournament at a whopping 30-under, with his worst round a 67. He beat second-place Patrick Reed by eight shots. Only one other player has ever reached 30-under in a Tour event and that was Ernie Els at 31-under to win here in 2003. Spieth shoots 30 under and doesn't even own the course record. That's crazy. Spieth actually had a disappointing season overall compared to the year before.

Golf Odds: SBS Tournament of Champions Favorites

Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and Johnson are the +500 favorites at Bovada. Matsuyama, No. 6 in the world, is red-hot coming in. In a four-tournament stretch during October and November, Matsuyama won the WGC-HSBC Champions by seven shots as well as two events on the Japan Golf Tour. He also finished second at the CIMB Classic and won the unofficial Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in December. He has played here once and was third in 2015.

Johnson is the reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year and scoring champion on top of his money list title. He won three times last season and was 10th here in 2016. Johnson won the tournament in 2013 at 16 under.

Spieth (+550), world No. 1 Jason Day (+700) and Reed (+1200) round out the favorites. On top of his win here last year, Spieth was runner-up in 2014. Day hasn't played an official event since midway through the FedEx Cup playoffs as he had to WD from the final two playoff tournaments. He did play a pro-am in mid-December in Florida. Day was 10th here last year and has a best result of T3 in 2015. Reed had that runner-up last year and won in 2015 at 21 under.

Golf Odds: SBS Tournament of Champions Picks

There's a prop for Top-5 finishes but I'll stick with Top 10 and go with Matsuyama (-400), Reed (-150) and Brandt Snedeker (-120), who has been third here twice. The short prices are due to the small field. For top American, I'll go with Reed at +600. Like Matsuyama at +110 for rest of the world.

Head-to-head, go Reed (-130) over Justin Thomas (even), Bubba Watson (-120) over Thomas (-110), Matsuyama (-130) over Day (even), Johnson (-130) over Day (even), and Spieth (-130) over Day. So clearly I think Day will be rusty.

I will throw some longer-shot money on Snedeker to win at +1800, but I'll go with Reed because he clearly loves this course and has been playing fairly frequently around the world the past few months -- albeit not in top form -- while guys like Spieth, Johnson and Day haven't.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL roundup: Rangers rebound to beat Flyers
By The Sports Xchange

PHILADELPHIA -- One night after saying his team got outworked badly in a loss to the Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers coach Alain Vigneault turned to goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and was rewarded with a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night.
Lundqvist, who allowed four goals on 19 shots in Tuesday night's loss in Madison Square Garden, turned aside 30 of 32 shots for his 17th win of the season.
Kevin Hayes scored two goals, Michael Grabner added two goals and an assist and Chris Kreider picked up another goal to give the Rangers their first win of 2017. The Rangers won for the fourth time in five games and moved 10 points ahead of the Flyers in the Metropolitan Division standings.

Canadiens 4, Stars 3 (OT)
DALLAS -- Max Pacioretty scored the game-winner on a breakaway 19 seconds into overtime, his second goal of the game, giving Montreal an overtime win against Dallas at American Airlines Center.
Nathan Beaulieu had a goal and two assists for the Canadiens, who also got a goal from Alexander Radulov. Shea Weber added two assists and Al Montoya made 39 saves.
The Stars goals from Tyler Seguin, John Klingberg, who also had an assist, and Esa Lindell.

Jets 4, Panthers 1
SUNRISE, Fla. -- Patrik Laine took over as the NHL's leading rookie goal-scorer, powering Winnipeg over Florida at the BB&T Center.
Laine, the second overall pick in the 2016 draft, scored his 21st goal. The jets also got goals from Shawn Matthias, Nikolaj Ehlers and Mark Scheifele.
The Panthers' Jaromir Jagr, already No. 2 in the NHL in career points, reached yet another milestone when he picked up an assist on Greg McKegg's second-period goal.

Canucks 3, Coyotes 0
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Ryan Miller stopped 22 shots for his first shutout in more than a year and Sven Baertschi scored the winning goal in the first period as Vancouver extended its winning streak to five games with a victory over Arizona.
Brandon Sutter (penalty shot) and Bo Horvat (breakaway) scored third-period goals for the Canucks, who are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games.
It's the first time in more than three years Vancouver won more than four consecutive games.

Flames 4, Avalanche 1
CALGARY, Alberta -- Mikael Backlund ran his goal-scoring streak to five straight games as Calgary beat Colorado at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Alex Chiasson had a goal and an assist for the Flames, who converted three of seven power-play opportunities. Kris Versteeg and Johnny Gaudreau also scored, while Mark Giordano, Sean Monahan and TJ Brodie chipped in with two assists each.
Patrick Wiercioch scored the lone goal of the game for the Avalanche with 1:25 left.

Ducks 2, Red Wings 0
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- John Gibson continued his stellar play in and Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase scored goals as Anaheim snuffed out Detroit at Honda Center.
Gibson, who tied a franchise record with 51 saves in Sunday's shootout victory against the Philadelphia Flyers, needed to stop only 23 on Wednesday in recording his eighth career shutout and second of the season.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

In the Crease - Week 13
By Joe Williams

Streaky Teams
Wins and Losses Streak Over/Under Streak
Colorado 1-9 past 10 overall, 0-9-1 past 10 home Carolina Under 4-0-2 past six overall
Columbus 15-0 past 15 overall, 7-0 past seven home Los Angeles Under 7-0-1 past eight overall
Minnesota 12-1 past 13 overall, 6-0 past six road N.Y. Islanders Over 6-0 past six overall, 11-2 past 13
San Jose 8-2 past 10 overall N.Y. Rangers Over 5-0 past five overall
Toronto 5-0 past five overall Toronto Under 12-2 past 14 overall

Raking It In On Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been a friend to bettors at the window lately. The Leafs have rattled off five consecutive games, including two straight in overtime and another in a shootout, and they have won four straight as an underdog (+464 during the span). In addition, total bettors have been pleased with their constant 'under' results, hitting in 12 of the past 14 games overall. The 'under' is 6-1 in Toronto's past seven games on the road, which is where they are heading Tuesday in Washington and Friday in New Jersey. In fact, four of Toronto's next five games are away from the center of the hockey universe.

Coyote Ugly
The Arizona Coyotes have dropped seven consecutive games heading into the new year, and they have been outscored 28-13 during the unimpressive span. The Coyotes are in such a tailspin that they haven't been favored since Nov. 23, a span of 19 straight games. In fact, the Coyotes have been favored just three times all season, and they haven't won in such position since their opening game overtime victory against Philadelphia back on Oct. 15 when they were a -110 favorite, highest of the season.

Looking Ahead

Thursday, Jan. 5
The Wild look to stay hot against the Sharks in a battle of two premier Western Conference teams. This is the first meeting between the two Western Conference foes this season. Last season the Sharks split a pair of games on home ice with the Wild, winning 4-3 on Jan. 23, 2016, and losing 2-0 on Dec. 12. San Jose won two of the three meetings overall, and four of the past five in the series. Minnesota has won six straight on the road dating back to a shootout loss in Calgary back on Dec. 2, and they have lost in regulation on the road just once in the past 11 away from St. Paul.

The Red Wings pull into Los Angeles Thursday night looking to crown the Kings, but lately they haven't been able to piece much together. Detroit hasn't won back-to-back games in nearly a month. The Kings won 4-1 in their final visit to Joe Louis Arena back on Dec. 15. The Red Wings are just 3-5-2 over their past 10 games. However, they are 4-1-1 in their past six games on the road, while Los Angeles is 6-1-1 in their past eight games at home. Something's gotta give in this meeting between former Western Conference combatants.

Friday, Jan. 6
The Maple Leafs look to stay hot against the ice-cold Devils in Newark Friday night. New Jersey was glad to see the calendar turn to 2017, ringing in the new year with a 3-0 shutout of the visiting Boston Bruins Monday night. It was a rare home win, as the Devils are just 2-4 over their past six at home. These teams met in Newark back on Nov. 23, and New Jersey came away with a 5-4 victory in a shootout. New Jersey hasn't lost in regulation in 10 straight meetings with Toronto (6-0-4), and the Devils have won five straight meetings on home ice.

The Flames meet the Canucks in Vancouver for the third meeting of the season. The Canucks won the first meeting back on Oct. 15, snuffing out the Flames 2-1 in a shootout. Calgary avenged the loss on home ice with a 4-1 win Dec. 23. The Flames have won three of their past four games overall, and they're 6-2-1 in their past nine games on the road. Vancouver has won four in a row heading into the new week, and they have lost in regulation just once in their past eight on home ice (6-1-1).

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blue Jackets (27-5) at Capitals (23-9)

Date: January 05, 2017 7:00 PM EDT

WASHINGTON - The Columbus Blue Jackets will look to tie the NHL record for consecutive wins when they face Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on Thursday night at Verizon Center.

Columbus goes for its 17th straight win in a game featuring the first- and fourth-place teams in the Metropolitan Division. In a bit of scheduling irony, Washington will be trying to stop Columbus from tying the mark set by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins -- the Capitals' bitter rivals.

The Blue Jackets (27-5-4) rattled off their 16th consecutive victory with a 3-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers Tuesday in Columbus.

"I'm proud of the team. They deserve it," Columbus coach John Tortorella told NHL.com. "I'm really happy how they've handled the past three games with all the talk and all that. It's a good test for them."

Sergei Bobrovsky made 21 saves and extended his win streak to 14 games, three behind the record set by Boston's Gillies Gilbert in 1975-76. He has allowed just 23 goals in the 14 games.

Columbus is allowing two goals per game, tops in the NHL, and Washington is third at 2.10.

The Blue Jackets' power play continues to thrive, producing the first goal Tuesday night and 13 in the last 11 games. They're converting a league-best 28.3 percent of their chances.

"The power play, you can almost sense it when they go out there that they are going to score," Tortorella told NHL.com. "The bench feels that."

Capitals coach Barry Trotz said, "They have a good plan and they're executing their plan. I think their ability not only to get pucks in the area, but they also find ... off the original chance they turn that into a second and third chance and eventually a goal."

The Caps (23-9-5), meanwhile, has provided opponents 20 power plays in its last three games, though they've surrendered only two power-play goals while winning three straight.

"Obviously, the penalties are mounting up and they're hard minutes," Trotz said. "We're going to correct that."

Tuesday's 5-4 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs was an uncharacteristic Capitals affair. They were forced to rally from a 4-2 deficit before Alex Ovechkin scored the winner.

Goalie Braden Holtby was pulled after allowing three first-period goals when the Capitals had allowed only 14 first-period scores all season.

"Certainly, I think we just kind of willed out way to that win," Justin Williams told The Washington Post after he notched a goal and two assists to give him eight goals and seven assists in his last 14 games. "It was fun and exciting for everybody."

Thursday's atmosphere should be exciting as well.

"Guys recognize that you're under a bigger spotlight, so it's probably like a rivalry game," Trotz said. "It's got a little more ... I'll say a little more zip to it, a little more emotion than some other games."

Columbus won the first two matchups between the teams -- one in overtime -- and leads Washington by seven points in the Metropolitan Division.

"Everyone in the division, everyone's winning," Blue Jackets winger Cam Atkinson said. "It's going to be a huge game. It's obviously fun to play those game because you know you're going to their A effort on the other side and we're going to bring it as well, so looking forward to it."

Atkinson has three goals in his last two games. Nick Foligno has three goals and five assists in his last five, and Brandon Saad and Alexander Wennberg have two goals and four assists each in the last five.

Against the Capitals, Atkinson has eight goals and five assists in 13 games, Brandon Saad has five and three in eight games, and Foligno has seven and 13 in 28 games.

Tortorella has his own long history against Washington. As the coach of the New York Rangers, his teams were eliminated twice in the playoffs by Washington and twice sent the Capitals packing. He was suspended for one game after an altercation with a fan in the 2009 playoffs.

Ovechkin has four goals and two assists in his last six games and is five points from 1,000. In 17 games against Columbus, he has 14 goals and three assists. Williams has nine and 11 in 32 games, and T.J. Oshie has eight and 13 in 30.

Holtby is 8-3-2 with a 2.83 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage against Columbus, and Bobrovsky is 6-5-3 with a 2.64 GAA and a .908 save percentage against Washington.

The Capitals will be looking to deal the Blue Jackets their first loss since Nov. 26 -- the day before Thanksgiving -- when they fell to the Florida Panthers 3-2 in overtime.

"They recognize Columbus is obviously the class of the league right now and they're coming into our building," Trotz said of his players, "and we'll give them a good match."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Oilers (19-13) at Bruins (20-16)

Date: January 05, 2017 7:00 PM EDT

BOSTON -- Bruins fans get their first up-close look at young Edmonton star Connor McDavid when the Edmonton Oilers visit TD Garden on Thursday night.

The home faithful will also get to see old friend Milan Lucic in another uniform for the second time as he returns with the Oilers.

McDavid, who turns 20 on Jan. 13, didn't play when the Oilers visited last season because of an injury, but he hits Boston locked in a league scoring battle with a pair of Pittsburgh Penguins.

Starting play Wednesday, McDavid was tied with Evgeni Malkin with 43 points, Malkin with two more goals and McDavid two more assists, atop the scoring. Sidney Crosby was just a point behind.

McDavid didn't add to his point total Tuesday night in Columbus, where the Oilers (19-13-7) became the 16th straight victims of the Blue Jackets and didn't offer up much resistance in the opener of a four-game trip.

"We didn't even come close to their pace or their tenacity or their relentlessness," McLellan said after the lackluster 3-1 loss. "We weren't anywhere near it."

Lucic said: "It was an opportunity for us to rise to the challenge and maybe play a bit of a better game to give ourselves a chance to win. But we never had a spurt where we were really good. I don't think we really rose to the occasion like we could have or should have."

Lucic, who helped the Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup, was traded to the Los Angeles Kings after the 2014-15 season, spent a year in LA and then signed a big free agent deal with the Oilers. He is seen as protection for McDavid, but has also had 10 goals and 26 points in 39 games.

He had a goal and two assists in two games against the Bruins last season.

The Oilers, who have lost three of their last four games, swept the two-game series with the Bruins last year, both by a 3-2 score -- one in overtime and the other in a shootout.

The Bruins, who have lost exactly as many games as they won (20-16-4) are coming off a dreadful performance as well, falling sheepishly to the New Jersey Devils 3-0 in Newark, N.J.

"Obviously, you lose games. And sometimes you can take a lot of positives out of it, despite the losses, but today I don't think there was too much," goaltender said Tuukka Rask after another loss to one of the lower-level teams in the NHL.

The loss came after a sweep of a home-and home with the Buffalo Sabres.

"We built something good against Buffalo, but you can't just expect things to fall in lace because of that. You have to show up every night," said Patrice Bergeron. "When you don't show up, I think everyone has to look at themselves in the mirror and realize that we're professionals and we're here to work hard every single game and night."

The Bruins got some good news Wednesday when David Backes returned to practice, cleared for full contact, after missing just two games with a concussion -- a problem he's dealt with before.

The club also placed goalie Anton Khudobin, signed to a two-year contract during the offseason for a second tour with the team on waivers. He was just 1-5-1 with unimpressive 3.06 goals-against average and .885 save percentage numbers.

The move cleared the way for Zane McIntire, who was 10-0 with a 1.41 goals against and .951 save percentage at Providence. The AHL's goaltender of the month for December was 0-2 with a 4.04 GAA in three games for the Bruins earlier this season.

The Bruins family was saddened Wednesday by the passing of 98-year-old Hall of Famer Milt Schmidt, the oldest living NHL player -- and the only person ever to be a player, captain, coach and general manager.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Predators (16-14) at Lightning (19-16)

Date: January 05, 2017 7:30 PM EDT

TAMPA, Fla. -- Two teams with similar expectations are dealing with similar issues heading into a Thursday matchup.

Both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators were picked by many pundits to be among the league's elite. Some publications predicted a Stanley Cup Final between the two teams come June.

Yet at the beginning of January, both teams sit outside the playoff picture. And there's been one common them that has kept both teams from enjoying a better season to this point -- consistency.

"The whole season, consistency has been a problem," Nashville defenseman Roman Josi said. "We have a good game, then the next one is not good enough to win. We have to find that consistency and play the same way."

That has been the same with the Lightning, who won more than two consecutive games only once since winning four straight from Nov. 14 to 19. Since then the only thing consistent about Tampa Bay has been its inconsistencies.

"There's been games where we give up nine or 10 scoring chances and then there are games we are giving up double that," Lightning associate coach Rick Bowness said Wednesday, a day after Tampa Bay was handled by Winnipeg. "So where is the consistency, that's the biggest issue."

The Lightning looked as if they were ready to get their act together and make a climb up the standings. Before Tuesday's loss to Winnipeg, Tampa Bay had won four of six and picked up points in seven of the previous nine games.

But the 6-4 loss to the Jets was a step backward and the game was not as close as the score indicated.

"You beat Carolina (on Saturday), and you have to come back and do it again, and we didn't, it's as simple as that," Bowness said. "There are no excuses, we didn't play hard enough, we didn't play smart enough, the work we were doing was really without a purpose and when that happens the other team is going to control the pace. And we made it way too easy for the Winnipeg Jets to come in here and play for 40 minutes."

It's been a similar formula for the Predators, who have won consecutive games only once since the end of November, unable to find that some sort of consistency that made them one of the toughest teams in the Western Conference over the past two seasons.

Some games it's there, most games it's not.

"We're all trying. We all want to play consistent," Josi told The Tennessean. "We're all trying to give our best every night, but somehow we (haven't found) it yet in the first half."

Now both teams face similar treks to try to get back in to a spot most predicted they will be at when the season comes to an end.

"I think our team has not lived up to our own expectations," Poile told The Tennessean. "We've been off as a team.... We've got to figure it out."

Tampa Bay center Cedric Paquette returned to practice Wednesday. He missed six games with a lower-body injury.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Hurricanes (16-14) at Blues (20-13)

Date: January 05, 2017 8:00 PM EDT

ST. LOUIS -- Still basking from their win over the Chicago Blackhawks in the Winter Classic, the St. Louis Blues were back at practice on Wednesday hoping to build momentum from that victory.

The Blues host the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday looking to win back-to-back games for the first time in a month, last doing so when they had a three-game winning streak from Nov. 26 to Dec. 1.

"We've already moved on," said coach Ken Hitchcock. "We're ready to go. We've got three home games left (on the current homestand). Three really important home games before we really go to play a lot of road games. I think that really gets your attention. I think having the extra day allows us to have a quality practice."

What will key for the Blues against the Hurricanes is to play as well as they did against the Blackhawks without being involved in some an emotional, high-profile game as the Winter Classic.

"We've definitely been able to enjoy the high of winning that game," defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said. "Today was a chance to come back down to earth and get back to work and I think we did a pretty good job in practice of keeping focused."

Defenseman Joel Edmundson does not believe the Blues will have trouble moving on from the Blackhawks' win.

"It's always tough after a big, emotional game like that and the big event they threw on," Edmundson said. "But I think our team is a bunch of pros in here. We know what's on the line. It's another game with two points. We obviously want to win it and it's going to be a good game."

The Hurricane could have one new player in their lineup, and he did not have to leave St. Louis to join his new team. Carolina claimed forward Ty Rattie off waivers from the Blues. The 23-year-old Rattie has been a healthy scratch in all but four games this year, and the Blues had to expose him to waivers to try to send him back to the American Hockey League.

"He's a good player, he's been a good soldier here, part of the organization for four years now," Hitchcock said. "He's got to get a chance to play, and if he wasn't going to play here on a regular basis, then give him a chance to play somewhere else."

The Hurricanes lost their last game, 3-1 to the New Jersey Devils at home on Tuesday night.

"I don't think too many guys in the room were happy with the way we played as a team," coach Bill Peters told NHL.com. "We can't play like that and expect results. "There's reality there. It's not like we're sitting there thinking we played well and deserved a better fate."

The Hurricanes will go from St. Louis to Chicago, where they will play the Blackhawks on Friday night.

"We haven't played as well coming off the break, and that's disappointing. That's just the reality," Peters said. "We haven't played as well as we were going into the break, so we have to find a way to get that back."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Sabres (14-15) at Blackhawks (23-12)

Date: January 05, 2017 8:30 PM EDT

CHICAGO -- Marian Hossa is returning when the slumping Chicago Blackhawks need him most.

The five-time All-Star right winger has not played since Dec. 20 because of an upper-body injury. He is scheduled to be in the lineup when the Blackhawks (23-12-5) host the Buffalo Sabres (14-15-8) on Thursday night at the United Center.

Chicago lost two games in a row and went 1-3-1 without Hossa, who shares the team lead with 16 goals. The 37-year-old practiced with his teammates Wednesday and reported no problems.

"I felt good," Hossa told reporters after practice. "I would have loved to be back faster, but at this point it was smarter to wait (until) when I felt comfortable to come back. Obviously, you don't want to lose too much (time) if you have things going your way, but sometimes you cannot help it."

The Sabres are seeking their second win in a row after a 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. The game offered a positive sign for a team that is 2-4-2 in its past eight contests.

Buffalo faces a stiff challenge against Chicago, which has won nine straight games in the series. The Blackhawks have not lost to the Sabres since Dec. 11, 2009, and have not lost to the Sabres at the United Center since Jan. 10, 2007.

Center Ryan O'Reilly could return for Buffalo if he receives clearance from the team's medical staff before the game. O'Reilly, 25, underwent surgery for an emergency appendectomy less than two weeks ago but practiced Wednesday and said he felt good.

Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford is set to make his 25th start of the season. Crawford is 13-8-3 with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage this season. Against Buffalo, he is 7-0-0 with a 1.70 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage in his career.

For the Sabres, goaltender Anders Nilsson could earn his second start in a row after limiting the Rangers to one goal Tuesday. The 26-year-old Swede is 6-3-3 with a 2.35 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage in 12 games (11 starts) this season.

If Nilsson returns to the bench, look for fellow Swedish netminder Robin Lehner to start. Lehner, 25, is 8-12-5 with a 2.51 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage in 26 starts this season. He stopped 37 of 39 shots in his only career appearance against the Blackhawks in 2012.

Sabres right winger Justin Bailey will try to remain hot after scoring his first career goal Tuesday. The 21-year-old Buffalo native appeared in 12 career games, including eight last season.

"It was a huge relief," Bailey told reporters when asked about his first goal. "I've had chances in the past, and I can't say it hasn't been on my mind all of last summer and this year, too. I was happy it finally came and I can start getting back to the playing the way I play."

The Blackhawks are 0-2-1 in their last three games at home. However, they are 13-4-4 this season at the United Center. Buffalo is 7-7-5 on the road

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Red Wings (16-17) at Kings (19-15)

Date: January 05, 2017 10:30 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Kings open a seven-game homestand beginning Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings at Staples Center.

The Kings (19-15-4) will attempt to keep the good vibes going after claiming consecutive victories over the rival San Jose Sharks. The Kings prevailed in a 2-1 overtime victory on Tuesday after Tanner Pearson scored the game-winning 58 seconds into the extra period. That came on the heels of Saturday's 3-2 win over the Sharks at Staples Center.

"That's big," Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said after Tuesday's decision. "We've been talking about these two games ever since we got out of Edmonton. We were looking forward to the challenge. We obviously love playing against these guys. It's a great rivalry and it was good to beat them both times."

Before those wins against the Sharks, the Kings dropped nine of 14 games. The Kings are fifth in the Pacific Division, just six points behind the top-rated Sharks.

Center Jeff Carter scored the other goal for the Kings, giving him a club-high 21 on the season. Carter was tied with Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets for second in the NHL in goals scored heading into Wednesday's games.

Carter has played some of his best hockey this season.

"He's doing everything pretty well," Kings coach Darry Sutter said of Carter. "I can't remember the last time I didn't say that. He's on fire, and we need it obviously. He's really put a charge in the team."

So has goalie Peter Budaj, who stopped 26 shots against the Sharks. Budaj has won 17 games and lost 10 and delivered solid performances since taking over for the injured Jonathan Quick in October.

"It's great. We were in a little slump there before," Budaj told the Los Angeles Times. "We lost in Vancouver and we lost in Edmonton and we just knew that we had to come out and do a little bit better and do what it takes to try to win. It's a very tough opponent that we played and it's a good two points -- good four points -- for us."

The Red Wings (16-7-5) will be playing the second end of a back-to-back. The Red Wings were blanked 2-0 by the host Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night.

The Red Wings have experienced some serious shortages with their offense recently, particularly on power plays on the road. Detroit hadn't power-play goal on the road since Oct. 19 and were 1-for-36 with the man advantage in their previous nine games before their defeat by the Ducks.

Detroit didn't get much going on its first power play at Anaheim either, save for one scoring chance by Gustav Nyquist.

"Not good enough," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashell said. "We're throwing pucks away for no reason."

The Red Wings entered the contest against the Ducks with seven players on injured reserve. They lost defensemen Niklas Kronwall and Brendan Smith lower-body injuries. That left Detroit with only four blue liners in the final period against the Ducks.

Blashill said Kronwall and Smith would be evaluated before they play the Kings.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Wild (23-9) at Sharks (23-13)

Date: January 05, 2017 10:30 PM EDT

The San Jose Sharks have had trouble scoring this season. Their next opponent has been prolific at keeping the puck out of the net.

In a matchup pitting two of the stronger teams in the Western Conference, the Sharks host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night.

San Jose (23-13-2) looks to avoid losing three straight for the first time in two months. The Sharks dropped a 3-2 decision on Saturday in Los Angeles before falling 2-1 to the Kings in overtime in the finale of the home-and-home set Tuesday.

"We're not finishing right now, and really all season," said Logan Couture, who scored San Jose's goal. "It's tough to win in this league when you score only one."

The Sharks scored only 93 goals, led by 15 from Brent Burns, a former first-round pick of the Wild in 2003. Minnesota (23-9-4), meanwhile, has given up only 74 goals.

The Wild, who begin a three-game road trip through California, enters this contest trailing the Central Division-leading Chicago Blackhawks by one point. Minnesota's 12-game winning streak was snapped with a 4-2 loss Saturday that also extended the Columbus Blue Jackets' run to 15 games.

"We can't look at one loss as we've been playing poorly or anything like that and get us down," Minnesota's Jason Zucker told the Wild's official website. "We have to use it as a reset and say, 'Alright, the streak's over, but we have the chance to start a new one now.'"

Minnesota got balanced scoring over the last 13 games with five players each recording at least 10 points, led by Charlie Coyle (four goals, 11 assists), and Zucker and Eric Staal (six goals each).

But Minnesota struggles at SAP Center, where they have dropped 10 of the last 12 meetings and surrendered 16 power-play goals in 46 chances.

This game should feature two of the league's top goaltenders in Minnesota's Devan Dubnyk and San Jose's Martin Jones.

On Tuesday, Dubnyk was named the league's third star of the month for December after helping the Wild post a 12-1-1 record. Dubnyk was 10-1-1 with a 1.88 goals-against average, a .934 save percentage and recorded his NHL-best fifth shutout.

Dubnyk is 19-7-3 and leads the league with a 1.75 GAA and .941 save percentage. However, in 15 games against San Jose, Dubnyk is 5-8-2 with a 3.07 GAA and a .908 save percentage At SAP Center, he's 3-2-1 with a 2.88 GAA and a .920 save percentage.

He's yet to face the Sharks in San Jose while in a Minnesota uniform. Dubnyk's last appearance in northern California came Nov. 22, 2014 with the Arizona Coyotes. He made 40 saves through overtime and turned away all three attempts in the shootout to secure a 4-3 victory.

Jones' numbers aren't quite as good as Dubnyk's -- 19-12-2 with a 2.10 GAA, a .920 save percentage and two shutouts. But his play at home has been sparkling. In 15 games, Jones is 10-4-1 with a 1.67 GAA and .932 save percentage. All four losses have come when he has surrendered exactly three goals.

Sharks captain Joe Pavelski was held off the scoresheet in the two losses to the Kings, and remains three points shy of 600 for his career. In 16 career home games versus Minnesota, the Wisconsin native has 11 goals and 10 assists.

San Jose defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, currently on injured reserve with facial injuries suffered Friday in a win over the Philadelphia Flyers, is expected to miss his third straight game.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Grand Salami - January

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
1/1 3 16 19 OVER
1/2 3 15.5 13 UNDER
1/3 7 37.5 40 OVER
1/4 6 - - -
1/5 7 - - -
1/6 6 - - -
1/7 12 - - -
1/8 6 - - -
1/9 4 - - -
1/10 7 - - -
1/11 4 - - -
1/12 9 - - -
1/13 7 - - -
1/14 12 - - -
1/15 4 - - -
1/16 7 - - -
1/17 9 - - -
1/18 5 - - -
1/19 8 - - -
1/20 6 - - -
1/21 11 - - -
1/22 6 - - -
1/23 6 - - -
1/24 10 - - -
1/25 4 - - -
1/26 13 - - -
1/27 No games scheduled - - -
1/28 No games scheduled - - -
1/29 No games scheduled - - -
1/30 No games scheduled - - -
1/31 14 - - -

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL

Thursday’s games

Columbus has won 16 games in row; they outscored foes 20-10 in winning last five road games.* Three of their last four games went over total. Blue Jackets won 2-1ot/3-2 in their last two games with Washington; teams split last four games played here. Over is 5-2-2 in last nine series games. Washington won its last four games, scoring 14 goals; under is 4-1 in their last five home games.

Edmonton won its last three games with Boston, but lost four of last five visits to Beantown. Under is 6-4 in last ten series games. Oilers lost three of last four games; under is 8-0-1 in their last nine. Edmonton lost 3-2/3-1 in their last two road games. Bruins split last four home games, are 4-6 in last ten games overall. Under is 3-2-1 in their last six games.

Home side won seven of last eight Nashville-Tampa Bay games; teams split last four games in this building. Over is 6-3-1 in last ten series games. Predators lost four of last five games, but won last three road games, outscoring opponents 11-2. Under is 5-1-2 in their last eight games. Lightning won four of their last six home games; over is 3-2 in their last five home games.

Blues won three of their last four games with Carolina; over is 3-1-2 in last six series games. Hurricanes lost three of last four visits here. Carolina lost three of its last four games, both overall and on road; under is 5-0-2 in their last seven games. St Louis was outscored 11-6 in losing the game after its last three wins; they’re 2-3 in last five home games. Over is 5-3-1 in their last nine games overall.

Blackhawks won their last nine games with Buffalo; over is 5-3-1 in last nine series games. Sabres were outscored 21-9 in losing last five visits to Windy City. Buffalo lost six of its last eight games, losing four of last six on road; over is 4-3 in their last seven games. Chicago lost five of last six games; they lost last three home games, scoring five goals. Under is 2-0-3 in their last five games.

Kings won three of last four games with Detroit; under is 4-2-3 in last nine series games. Red Wings lost three of last four games in Staples Center. Detroit lost three of its last four games; over is 4-2-1 in their last seven. Red Wings split their last four road games. Los Angeles won 2-1/3-2 in last two games. Under is 8-0-1 in Kings’ last nine games.

Sharks won six of last eight games with Minnesota; Wild lost five of last six visits to Shark Tank. Under is 5-3-1 in last nine series games. Minnesota won 12 of last 13 games, scoring 19 goals in winning last four on road; over is 4-0-1 in their last five games. San Jose lost its last two games 3-2/2-1; under is 2-0-1 in their last three games. Sharks won three of their last four home games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA roundup: Bucks beat Knicks at buzzer
By The Sports Xchange

NEW YORK � Giannis Antetokounmpo hit a step-back jumper near the free throw line as time expired to lift the Milwaukee Bucks to a 105-104 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Antetokounmpo posted his 16th double-double of the season with 27 points and 13 rebounds for Milwaukee (18-16). Lance Thomas was draped all over Antetokounmpo on the shot, but the Bucks forward found a little space with a back step to nail the winner as Milwaukee fought back from a 16-point third-quarter deficit.
Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks (16-19), losers of six straight, with 30 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double this season.

Bulls 106, Cavaliers 94
CLEVELAND -- Jimmy Butler scored 14 points in the fourth quarter after a slow start and Chicago held on against depleted Cleveland.
LeBron James had 31 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while playing 37 minutes despite battling an illness. The Cavs (26-8) were also without Kevin Love (food poisoning) and Kyrie Irving (right hamstring).
Butler started slowly two nights after scoring 52 points against Charlotte, but he had 10 straight for the Bulls (18-18) during one stretch of the fourth quarter when the Cavs were rallying and finished with 20 points.

Hornets 123, Thunder 112
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Nicolas Batum scored 28 points and Charlotte beat Oklahoma City at the Spectrum Center, snapping an 11-game losing streak against the Thunder.
Batum scored on a drive and a 3-pointer as part of a 9-0 run that pushed a 105-104 Charlotte lead to 114-104 with 1:19 left. Oklahoma City never got closer than six the rest of the way. The Hornets (20-16) snapped a two-game losing streak and remained atop the Southeast Division.
Oklahoma City (21-15) was frustrated by the officiating, as the Hornets were 40 of 49 from the foul line. Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 33 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists but missed 10 of his first 12 shots and finished 10 of 31 from the field and 2 of 12 from 3-point range. He picked up a technical foul in the first quarter.

Hawks 111, Magic 92
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Dennis Schroder had 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds in leading Atlanta over Orlando at the Amway Center.
The Hawks (19-16) won their fourth consecutive game. The Magic (16-21) lost for the third time in their last four games.
Kent Bazemore had 17 points and hit all three of his 3-point shots for Atlanta. Paul Millsap scored 16 points and Dwight Howard, who began his career in Orlando, had 13 points and 12 rebounds. Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton led the Magic with 15 points each.

Heat 107, Kings 102
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Tyler Johnson capped a 23-point night with a driving layup that he made despite the foul, breaking a tie and helping Miami hold off a furious Sacramento rally in a victory at the Golden 1 Center.
Johnson nearly lost the ball twice while dribbling on the decisive possession, once the ball was knocked away and once when he dribbled off his knee. But he recovered, drove the key and converted despite being hammered by the Kings' Matt Barnes and breaking 102-102 tie. Johnson then made the free throw for a 3-point lead, and Miami held on.
Goran Dragic added 19 points for Miami (11-26), which ended a six-game losing streak despite blowing a 19-point third-quarter lead and playing without usual starters Hassan Whiteside and Justise Winslow.

Clippers 115, Grizzlies 106
LOS ANGELES -- Austin Rivers scored a game-high 28 points and Los Angeles earned a victory over Memphis at Staples Center.
Jamal Crawford contributed 22 points, while DeAndre Jordan collected 18 points and 20 rebounds for the Clippers. J.J. Redick added 19 points and Raymond Felton chipped in 11 points.
Marc Gasol had 23 points for the Grizzlies, who were playing the second end of a back-to-back at Staples. The Grizzlies lost 116-102 to the Lakers on Tuesday.

Warriors 125, Trail Blazers 117
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Shaun Livingston had a dunk, Draymond Green a block and Stephen Curry a 3-pointer in a key 34-second sequence of the fourth quarter, helping Golden State hold off Portland.
Curry totaled 35 points and Kevin Durant 30 as Golden State made it three straight wins this season over the Trail Blazers.
Portland managed to make things interesting against the two-time defending Western Conference champions without star point guard Damian Lillard, who missed a fifth straight game with sprained left ankle.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

3-pointer: Potential Finals spoilers
By Tony Mejia

We’re into 2017 now, and it’s fair to say this NBA season has gone as expected.

Although there were some initial growing pains, the Warriors superteam is great and remains the betting favorite despite the Christmas Day loss to the Cavs. Golden State is -250 to win the West and -125 to recapture the NBA title. Meanwhile, the defending champs are the class of the East, appearing to be even more formidable since Kevin Love looks more comfortable in his skin and embracing his role. Cleveland is -500 to win its conference and +180 to repeat in the Finals. The Spurs (+400, +1000), even having lost Tim Duncan, have had the type of success we’ve come to expect from them, even if it’s taken Gregg Popovich kicking them around after wins to keep them on their toes.

If there’s been a real surprise, it’s been how bad the Timberwolves have been given Tom Thibodeau’s presence and all that young talent. If you’re looking to accentuate the positive, the fact James Harden has taken so well to Mike D’Antoni’s coaching while embracing the role of distributor falls into that category. He’s made his teammates better. Sometimes, he shockingly even plays defense.

Still, it’s not good enough. We dig drama. We love to be surprised.

The remainder of the week could provide some clues as to who is actually mentally tough enough to emerge and prevent a third consecutive Cleveland-Golden State NBA Finals. I won’t even include San Antonio since the Spurs have been ubiquitous in going deep in the playoffs for two decades. You won’t find the Clippers here either, since they’re a shell of themselves until Chris Paul and Blake Griffin get healthy.

Sadly, there’s no Eastern Conference team worth putting on this list, which is why you’ll read about no potential variable there. Barring injury, Cleveland will be back in the NBA Finals. Load up on your Cavs to win the East futures without apprehension unless Toronto finds a way to extract Paul Millsap from Atlanta or the Celtics make another Al Horford-like acquisition.

The top threat

The Utah Jazz have been riddled with injuries over the first few months and yet are still edging out Oklahoma City for the Northwest Division lead. In Rudy Gobert, they have one of the NBA’s premier rim protectors, which is why they’re potentially so dangerous in a series against the Warriors. Although the fact Golden State shoots it so well from the perimeter mitigates the advantage Gobert provides Utah, the Jazz do have the pieces, when healthy and completely whole, to really frustrate anyone in the league. They're a great potential cash cow since Sportsbook.ag has them +4000 to emerge out of the Western Conference and +8500 to win it all.

Wings Gordon Hayward, Derrick Hood and Joe Johnson are flammable and capable of raining down 3-pointers on anybody. Gobert and Derrick Favors, who has been in and out of the lineup all season, are physically dominant and can own the boards while providing fantastic post defense. Point guards George Hill and Shelvin Mack are among the top defenders at their position, so there’s no question they’ll be able to make Stephen Curry work for everything he gets over the course of a series.

A collective approach isn’t likely to beat the Warriors, but Hayward has demonstrated the ability to take over a game. He’s averaged a career-best 22.4 points and opened 2017 with his fourth game of 30 points or more in a 101-89 win over the Nets.

Utah appears to check all boxes, but what we want to see now is whether it has staying power, and that’s going to be tested this week. The Jazz opened a five-game road swing in Brooklyn to begin a seven-day, five-city oddysey. Although they opened with a win and cover after a slow start in Brooklyn, they fell in Boston on Tuesday 115-104, surrendering a season-high points allowed. They’re toiling short-handed with stops in Toronto, Minnesota and Memphis ahead. Each game will be incredibly challenging, especially when you factor in the travel involved.

Hill’s availability will be key since he’s in concussion protocol after catching an elbow from Phoenix center Alex Len over the weekend that opened a gash in his lip so wide it required 22 stitches to close. There’s no word as to when he’ll be available, so the Jazz may have to make it through the entire trip short-handed with rookie Dante Exum also out. Shelvin Mack is handling point guard duties and has his limitations, while backups Raul Neto and Joe Ingles wouldn’t ordinarily be out there in the role they’re having to play.

The Celtics snapped Utah’s four-game losing streak, but despite playing a third game in four nights without their preferred floor generals, there were bright spots. Favors distributed a career-high seven assists. Veterans Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw, brought in this offseason precisely to help provide leadership through periods like these, combined for 32 points off the bench.

It remains to be seen how long Hill is out or how well the rest of this road trip goes, but the Jazz need to continue making strides. Quin Snyder’s team has a chance to be the ultimate x-factor once fully healthy. For now, I wouldn’t pick on them simply because they’re short-handed, but an ‘over’ run may be coming without Hill around. The ‘under’ had come in 10 of 12 times before Boston got off against their tired legs.

MVP-Driven

Great players can own a series, so Harden-led Houston and Russell Westbrook’s OKC Thunder have to be taken seriously.

It’s always going to seem like Mike D’Antoni’s teams are winning via smoke and mirrors. Even his masterpieces, those Suns squads of a decade ago featuring the maestro Steve Nash, Amar’e Stoudemire, Johnson and Shawn Marion, were always greeted with a sense of skepticism. Do they play enough defense? Can they beat four games over the course of seven games by running and gunning?

Count on Charles Barkley dismissing the Rockets as a gimmicky jump-shooting team. The current odds have them +1800 to win the West and +4000 to claim a championship.

However dubious you are about their chances, there’s no debating that GM Daryl Morey has assembled some great shooters around Harden. Newcomers Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon have lived up to their reputations and thrived. Gordon leads the NBA in 3-pointers made. Trevor Ariza often finds himself completely wide open.

D’Antoni’s other starting guard, Patrick Beverley, is not at all his typical type of player due to the fact he doesn’t shoot it well, but his pesky, relentless defense and intensity crashing the boards and pitching in wherever he can has endeared him to the veteran coach and makes him someone who can make Curry’s life a nightmare in a series.

Beverley has a wrist issue that sidelined him for Monday’s game against John Wall-led Washington, but he should be fine for games against Russell Westbrook’s Thunder, the Magic, Kyle Lowry’s Raptors and Kemba Walker’s Hornets over the next 10 days. Beverley takes the pressure off Harden, a suspect defender at best, so his return will be key even though the Rockets managed to beat Washington 101-91 without him for their 16th win in 18 games. Houston is 24-6 over the last 30, covering the spread 21 times.

Westbrook is the NBA’s other top MVP candidate and has averaged a triple-double while attempting to keep the Thunder (+4000, +8500) among the league’s elite. Whether he’ll wear down is a subject of great debate, but he’s regarded as the league’s top athlete and only has to deal with three back-to-backs this month, the first of which comes as they continue a three-game road trip that began with Monday’s 98-94 loss in Milwaukee.

Playing at Charlotte and then attempting to run with Houston in its building puts OKC in an underdog role both nights, so it will be important to try and gain a split in order to avoid a losing streak that would keep it winless in ’17 until the weekend.

Oklahoma City is playing 12 of 15 games away from home in January, so it could be a trying period if health issues creep in. Fortunately, the Thunder just got Victor Oladipo back from a wrist injury and have point guard Cameron Payne trying to get back in a rhythm in the D-League, so Westbrook will soon have multiple playmakers to take some of the burden off him available.

Billy Donovan is trying to piece together a bench with inexperienced players like Jerami Grant, Joffrey Lauvergne and Alex Abrines, so monitor how the second unit holds up on the road. If things go poorly, this could be a forgettable month. If they rise to the occasion, it could be the point where Oklahoma City truly turns the corner in its first season without Kevin Durant.

The Wild Card

The final threat to the Warriors appears to be Memphis, since point guard Mike Conley is among the game’s best defenders at his position and the same can be said about Marc Gasol at center. Having thrived despite Conley’s extended absence has put the Grizzlies (+4000, +8000) in position to compete for a top-four seed.

The fact they were able to lean on young players like Andrew Harrison and JaMychal Green while Conley, Zach Randolph and Vince Carter were out of the lineup provided their youth invaluable experience. Top offseason acquisition Chandler Parsons appears to be finally ready to play without restrictions and could raise the Grizzlies’ ceiling significantly.

While Utah has supplanted them in playing the league’s slowest pace, the Grizzlies still are edging them out in defensive efficiency, nosing out the Spurs and Warriors too. Being comfortable in grinders is essential to winning on the road and slowing down a team like Golden State, so it would be foolish not to take this group seriously.

First-year head coach David Fizdale is still learning how to push his team’s buttons, so it will be interesting to see how his rotation changes with a full team intact, especially with so many veterans competing with young athletes for minutes.

The Grizzlies spent New Year’s Even on the road after torching Sacramento and remained out West to face the both Staples residents in a Tuesday-Wednesday back-to-back before testing themselves against the Warriors in a matchup all eyes will be on come Friday.

The Lakers hit 16 3-pointers against Memphis through the first three quarters in a 116-102 upset win, so this week could get ugly if the defense doesn’t get its act together.

“I don’t know who we were performing for, but it wasn’t for each other,” Fizdale said afterward. “We show signs of greatness and then we are just zombies out there.”

With challenges against the Clippers and Warriors ahead, this will be a great opportunity to see if the resiliency demonstrated during a marvelous Conley-less two-week stretch from Nov. 30-Dec. 14 can be replicated now that they’re whole.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Nets (8-25) at Pacers (18-18)

Date: January 05, 2017 7:00 PM EDT

INDIANAPOLIS -- For the first time this season, the Indiana Pacers have won three straight games. They'll look to make it four straight as they host the Brooklyn Nets at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Thursday night.

Paul George has been hot of late, scoring 32 or more points in three of his last four games. As he goes, the Pacers have gone this season. In the 18 Pacer wins, Paul George is averaging 24.4 points per game on 49% shooting. In the 18 Pacer losses, George is averaging 20.4 points per game on just 41 percent shooting. The Pacers are also 9-2 this season when George scores 25 or more points.

"The moment we start getting on a winning streak, I think it will carry over," George said. "Our defense is starting to travel. We've got a chance to make it four against Brooklyn back home."

The Pacers are 13-5 at home this season, while the Nets are a miserable 1-16 on the road. These teams have already played twice this season, with each team winning the game they hosted. The Pacers won the last matchup 118-97 on Nov. 25, despite not having George because of an injury.

Jeff Teague has also been hot for Indiana. He has racked up 45 assists in his last four games, and has averaged 15.8 points and 8.6 assists per game since Dec. 1.

"Jeff is really doing a great job," teammate Myles Turner told the Indianapolis Star. "I feel like everything is starting with him. We're moving the ball so much better and our offense is starting to come into its own."

For the Nets, it's been a rough few months. After starting the season with a respectable 4-5 record, they've gone 4-20 in their last 24 games.

"Our record speaks for itself," Sean Kilpatrick told Nets Daily. "It's not going to stop what we're trying to do, and that's getting better every day. That's something our young guys really take heed of. We come in, we just get better."

Scoring hasn't been the problem for the Nets. Their 105.5 points per game is good enough for 12th best in the NBA. Defense, however, has been another story. The Nets are 27th in the NBA in defensive rating, and dead last in overall defense.

Brook Lopez has done well in his career against the Pacers. He's averaging 22.5 points per game in the two matchups this season, and has averaged over 20 points per game against Indiana in the last few seasons. The matchup between Lopez and Pacers center Myles Turner will be a key in this contest.

The Pacers will once again be without Rodney Stuckey (hamstring) in this game. The Nets will be without Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (right hip tendinitis), and Jeremy Lin (strained left hamstring).

This will be the third of four regular-season matchups between these two teams. They will meet again in Brooklyn on Feb. 3.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Jazz (22-14) at Raptors (23-11)

Date: January 05, 2017 7:30 PM EDT

TORONTO -- The Toronto Raptors defeated the Utah Jazz nearly two weeks ago to start a six-game road trip.

Thursday, the Jazz visit the Raptors, who return from a 3-3 trip that ended Tuesday with their worst loss of the season, 110-82 to the San Antonio Spurs.

It was the first time this season that the Raptors failed to reach 90 points.

"There's no explanation," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "That was a championship performance by a championship team, and if we don't come out and put our foot down each and every night -- and it's not just (Tuesday) -- we've had some slow starts and it's a habit. We have to come out and develop those habits."

Raptors forward Patrick Patterson missed his second straight game with a strained left knee on Tuesday.

The Jazz will be playing for the third time in four nights after defeating the Nets in Brooklyn Monday and losing 115-104 Tuesday to the Boston Celtics.

"I think from the beginning there were a lot of defensive breakdowns," said Gordon Hayward who led Utah with 23 points. "We gave up way too much in transition, so they got rolling and saw the ball go through the basket. It made it a long night for us."

The loss ended Utah's four-game winning streak.

Utah guard George Hill missed his second straight game Tuesday with concussion symptoms, but is expected to return soon. He received 22 stitches Saturday night in the win over the Phoenix Suns, when he took an elbow from Alex Len.

The Jazz could have one injured player back on Thursday, which will be the team's third game of five in a row on the road. Point guard Dante Exum, who has been out with tendinitis, will be evaluated on Wednesday to see if he will be available to play against the Raptors.

Jazz shooting guard Alec Burks is gradually returning from left ankle surgery. He played briefly in Brooklyn Monday in his first game back but did not play in Boston Tuesday.

"We have a situation because we have some depth," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "We're really trying to figure out who we are still, and we're not going to really know that until we get George Hill back. It's pretty simple."

After playing six games in 12 days on the road, the Raptors are home for five of their next six games.

They would not use fatigue as an excuse for the poor game on Tuesday. Point guard Kyle Lowry, who was the team's best player in December, scored a season-low six points against the Spurs and was 0-for-7 from 3-point range after going 50 percent during December.

"I just missed some shots," Lowry said. "All my 3s, besides one, I thought were good shots. Honestly, I just missed shots. I don't think they took me away from getting where I wanted to get to."

Toronto has yet to win this season against the league's top three teams: the Cleveland Cavaliers (0-3), the Golden State Warriors (0-2) and San Antonio (0-1).

"We've got to get better if we want to compete with the best of the best," Lowry said. "We've got to be better."

Lowry feels the Raptors will quickly put the loss in San Antonio behind them.

"At the end of the day we've just got to go out there and play," he said. "I personally think we will learn from this ... it's over and move on."

Lowry scored 36 points on 15-for-20 shooting against Utah on Dec. 23.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Hornets (20-16) at Pistons (16-21)

Date: January 05, 2017 7:30 PM EDT

Reggie Jackson realizes the Detroit Pistons will continue to flounder if they don't start playing harder on defense.

Detroit's defensive issues have been the main reason why the team has dropped five games under .500 with the midway point fast approaching. The Pistons, who host Charlotte on Thursday, have lost 11 of their last 16 games while allowing opponents to shoot 47 percent or better from the field in nine of those outings.

Indiana tore apart their defense on Tuesday, shooting a season-high 58.1 percent while capturing its second victory at The Palace in less than three weeks, 121-116.

"Especially starting the game, we have to come out and want to talk to each other," said Jackson, Detroit's starting point guard. "We have to come out and want to be loud, communicate what we are going through, be mindful of the people we are playing and where we want to send them, and then just come out and compete. It's been carrying on for awhile. We don't come out ready to compete. It takes us getting punched in the mouth a few times to wake up and realize we are in a fight."

Coach Stan Van Gundy made a lineup change six games ago, inserting Jon Leuer at power forward. It hasn't made the desired impact. The Pistons (16-21) have gone 2-4 since, with their only victories coming against the Cleveland Cavaliers playing without LeBron James and the injury-riddled Miami Heat.

"It's two games in a row where we've given up 66 (points) in the first half," he said. "We have to go back and look (then) decide not only who to play but what we need to do and what we need to work on. We just haven't been able to stop anybody."

The Hornets have been dealing with some defensive breakdowns of their own but they made the necessary stops down the stretch against Oklahoma City on Wednesday. They outscored the Thunder 36-24 in the fourth quarter of a 123-112 victory.

"The biggest thing for me is the fourth-quarter defense," coach Steve Clifford said. "It's been more than a problem and obviously they're really good offensively. Twenty-four is a number you're going to win with."

Foul shooting was also a major factor. The Hornets attempted 26 more free throws than the Thunder and outscored them 40-19 at the line.

"We've been getting to the line pretty much all year," Clifford said. "We're top six, I believe, in free throw attempts. It's been one of our biggest strengths. And we're number one in not fouling. We're driving the ball and getting the ball into the paint."

Charlotte (20-16) lost its previous two games and has given up an average of 117 points over the last three games.

"We've been playing really well offensively but defensively we just haven't been ourselves," point guard Kemba Walker said. "Just a lot of things to clean up. We've been really up and down, really inconsistent, with our defense."

Walker is averaging 24 points against the Pistons this season. The teams split their first two meetings at Charlotte, with the Hornets prevailing 87-77 on Dec. 7 after the Pistons rolled to a 112-89 win a week earlier.