Thursday 12/1/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[superbeets]

dancing-santagif

Championship TODAY 19:45

QPR

v

Wolves

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS1		7/5	23/10	23/10	More markets

​

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT QPR	RECENT FORM
H WA LH LA DH WA L​ Most recent​	1 - 1 1 - 2 1 - 0 0 - 0	A LH LA DH LA DH L​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Wolves have conceded 13 goals in their last nine games

EXPERT VERDICT: Ipswich condemned Ian Holloway to a first defeat since his return to the Rangers dugout on Saturday after he opened his account with an impressive 2-1 home win against ten-man Norwich. Wolves are hopelessly out of form, however, and are on a current run of nine games without victory which suggests QPR can land a low-scoring victory.

RECOMMENDATION: QPR to win 1-0
1


REFEREE: Tim Robinson STADIUM:

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

PGA Tour Picks: Hero World Challenge Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews

There was no PGA Tour event last week, so let's do a quick recap of the most recent tournament, the RSM Classic in Sea Island, Ga., which was also the final official PGA Tour event of the year. Then I'll address Tiger Woods' highly-anticipated return to action this weekend in the Bahamas.

Mackenzie Hughes was the winner of the RSM Classic. The Canadian drained an 18-foot par putt from off the green in a Monday morning playoff to become the first rookie in 20 years to go wire-to-wire for his first PGA Tour win. Hughes could have finished things off Sunday in near darkness, but his birdie try on the 18th just missed. So he, Camilo Villegas, Blayne Barber and Henrik Norlander returned to the par-3 17th Monday morning. All four had wayward tee shorts, and only Hughes was able to get up-and-down. Those guys finished regulation at 17-under.

I'll be honest in that I barely know of this guy. I had heard his name in August when he won a Web.com Tour event. The RSM was only his ninth career tournament on the main tour and fifth as a member after finishing in The 25 this year on the Web.com Tour. So needless to say, Hughes wasn't on my radar. I liked Charles Howell III at +3300 to win. He was in contention entering Sunday but shot a 71 and finished T13. That's about all I have to say about that tournament.

This week's it's the unofficial Hero World Challenge, an event that benefits Tiger's foundation. It's basically getting the media attention of a major since Thursday will be Woods' first competitive round since Aug. 23, 2015, when he finished T10 at the Wyndham Championship just ahead of that year's FedEx Cup playoffs. This 466-day period will have been his longest layoff since he turned pro in 1996. Tiger is way down at No. 898 in the world. While this tournament doesn't offer FedEx Cup points or count toward the PGA Tour money title, world rankings points are accumulated. Even if he finishes last in the field, Woods is expected to climb at least 150 spots in the rankings. Woods could rise as high as No. 123 in the world with a victory in the Bahamas.

Tiger has a bunch of new sponsors -- remember, too, Nike isn't producing golf equipment any longer. Reportedly Woods is using a variety of metal woods, but he has the same Nike irons and wedges he used in his last tournament. He'll wear Nike shoes but has switched to a Bridgestone 330S golf ball. Some people care about that kind of stuff. Woods had committed to play in the PGA Tour season-opening Safeway Open on Oct. 13 in California but withdrew, saying that while he felt physically confident, he didn't have enough in his game. A recent report, though, quoted Tiger saying he is carrying his driver 300-310 yards. So his back must be healthy.

Tiger is a five-time winner of the Hero World Challenge. He last played in the tournament in 2014. It's just an 18-man field at Albany Golf Club in New Providence, Bahamas. World No. 1 Jason Day would have qualified to play, but he's still resting his injury.

This event has had several names and has moved around a bit. The defending champion is Bubba Watson. He hadn't planned to play last year in the Bahamas because he didn't have a passport yet for his newly-adopted daughter. But when Day pulled out, Watson was able to get everything in order. Watson fired rounds of 67-67-63-66 at Albany to finish at 25 under and win by three over Patrick Reed.

Golf Odds: Hero World Challenge Favorites

Since it's such a small field, I'll just list every player odds to win: Dustin Johnson +500, Jordan Spieth +600, Hideki Matsuyama +800, Brooks Koepka +1000, Henrik Stenson +1000, Patrick Reed +1200, Justin Rose +1600, Watson +1600, Rickie Fowler +1600, Matt Kuchar +2500, Russell Knox +2500, Emiliano Grillo +2800, Louis Oosthuizen +2800, Tiger +2800, Brandt Snedeker +2800, Jimmy Walker +2800, J.B. Holmes +3300 and Zach Johnson +3300.

Golf Odds: Hero World Challenge Picks

I'm sure there will be Woods specific props later this week. I think being realistic, a good tournament for Tiger is not to exceed 75 in any round -- and to obviously finish all four rounds. It's clearly not a very tough course.

I would probably take Johnson and Spieth at +200 against the field (-275). Spieth just won the Australian Open and won this tournament two years ago. He was fourth last year at 20 under. Johnson was 15th in 2015 but is a vastly better player these days. Go Stenson at +250 as the top "rest of the world" finisher. He just won the Race to Dubai on the Euro Tour.

Enjoy the holiday season and I'll be back in the New Year with your weekly tournament previews.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL roundup: Lee leaves it late for Isles
By The Sports Xchange

NEW YORK -- Anders Lee scored the tiebreaking goal with 26.6 seconds remaining in the third period Wednesday night as the New York Islanders avoided a disastrous collapse by edging the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 at Barclays Center.
The Islanders led 3-0 entering the third before Conor Sheary, Justin Schultz and Evgeni Malkin scored in a span of a little less than 13 minutes for the Penguins. But Lee redirected a shot by Thomas Hickey -- who scored in overtime of Monday's 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames -- and Nikolay Kulemin scored an empty-netter off the subsequent faceoff as the Islanders won back-to-back games for the first time since Oct. 21-23.
Johnny Boychuk, Jason Chimera and Casey Cizikas also scored for the Islanders while goalie Thomas Greiss made 31 saves.
Matt Murray recorded 25 saves for the Penguins, who have lost six of 10 (4-5-1).

Flames 3, Maple Leafs 0
CALGARY, Alberta -- Chad Johnson made 39 saves and Calgary rode a quick start to a victory over Toronto at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Freddie Hamilton and Kris Versteeg scored for the Flames in the first minute, while Johnson recorded his third shutout of the season. Matt Stajan also scored for the Flames, who are the first team to score twice in the opening minute of a game since the Philadelphia Flyers accomplished the feat on April 9, 2011 against the New York Islanders.
Jhonas Enroth turned aside 26 shots in his sixth appearance of the season for the Maple Leafs.

Sharks 4, Kings 1
LOS ANGELES -- Logan Couture had two goals and an assist, and Ryan Carpenter scored his first NHL goal, leading San Jose over Los Angeles at Staples Center.
Martin Jones stopped 26 shots as the Sharks remained atop of the Pacific Division. Kevin Labanc also scored and Joel Ward registered two assists for the Sharks, winners of five of their last six.
Peter Budaj had 20 saves and Dustin Brown scored for the Kings, who had their season-high five-game winning streak halted.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

In the Crease - Week 8
By Joe Williams

Streaky Teams
Wins and Losses Streak Over/Under Streak
Buffalo 2-5-3 past 10 overall Buffalo Under 12-2-2 past 16 overall
Edmonton 1-4 past five at home Calgary Under 6-2-2 past 10 overall
Los Angeles 5-0 past five overall, 6-0 past six at home Ottawa Under 12-2-1 past 15 overall
Nashville 6-0 past six at home Pittsburgh Over 4-0 past four overall
New Jersey 7-0-2 past nine at home San Jose Under 13-1-5 past 19 overall

Toothless Sharks
The San Jose Sharks have been a tough team to figure out. While they're tied for the lead in the Pacific Division, they have the fourth-lowest goals scored total in the Western Conference. Despite the offensive woes, the Sharks are still 15-6 in their past 21 home games, and 5-1 in their past six at home against teams with a road winning percentage under .400. The 'under' is 20-3-5 in their past 28 games overall, and 6-0-3 in their past nine against Western Conference foes. The 'under is also 13-4-6 in their past 23 home games, while going 17-5-6 in their past 28 against teams with a losing overall record.

Duck, Duck...Push?
The Anaheim Ducks head into Tuesday's home game against the Montreal Canadiens on an amazing run. The total has pushed in seven consecutive games for Anaheim, with each of their past five games resulting in a 3-2 win or loss. The 'over' is 1-0-7 in their past eight games overall, the 'under' is 1-0-5 in their past six at home and the 'under' is 5-2-4 in their past 11 games against the Eastern Conference.

Looking Ahead

Thursday, Nov. 17
The Hurricanes blow into Boston looking to take down the Bruins. Four of the past five meetings in this series have went to overtime and/or a shootout. Carolina won both games in Boston last season, with one game decided in a shootout and another in overtime. The 'under' is 5-0-1 in the past six in this series. ... The Kings and Coyotes will battle for the first time this season. In 2015-16 the Coyotes went 3-1-1 against the Kings, winning both meetings at Staples Center. The 'over' went 2-0-3 in the five meetings. ... The Canucks host the Ducks, and they're looking to avenge a 4-2 loss in Anaheim back on Oct. 23. That was the only 'over' result in the past eight, as the 'under' is 6-1-1 in the past eight in this series.

Friday, Nov. 18
The Wild look to extinguish the Flames Friday night. It's the second meeting of the season, as the Flames won 1-0 in St. Paul back on Nov. 15. It was a rare win, as the Flames are just 3-6-1 in the past 10 meetings. The 'under' is 3-1-1 in the past five for the Flames at home, while the 'under' is 5-2-1 in the past eight games on the road for the Wild. ... Montreal hits the road for San Jose. The Habs have struggled on the road, going 1-3 in their past four away from Bell Centre, including a 10-0 beatdown in Columbus at the hands of the Blue Jackets Nov. 4. Last season the Habs were trampled 6-2 in San Jose on Feb. 29, and the Sharks swept the series outscoring Montreal 9-3. The Canadiens are a dismal 0-7-2 in their past nine trips to San Jose, last winning in the Bay Area Nov. 23, 1999 by a 3-2 score in overtime.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Islanders (8-10) at Capitals (13-6)

Date: December 01, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- The New York Islanders avoided a disastrous defeat Wednesday night and now have a chance to notch their first three-game winning streak of the season.

The Islanders (8-10-4) squandered a 3-0 third-period lead before Anders Lee scored with 26.6 seconds left and Nikolay Kulemin added an empty netter three seconds later to give New York a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After beating the Penguins, who are second in the Metropolitan Division, the last-place Islanders travel to Washington Thursday for their first meeting of the season with the Capitals (13-6-2), who are tied for third.

Wednesday's fantastic finish likely made it easier for the struggling Islanders to talk about the third-period collapse that preceded it.

"We've faced enough adversity for a season, I think," Lee said. "We've been frustrated and it's been a tough start. We dug ourselves a hole, but we dug ourselves out of one tonight."

The Islanders have won two in a row for the first time since the fifth and sixth games of the season.

"I think the thing is, with us, we've just got to trust that when you stick with it, it's just going to turn around," Cal Clutterbuck said of New York, which was 2-5-4 in November prior to Monday's win.

Washington, the defending Presidents' Trophy winner, has been scuffling a bit as well and is just 5-5 over their last 10 games.

After finishing with the league's fifth-best power play last season (21.9 percent success rate), the Capitals are currently ranked 19th, scoring just 15.6 percent of the time.

"It's ... a little bit of finish, a little bit of hunger," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. "We're entering as well as we have. We have the possession time. We need to get the back of the net. How do you get the back of the net? We've got to hit the net (with our shots). We've got to be hungry when there is a rebound."

Their penalty-killing has suffered as well. Washington was second in the NHL last season, killing off 85.2 percent of penalties against them. This year, they've fallen to 17th, stopping 82.6 percent.

The Capitals have been called for 39 minors in the last eight games and Trotz said Monday he's issued warnings to repeat offenders.

"They're sort of warnings that if you're a penalty killer, you can't kill penalties from the box," Trotz told the Washington Post. "Most of them are from not moving their feet. To me, (that means) you're getting on the wrong side of people, or you're instinctively grabbing versus moving your feet.

"So a lot of that can come out, and it will. Either they will change, or I will change it for them."

Nicklas Backstrom leads the Capitals in assists (14) and points (20), while Alex Ovechkin has 12 goals and six assists.

Versus the Islanders, Ovechkin has 32 goals and 15 assists in 42 games, while Backstrom has nine goals and 24 assists in 32 games.

Braden Holtby is 11-1-3 in his career with a 2.13 goals against average and .930 save percentage against the Islanders.

New York's Thomas Greiss started against the Penguins, which means Jaroslav Halak (3-6, 3.08) could start Thursday night. He's 6-6 with a 2.73 goals against and .897 save percentage against the Capitals.

John Tavares has 12 goals and 12 assist in 26 games versus Washington.

Washington defenseman Matt Niskanen (lower body), who was injured in Saturday's loss to Toronto, practiced Wednesday. He has appeared in 185 consecutive games since joining the Capitals.

"We'll see," he said regarding playing Thursday night. "I felt good out there."

Islanders defenseman Dennis Seidenberg (broken jaw), who missed the last seven games, is working out with the team but isn't expected to return until at least this weekend.

Washington recalled 2014 first-round pick Jakub Vrana and Paul Carey from AHL Hershey and re-assigned rookie Zach Sanford to Hershey. Vrana could make his NHL debut Thursday night.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Stars (9-9) at Penguins (13-7)

Date: December 01, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

PITTSBURGH -- Two teams searching for consistency collide Thursday when the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Dallas Stars at PPG Paints Arena.

The Penguins (13-7-3) finished 7-5-2 in November with a 5-3 road loss Wednesday against the New York Islanders during which they squandered a three-goal comeback following two scoreless periods.

"We've got to bury our chances," Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby said.

It's not just the lack of 60-minute efforts at times such as against the Islanders, or a fluctuation between wins and losses that makes Pittsburgh inconsistent -- after all, the Penguins overall are winning more than losing. It has been, at times, wild swings between dominant games that might be expected from the defending Stanley Cup champions who returned their club nearly intact, and games in which they seem discombobulated and even disinterested and have let opponents set the pace and tone.

"It's hard for me to try to explain it," Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said last week. "If I could, I could probably solve it."

The Stars, meanwhile, are chugging along at .500 (9-9-6) but have lost two in a row and three of four as they hit the third contest of a four-game road trip.

"It's tough for us to string some wins together, but it's not the time to point fingers. It's not the time to get negative," Patrick Sharp told the Dallas Morning News. "Now is the time to come together and dig deep and find a way to win."

In addition to overtime losses piling up, Dallas is struggling to solidify a lineup on defense. With eight defensemen -- nine when Johnny Oduya returns from a lower-body injury -- coach Lindy Ruff has been sitting out different players nearly every game.

Dan Hamhuis and Stephen Johns played Tuesday after being scratched a game earlier while John Klingberg and Patrik Nemeth sat, and Ruff liked the performance of his defense despite a 3-1 loss at Detroit, but still isn't set on a defensive lineup. He said he would re-evaluate before deciding which six defensemen will play against Pittsburgh.

The Stars met but did not skate Wednesday. Ruff, contrary to Sharp's assessment, decided it was time to point fingers -- at himself.

"I have to do a better job," Ruff told the Morning News. "I have to hold them more accountable. I've let too many guys off the hook."

It seems likely that Dallas will go with goaltender Antti Niemi in net. Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury probably will start after Matt Murray played Wednesday.

Fleury started well but has struggled since Murray returned from a broken hand, with no wins in his past five starts. On the season, Fleury is 6-5-3 with a 3.38 goals-against average and .901 save percentage. There is widespread belief that the Penguins have played better in front of Murray than in front of Fleury.

"I don't think his record, the way it is, it all falls on his shoulders," Sullivan said. "It's a collective effort on both sides, both when we win and when we lose. Marc has fallen victim of some tough bounces. He's just got to continue to work through it and keep working on his game."

Despite some consistency issues for both clubs, the game matches two of the league's best offensive talents.

Dallas' Tyler Seguin has 24 points, ranking him fourth in the NHL, although his minus-9 rating is the worst of anyone among the top 50 in scoring.

Crosby leads the NHL with 15 goals in only 17 games after missing the start of the season because of a concussion.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Hurricanes (9-9) at Bruins (12-10)

Date: December 01, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

BOSTON -- Two teams coming off tough 3-2 road losses Tuesday night get together when the Carolina Hurricanes visit the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.

Though both clubs fell, but the Bruins did manage to get a point at Philadelphia, losing a nine-round shootout after rallying for two goals in the third period to force overtime. Boston outshot the Flyers 47-21.

The Bruins (21-10-1) are just 5-5-0 at home this season, but the Hurricanes, who are four points from the bottom of the Eastern Conference, are just 3-6-4 on the road.

The Hurricanes (9-9-4) held a 2-0 lead in New York but were caught and passed by the Rangers, the second-winningest team in the NHL. Carolina, which felt it was a victim of a bad call late, slipped to 0-8-4 in its past 12 games at Madison Square Garden.

"For two periods we were by far the better team and didn't allow much of anything aside from the one goal and a couple other chances on the break," said Viktor Stalberg, who scored both Carolina goals Tuesday. He played for the Rangers last season. "Other than that, they didn't have any zone time. We were putting pressure on them every single shift. Frustrating ending here."

The Bruins, who went 8-6-1 in November, did pick up their first point of the season in nine games trailing after two periods. However, they succumbed in the third-longest shootout in team history (No. 2 was also this season).

It was Boston's first game without both Zdeno Chara and John-Michael Liles, two of the team's three best defensemen. Chara, who missed the past four games, is still day-to-day with a lower-body injury, while Liles is out with a concussion he sustained Sunday.

Asked Tuesday if Chara could return as early as Thursday, Bruins coach Claude Julien said, "No idea. He could, (or) maybe not. I really don't know right now. I think he's supposed to skate back home. I don't have that news. So we'll see how he progresses. We want to have him back as soon as possible. But there's part of it that he's got to be medically cleared, and then the player's got to feel that he's ready to go."

The Hurricanes, 7-5-2 in November, dropped three of their past four and scored just seven goals in the four games.

"We've got to continue to learn as we go," Carolina coach Bill Peters said. "Obviously, this (loss to the Rangers) is one that I don't think too many guys will be happy the way it unfolded over 60 minutes. I thought we were in good shape at the beginning of the game, played real well and did a lot of good things. We just needed to continue that and sustain quality play for 60 minutes."

Boston goalie Tuukka Rask is an impressive 7-3-3 with a 1.89 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage lifetime against the Hurricanes, while Carolina goaltender Cam Ward is just 14-15-3 with a 2.62 GAA and a .918 save percentage against Boston.

Strangely enough, the Hurricanes go right back to New York and Madison Square Garden to face the Rangers on Saturday afternoon before hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning Sunday.

The Bruins move on to Buffalo for a Saturday matinee against the Sabres.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rangers (16-7) at Sabres (8-9)

Date: December 01, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Jack is back.

Young superstar Jack Eichel made his long-awaited return for the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, and he didn't wait very long to make his presence felt. Eichel had a goal and an assist in the first period to lead the Sabres to a 5-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators.

He'll look to build off that commanding performance in his home debut Thursday night against the New York Rangers. Eichel missed the first 21 games of the season because of a high ankle sprain.

"That's the kind of the spark we were looking for when we need a little bit more offense," center Sam Reinhart told the Sabres web site. "I think it elevated a bunch of guys' games; it just kind of gave us that little more confidence out there that we can play with the puck and make plays."

Indeed, Eichel's presence caused a ripple effect throughout the entire Sabres' roster against the Senators. The NHL's lowest-scoring team scored two goals or fewer in its previous 13 games before erupting for five against the Senators.

Eichel's goal was a beauty. The 20-year-old ripped a quick one-timer on the power play 6:16 into the game.

"I think it adds a big dimension to our team, right from the beginning on our power play," Sabres coach Dan Bylsma told the Sabres web site. "A different level of execution, a different level of speed. He gets the power-play goal, the first one's a great pass play and the second one is something we've sorely missed on our power play, the one-time from Jack."

Ryan O'Reilly had two goals, including the game-winner, for Buffalo (8-9-5) against Ottawa.

Backup goaltender Anders Nilsson is expected to start after No. 1 Robin Lehner suffered a hip injury against the Senators. Lehner is considered day-to-day.

"I don't have any further update other than what we gave (Tuesday) night, it's hip and it's day-to-day," Bylsma said. "He's lobbying to backup tomorrow but he's going to see how it is in the morning."

The Rangers (16-7-1) are coming off a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night. New York came from behind and scored twice in the third period to pick up the victory.

Power forward Rick Nash was the standout against Carolina with a goal and an assist.

"There's no doubt that Rick tonight was the leader of this team by his play," coach Alain Vigneault told the Rangers web site. "He made some great defensive plays, obviously that first shift in the third where he tied it up for us and then made that great play on the power play. He played the type of game that we needed against a tough opponent."

The Rangers are looking to win two games in a row for the first time since mid-November. New York is 3-3-1 in its last seven games. Before that, the Rangers won eight of nine.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Flyers (11-10) at Senators (14-8)

Date: December 01, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

OTTAWA -- The Ottawa Senators will be without No. 1 goaltender Craig Anderson when they entertain the Philadelphia Flyers at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday night.

Anderson took another indefinite leave to be with his wife Nicolle, who is undergoing radiation and chemotherapy for throat cancer.

Mike Condon will start in his place with Andrew Hammond serving as the backup.

"Right now, it's one game," said Senators coach Guy Boucher, whose team hosts the Florida Panthers on Saturday. "Is it two? We're not sure. He won't be here Friday, but we'll see come Saturday."

Anderson, who was the NHL's first star last week when he allowed five goals in four games, gave up that many in a 5-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday that ended Ottawa's four game winning streak.

It was a rare blemish on what has otherwise been a stellar start to the season for the 35-year old.

"It has been a pleasure watching him this year," said Condon, who is making only his fourth appearance for the Senators -- the first since giving up five in a loss to the Predators on Nov. 17. "I've put in the work since Nashville. I'm always ready to go."

The Flyers have won two in a row, including a nine-round 3-2 shootout victory over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday.

Goalie Steve Mason stopped eight of nine shootout attempts and made 45 saves to get the Flyers that far.

"The type of performance Mase had is something that injects a lot of confidence into the group," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said after the game. "But you have to look at this realistically and say we've to to be a lot better. We simply didn't have enough energy through this entire hockey game. Mase battled real hard for us tonight and he's the reason we got the two points."

The Senators defeated the Flyers 3-2 in a 10-round shootout Nov. 15 on a goal by defenseman Erik Karlsson. The key to that victory was Ottawa's ability to kill all four shorthanded situations against a Flyers team that ranks second in power plays.

However, the Senators gave up three power play goals on five chances to Buffalo.

The Senators will be missing winger Bobby Ryan, who aggravated a hand injury Tuesday. Defenseman Marc Methot is listed as questionable.

On a positive note, winger Mike Hoffman scored his first career hat trick against the Sabres. The team's leading scorer in each of the previous two seasons now has seven goals after a slow start.

The Flyers have elevated center Braden Schenn to the second line. He'll work between wingers Travis Konecny and Wayne Simmonds.

Flyers defenseman Brandon Manning remains day-to-day with concussion-like symptoms.

The Flyers were 7-5-2 in November while the Senators posted a 9-5-1 record for the month.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Panthers (11-10) at Red Wings (11-10)

Date: December 01, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

DETROIT -- The Florida Panthers are re-organizing themselves after changing coaches and making national headlines in the process.

The Panthers (11-10-2) visit the Detroit Red Wings (11-10-2) at Joe Louis Arena Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Florida fired Gerald Gallant on Sunday night after a 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh. Gallant then had to take a cab to the airport in order to return home to Miami. The Panthers said there was a mix up and they had intended to have a car service take Gallant to the airport.

General manager Tom Rowe is Florida's new coach. Assistant coach Mike Kelly was also fired.

The Panthers lost 2-1 in a shootout in Chicago Tuesday night in Rowe's debut as the team's coach.

During their practice on Wednesday at Joe Louis Arena, the Panthers worked on new defensive schemes and changed their power play personnel a little bit.

"We went over a lot of details in our video meeting on 1/8defensive 3/8 zone coverages and neutral zone assignments and this was a good day to do that," Rowe told the Miami Herald.

Florida goaltender Roberto Luongo talked about the changes.

"It's a bit of a different style than 1/8Gallant 3/8 was and it's going to take some time to implement what they want to show us," Luongo said. "In the long run, it will be beneficial to our club to play a game where we are more structured and give us fewer scoring chances."

Detroit is 3-0-1 in its last four games following a 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars at Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday night.

That was thanks mostly to the efforts of goaltender Petr Mrazek, who made 34 saves. He has a 1.45 goals-against average and .949 save percentage in his last two games in the absence of Jimmy Howard, who is out with a groin injury.

"I think when he's playing his best hockey the puck sticks to him well," coach Jeff Blashill told www.mlive.com on Wednesday. "I also thought he had a high, high compete level around the net, where it seemed like there was no way the puck was going in unless it was a back-door or some kind of rebound play.

"I've been with him enough to know those nights where it just feels like there's no way the puck's going in and that's what it felt like last night when I was on the bench. He certainly looked like he was on top of his game."

Neither left winger Tomas Tatar nor veteran defenseman Niklas Kronwall practiced Wednesday for Detroit. Blashill said they took maintenance days and are expected to play Thursday.

Florida has won both games between the teams this season. The Panthers won in Florida 4-1 on Oct. 15, and 5-2 in Detroit on Oct. 30.

Both Florida's former and current coach played with the Red Wings. Gallant spent most of his playing career with Detroit and Rowe played one season with the Red Wings.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Lightning (13-10) at Blues (13-7)

Date: December 01, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

ST. LOUIS -- Goalie Ben Bishop and the Tampa Bay Lightning will be looking to end a couple of long streaks in Thursday night's game against the St. Louis Blues.

Bishop, a St. Louis native, has not won a game in his homestand since joining the Lightning, going 0-2-1 in his three games in St. Louis since the 2013-14 season. His last win in St. Louis actually came when he played for the Blues, on March 7, 2011.

Coach Jon Cooper did not commit to Bishop getting the start, but he did not play in the Lightning's game Tuesday night in Columbus and is expected to start.

It's been even longer since the Lightning won a game in St. Louis -- Dec. 18, 2009. Overall, the Lightning has lost their last five games against the Blues.

While the Lightning players know that history, they are more concerned with trying to break out of a current slump which has seen them lose their last three games, being outscored by a combined margin of 14-5.

"I'd love to play against us right now in our own end -- it's easy," center Brain Boyle told the Tampa Bay Times after the Lightning lost 5-1 Tuesday night in Columbus. "We've relied on our goalies, they've been phenomenal. They're great teammates because they haven't ripped into us yet for how we're treating them, for how we're defending.

"The worst part is we know how to do it."

Boyle and the rest of the Lightning know their task of ending their slump won't be easy against the Blues, who have won their last five home games and are 8-0-2 in their last 10 home games. They have lost only once in regulation in 13 home games this season.

In their two most recent games, the Blues have allowed a late goal with the opponent's goalie pulled which tied the game before they rebounded to win, once in a shootout and once in overtime.

That is one problem coach Ken Hitchcock wants his team to correct, and he also believes they have taken too many penalties recently, especially in their own offensive zone.

He has a new strategy to try to correct that problem.

"We're not going to talk about that anymore. We're going to use a different approach," Hitchcock said. "It's the disease that we're not going to speak about. We're just going to go out quietly and find a cure. We're not thrilled by it, but the more we talk about it, the more it seems to manifest itself. ... It's in the DNA; we've got to get rid of it. We'll figure out a way."

The Blues could have one new player in their lineup Thursday night. Defenseman Joel Edmundson has been cleared to play after being sidelined since Nov. 6 because of an upper-body injury.

The Lightning also could make a couple of changes to their lineup. The team recalled left winger Michael Bournival and right winger Joel Vermin on Wednesday from the minor leagues.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Oilers (12-10) at Jets (11-12)

Date: December 01, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Thursday night's game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets is shaping up as a modern-day battle of McDavid vs. Laine.

Rather than slingshots, the two budding superstars will be armed with speed (Oilers captain Connor) and pinpoint shooting accuracy (Jets sniper Patrik).

With McDavid leading the NHL points race with 31 and Laine among the goal-scoring leaders -- and tops among rookies with 13 markers -- plus their offensive-minded supporting casts, this game could very well turn into a track meet.

In many ways, the rosters featuring forwards Mark Scheifele, Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler on the Jets and Jordan Eberle, Milan Lucic and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in Oilers colors are reminiscent of the Wayne Gretzky-led Oilers and Dale Hawerchuk's Jets in the 1980s.

That's great for fans, probably not so much for the nerves of Jets coach Paul Maurice and his Oilers counterpart, Todd McLellan.

Maurice is relieved, however, that he will have Marko Dano at his disposal, only 48 hours after the Slovakian winger took a high stick to the face from Kyle Quincey of the New Jersey Devils in the first period of the Jets 3-2 victory Tuesday night at the MTS Centre.

Dano suffered a gash to his nose that required a half-dozen stitches and a cut just below his right eye on the play -- neither of the referees noticed the infraction so Quincey wasn't penalized -- and missed the rest of the game while team officials tried to control the swelling.

"He's doing really well," Maurice told the Winnipeg Sun. "He'll have another appointment (Wednesday night) just to make sure that nothing has changed from the first look at it. If he's cleared and the swelling subsides -- we believe it will -- then he'll be available to play."

The Oilers come to town having dropped a 4-2 decision at home to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

McLellan hopes Nugent-Hopkins, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 amateur draft, can up his offensive production to take some of the pressure off McDavid, who was selected first overall in 2015.

"I think Nuge checks first and commits to doing that well. At the beginning of the year he was phenomenal in that area with some tough matchups," McLellan told the Edmonton Journal.

"We may be talking about a different night (Tuesday) if Nuge rings one off the inside rather than the outside of the post. But no doubt, he's one of those players who has to pick up his socks and give us better performances."

After suffering through a rash of injuries that had many people referring to the Jets as the Winnipeg Moose because of the more than half-dozen call-ups from their Manitoba Moose farm team, Maurice is happy to be receiving good news from sick bay.

Not only did Little return Tuesday after missing all but four shifts this season after suffering a lower body injury during the home opener, but defenseman Toby Enstrom returned to the team after travelling home to Sweden to deal with a personal family matter.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Devils (10-7) at Blackhawks (15-6)

Date: December 01, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks are once again starting to re-establish their footing within the cozy home confines of the United Center. The New Jersey Devils, on the other hand, are struggling to establish theirs on the road.

The Devils have dropped five straight games away from home after Tuesday night's 3-2 loss to the Jets in Winnipeg. It's a streak they hope to snap on Thursday night when they face the Blackhawks in Chicago's second straight home game following two weeks on the road.

New Jersey (10-7-5) couldn't bounce back from a two-goal deficit against the Jets, which added to the Devils' traveling woes. Despite Miles Wood scoring his first NHL goal and fellow rookie Nick Lappin adding another, New Jersey came up short and dropped to 3-7-3 on the road this season.

Despite again coming up empty, coach John Hynes didn't question his team's effort.

"I think it shows a resilient group," Hynes told reporters after the loss. "The thing is, you don't want to be down in games, chasing games, but I think the belief in how we play and that we can come back is important. That is also a part of the game where you have to have some belief, and we have that, but we'd like to put ourselves in situations where we have a lead more often than not."

Like the Devils, the Blackhawks will be coming off a razor-thin result after they slipped past the Florida Panthers 2-1 in a shootout on Tuesday night. Richard Panik netted a goal in regulation and another in the shootout for Chicago, which also received 38 saves from Corey Crawford in regulation and overtime before he stopped both Florida shots in the shootout.

The victory, which was clinched by Artemi Panarin's shootout goal, was Chicago's sixth this season past regulation and came in the Blackhawks' first game at home since Nov. 13.

The win came after the Blackhawks finished their seven-game road swing with a 1-1-1 mark in the final three contests.

It also marked the third straight game the Blackhawks played without captain Jonathan Toews, who remains sidelined with an upper body injury. The Chicago Tribune reported Toews is suffering from a back injury that isn't serious, but will keep Toews off the ice likely until Saturday when the Blackhawks face the Flyers in Philadelphia.

"It's tough to say without him being on the ice when he'll be playing," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville told reporters Tuesday night. "We'll play it day by day. Jonny wants to be out there in the worst way so we'll do everything we can to get him back."

In the meantime, the Blackhawks (15-6-3) will look to continue playing well at home, where they are 9-1-2 this season. Even without Toews, Chicago continues to rely on strong play in net from Crawford and hopes the momentum of Tuesday night's victory - coupled with New Jersey's recent road struggles - will add up to another strong showing now that the Blackhawks are back home in familiar surroundings.

"It was a long trip and at the end we played pretty good," Panik told reporters Tuesday night. "Now we're back home and we won so it's a good feeling."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Kings (12-10) at Coyotes (8-10)

Date: December 01, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

The Los Angeles Kings will not have much time to dwell on a poor effort that snapped their longest winning streak of the season.

The Kings meet the Arizona Coyotes for the first time this season on Thursday night at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz.

Los Angeles won only two of five games against the Coyotes in 2015-16, but both wins came on the road. The Kings tallied 10 goals in those victories compared to only five in three losses at Staples Center.

The Kings (12-10-1) will have to bounce back quickly after a 4-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday, a result that snapped a season-high five-game winning streak. Dustin Brown scored the lone goal in the defeat to snap a five-game goal-scoring drought, and the Kings' former captain will try to build off that against a team he dominated last season.

Brown scored just 11 goals in 82 games in 2015-16, but five of them came against Arizona. Three of Brown's 19 career goals against the Coyotes were game-winners.

With games on back-to-back nights, the Kings may go with Jeff Zatkoff in goal over Peter Budaj, who is excelling in place of Jonathan Quick.

A groin injury has limited Zatkoff to just four games, including three starts. Despite an 0-3-0 record with a 3.39 goals-against average and .875 save percentage, Zatkoff he is ready to make his first start since Nov. 11, if needed

"I've been around long enough. You've just got to stay patient and wait your turn," he told the Los Angeles Times. "We play 82 games, right? We're (23) games in. We need both guys to make it to end. I'm at a point now where I'm just working on kind of getting back to full speed and maintaining that strength to make sure I don't have any more setbacks the rest of the year."

The Coyotes return to the southwest to open a quick two-game homestand after splitting two games on the road. After a one-goal win over the Edmonton Oilers, Arizona was outshot 42-19 on Tuesday by San Jose and fell 2-1 in overtime.

The Coyotes (8-10-3) could be without a key player for this contest. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson sat out the third period against the Sharks with an upper-body injury, and his potential loss could be particularly difficult for a team that ranks 25th in the league in scoring with 2.33 goals per game.

Ekman-Larsson had four goals in five games against the Kings in 2015-16. Coming into this contest, he is in a four-way tie for second on the team with five goals, and he is tied for third with 10 points.

"It's something he's dealing with, but everyone is dealing with something at this point of the season," Arizona general manager John Chayka told the Coyotes' official website. "We hope he's in the lineup (Thursday) because he's our star player."

Another star who is shining for the Coyotes is Mike Smith. He made 40 saves against San Jose, and he is 2-0-1 this season when facing at least 40 shots. Smith won four of his past six starts against Los Angeles, posting a 1.97 goals-against average and a .948 save percentage.

Smith missed 12 games with a lower-body injury before returning on Oct. 16. In his past six games, Smith surrendered two goals or fewer five times, posting a 3-1-2 record.

"Overall, he's in a really good place, and that gives us a chance to win every night," Chayka said. "For a young group to have a goalie back there that can kind of stabilize things for you, it certainly helps to get some traction and get your feet underneath you."

Arizona's eight wins are the fewest in the Western Conference, but the Coyotes are 5-4-0 at home this season.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blue Jackets (12-5) at Avalanche (9-11)

Date: December 01, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

The Colorado Avalanche were feeling good after they defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 10 days ago.

It was their third win in four contests, they were heading home for a five-game homestand with a .500 mark and looking to build some momentum heading into the second month of the season.

Instead of surging, the Avalanche are searching for answers after three straight losses - including one in a shootout. Colorado can turn things around on Thursday when it hosts the Blue Jackets on Thursday night.

The poor starts, defensive lapses and lack of focus for 60 minutes need to be fixed if Colorado (9-11-1) is going to start winning.

"It better start coming from inside," coach Jared Bednar said after Tuesday's 5-3 loss to Nashville. "The players are going to have to solve that a little bit on their own. They know what the expectations are, what the standard is and we have to continually strive to meet that standard and get more consistent."

Bednar wants it to start against the Blue Jackets, a team with which the Avalanche made a trade on Monday. The clubs swapped minor league defensemen with Ryan Stanton going to Columbus for Cody Goloubef. Both players reported to their respective teams' American Hockey League affiliates.

Goloubef could end up with Colorado if the defense continues to struggle. The Avalanche aren't getting enough consistency from 21-year-old Nikita Zadarov, who had a costly turnover in the first period that led to Nashville's first goal Tuesday.

But Zadarov's play isn't the main reason for Colorado's struggles. Injuries are an issue, too.

Goaltender Semyon Varlamov missed two straight games but will be in net Thursday. Forward Gabriel Landeskog was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, retroactive to Nov. 15.

Bednar said Wednesday that the team is considering recalling one or two players from San Antonio, one of which might be A.J. Greer. Bednar has repeatedly said Landeskog is day to day but he hasn't skated since Friday. He didn't play in Colorado's 3-2 overtime win in Columbus on Nov. 21, a rare November loss for the Blue Jackets.

Columbus (12-5-4) finished the month 9-2-3 and is tied with Washington for third place in the Metropolitan Division before Wednesday night's NHL schedule. The Blue Jackets are coming off a 5-1 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday and are feeling confident.

"We certainly know we've climbed a ladder here," coach John Tortorella told The Columbus Dispatch. "We've talked about the standard of play, the accountability factor of how you play, how you practice. And then when the season starts, do you go in there and hope you're going to win, or do you go in there with swagger and know you're going to get it done?

"You're certainly not going to win them all. There's a lot of things that go into winning and losing in the NHL. But I like where the attitude has gone to here."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Ducks (11-8) at Canucks (10-11)

Date: December 01, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The Vancouver Canucks are being rewarded for giving youth a chance.

Not exactly by choice.

Despite being ravaged by injuries to key defensemen Alex Edler (finger) and Chris Tanev (ankle), and winger Jannik Hansen (ribs), the Canucks won two straight games and six of their last 10 (6-3-1) heading into Thursday's contest against the Anaheim Ducks.

In other words, times have changed since the Canucks (10-11-2) suffered nine straight losses earlier in the season. But they are still looking to for more consistency.

"It's been tough -- win one, lose one, win one," second-year defenseman Ben Hutton, who stood out in Vancouver's semi-surge. "Hopefully we can continue to roll with it and get on a nice little streak here."

With Edler out, Hutton, 23, and rookie rearguard Troy Stecher, 22, stepped to the fore and helped the Canucks generate more offense as indicated in Tuesday's 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Wild. Hutton furnished a goal and an assist while Stecher provided two assists. More importantly, the duo figured in two power-play goals with Hutton scoring one and Stecher assisting on another.

As a result, the Canucks power play scored twice in two minutes -- after only scoring once in three weeks during first quarter of the season.

"You gotta like that," Canucks coach Willie Desjardins said. "They are both young guys and what I like about both those guys is they want to do it. They don't look for somebody else to do it. They want the puck and they want to make something happen -- and you want that. Sometimes you will make mistakes with it, but in the end that is what you are going to win with."

Youth is also paying dividends up front as winger Sven Baertschi, 24, playing his second full NHL season, and center Bo Horvat, 21, a third-year player, form an effective line with veteran winger Alex Burrows. Baertschi scored two goals against the Wild and, following a slow start to the season, has three goals and 10 points.

"I like that line," Desjardins said. "That line has been good, and (Horvat) is a real catalyst on that line -- he's a real driver. He comes with speed and he comes hard and every shift he is like that. It's been a good line for us."

Horvat, who is repeatedly mentioned as a future captain candidate, leads the Canucks with eight goals and eight assists. His 16 points are two better than perennial team scoring leaders Daniel and Henrik Sedin.

A rejuvenated Burrows, 35, who once played regularly with the Sedins but has become a role player in the past two seasons, has four goals and five assists and is well on pace to exceed the 22 points he posted last season.

Meanwhile, the Ducks (11-8-4) are also getting offense from some unsung heroes. Rickard Rakell leads Anaheim in goals with nine after netting the winner against Montreal on Tuesday.

"It seems like I'm finding the right spot to put the puck in right now," Rakell, a 23-year-old Sweden native who signed a new six-year contract in October, told The Orange County Register. "I'm just trying to keep it going. I'm not thinking about it too much. It's obviously fun to score goals."

The Ducks are also getting some timely goals from the blue line. Defenseman Cam Fowler scored his seventh goal of the season against Montreal and has already exceeded the five he mustered in 2015-16.

Goaltender John Gibson also has a chance to build on a strong performance against Montreal if he gets the nod. Gibson matched a career-high 39 saves in the win over the Canadiens.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Grand Salami - November

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
11/1 12 66.5 57 UNDER
11/2 3 16.5 16 UNDER
11/3 12 65.5 65 UNDER
11/4 3 16 24 OVER
11/5 13 69 70 OVER
11/6 6 32 33 OVER
11/7 3 15 14 UNDER
11/8 10 55.5 60 OVER
11/9 3 15.5 11 UNDER
11/10 10 54.5 54 UNDER
11/11 6 31.5 30 UNDER
11/12 11 56.5 61 OVER
11/13 6 32 28 UNDER
11/14 1 5.5 4 UNDER
11/15 13 70.5 63 UNDER
11/16 2 10.5 11 OVER
11/17 10 53.5 52 UNDER
11/18 5 26 22 UNDER
11/19 11 57 53 UNDER
11/20 5 26 24 UNDER
11/21 7 37 36 UNDER
11/22 5 26.5 25 UNDER
11/23 12 64.5 68 OVER
11/24 2 10.5 7 UNDER
11/25 11 58.5 61 OVER
11/26 9 47.5 42 UNDER
11/27 6 32 26 UNDER
11/28 2 10.5 10 UNDER
11/29 12 63.5 66 OVER
11/30 3 16.5 16 UNDER

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA roundup: Spurs run road record to 11-0
By The Sports Xchange

DALLAS -- Reserve guard Patty Mills scored a season-high 23 points, and the San Antonio Spurs remained perfect on the road by rallying past the Dallas Mavericks 94-87 Wednesday night at American Airlines Center.
The Spurs (15-4) improved to 11-0 on the road, the third-best away start in NBA history. San Antonio also won its seventh straight in the series against Dallas, including two meetings in the past 10 days.
The Spurs came back from a 13-point deficit in the third quarter. Mills scored 15 in the fourth, including eight points in a row as the Spurs went up 90-84.
The Mavericks (3-14) were led by Wesley Matthews, who had a season-high 26 points and hit five 3-pointers. Harrison Barnes scored 17.

Thunder 126, Wizards 115 (OT)
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Russell Westbrook notched his fourth consecutive triple-double in leading Oklahoma City to an overtime victory over Washington at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Westbrook posted 35 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists to garner his eighth triple-double of the season. Victor Oladipo added 25 points on 10 of 16 shooting. Enes Kanter came off the bench to score 14 points as Oklahoma City improved to 12-8.
Bradley Beal posted 31 points on 10 of 21 shooting for the Wizards. Markieff Morris tallied 19 points and seven rebounds. John Wall had a double-double with 15 points and 15 assists as Washington fell to 6-11.

Suns 109, Hawks 107
PHOENIX -- Leandro Barbosa scored all eight of his points early in the fourth quarter when Phoenix took the lead for good and went on to beat slumping Atlanta.
Brandon Knight had 14 of his 23 points in the first quarter and P.J Tucker and Jared Dudley added 17 each for the Suns, who won for the second time in the last six games. They have beaten the Hawks five of the last six times in Phoenix.
Barbosa had missed his last 11 shots over the 11 quarters before his layup with 9:48 left to play gave the Suns a 81-79 lead. He added three more baskets during a 10-0 run that increased the Phoenix lead to 94-84 and Phoenix never trailed again.

Heat 106, Nuggets 98
DENVER -- Hassan Whiteside had 25 points and 16 rebounds, Wayne Ellington came off the bench to score 22 and Miami beat Denver.
Goran Dragic had 16 points and seven assists for the Heat, who outscored Denver 31-18 in the fourth quarter.
Whiteside had a double-double before halftime with 13 points and 13 rebounds and finished with four blocked shots for a shorthanded Miami team.

Knicks 106, Timberwolves 104
MINNEAPOLIS -- New York overcame a career night from Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns to take down the Timberwolves at Target Center.
Carmelo Anthony hit the game-winning jumper with 2.3 seconds remaining as the Knicks fended off a furious fourth-quarter comeback by the Timberwolves. Minnesota tied the game with 24.2 seconds to play before Anthony's jumper over Andrew Wiggins.
Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis scored 29 points and point guard Brandon Jennings provided a spark off the bench with 12 points and seven assists in the win. Anthony and Mindaugas Kuzinskas each added 14 points.

Lakers 96, Bulls 90
CHICAGO -- Guards Jordan Clarkson and Lou Williams scored 18 points apiece off the bench, and Los Angeles rallied for a win over Chicago.
Forward Julius Randle scored 13 points and grabbed a career-high-tying 20 rebounds for the Lakers. Los Angeles earned its second win in the past three games despite the absence of injured guards D'Angelo Russell and Nick Young.
Guard Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 22 points in 40 minutes. Forward Taj Gibson scored 11 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to notch his sixth double-double of the season. Center Robin Lopez scored 10 points, grabbed nine rebounds and set a career high with eight blocks for the Bulls.

Pistons 121, Celtics 114
BOSTON -- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led a group of four 20-point scorers for Detroit, dropping 25 points as the Pistons beat Boston at TD Garden.
Tobias Harris scored 21 and Marcus Morris added 20 for Detroit (10-10), which has won four of its last five games. Ish Smith approached a triple-double with 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Andre Drummond, who received his first career ejection during Tuesday's 112-89 win over the Charlotte Hornets after throwing an elbow at Roy Hibbert, had 20 points and 17 rebounds.

Raptors 120, Grizzlies 105
TORONTO -- Undermanned Memphis gave Toronto all it could handle for most of the game.
However, youthful exuberance and grit could only take the Grizzlies so far as the Raptors posted a victory to extend their winning streak to four games.
Kyle Lowry scored 29 points and handed out eight assists, and DeMar DeRozan added 24 points and nine rebounds to lead the Raptors.

76ers-Kings postponed
PHILADELPHIA -- Wednesday night's game between Philadelphia and Sacramento was postponed due to moisture on the court.
John Page, president of the Wells Fargo Complex, said arena officials became aware of the problem at 6 p.m. and worked to rectify it, without success. Scott O'Neil, CEO of the Sixers, said the problem actually came to light when the Kings shot around on the floor at 4 p.m.
After arena and team officials consulted with the NBA, the decision was reached to postpone the game.

Trail Blazers 131, Pacers 109
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Damian Lillard scored 28 points and handed out 10 assists as Portland held off a late surge by Indiana to win at Moda Center.
Moe Harkless matched his season high with 23 points, and CJ McCollum contributed 19 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Trail Blazers, who had six players score in double figures.
Jeff Teague collected 25 points and eight assists, and Myles Turner had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers, who cut a 28-point third-quarter deficit to 13 midway through the fourth period

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Mavericks (3-14) at Hornets (10-8)

Date: December 01, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

For the Charlotte Hornets, a 10-8 record is respectable but based on recent trends, it is not good enough.

Coming off a 48-win season, Charlotte began this season by winning eight of its first 11 games and four of its first six home games. Starting with a five-point overtime loss in New Orleans, it has been difficult for the Hornets.

The Hornets look to correct some of those negative trends Thursday night when they host the struggling Dallas Mavericks.

On Nov. 19, the Hornets held a 14-point lead in the opening minute of the fourth quarter and wound up with a 121-116 loss to the Pelicans. The loss sparked a stretch of five losses in seven games, which continued during Tuesday's 112-89 home loss to the Detroit Pistons.

"There's two ways you can look at this," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. "We can come in here and do the proverbial 'It was the schedule and it's five in seven, and they're fresh.' If you do that, you have the wrong expectations of what I think our team should be. We've done some good things to this point, but two things that are concerning are, one, we're 5-5 at home, and two, we're 1-3 on the second night of a back-to-back. If those things continue to happen, then we're certainly not going to be in a position where we want to be."

During Charlotte's skid, the defense has allowed an average of 108.1 points per game and the latest loss occurred after Detroit center Andre Drummond was ejected before halftime. The Hornets trailed by three at intermission but were outscored by 20 in the second half.

Kemba Walker scored 23 points but received little help. Frank Kaminsky shot 1 of 11 and Nicolas Batum was 3 of 11.

Charlotte's inability to get past Detroit resulted in its third home loss in four games.

"We could make a lot of excuses, but we have to start winning at home," Charlotte center Cody Zeller said. "We have to start winning on the second night of back-to-backs. We just didn't do enough things to win tonight."

The Mavericks have dropped 10 of their last 11 games and their 3-14 start is the third-worst 17-game start in team history. Dallas has been held under 100 points in 10 of those games and 14 times overall.

The latest setback for Dallas was Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs when the Mavericks held a 13-point deficit only to lose 94-87. It was the seventh single-digit loss this season for Mavericks.

"I'm encouraged by the competitive part of this," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "Our guys have been fighting hard."

Wesley Matthews scored a season-high 26 points and Harrison Barnes added 17 but neither player could get rolling down the stretch. Matthews missed six of his last seven shots while Barnes missed four of his last six attempts.

"We're still fighting," said Dallas guard Devin Harris, who returned from a left foot injury and played 11 minutes in his season debut. "We felt like we should've had this one tonight. Our fight is still there. Our guys are playing their butts off and one of these days our luck is going to change. If we continue to fight this way, we'll win some of these games."

Dallas played its 12th game without Dirk Nowitzki (strained right Achilles). Nowitzki is expected to sit again Thursday.

Nowitzki missed eight games from Nov. 6-21 before returning last week against the Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers. He scored 25 points on 10-of-28 shooting in 47 minutes before sitting out again.

"We got to get him right," Carlisle said. "And he is getting closer. But it's not going to happen this week. Next week could be a possibility, but we'll see."

Dorian-Finney Smith has started the last seven games Nowitzki has missed but has only scored 27 points. The undrafted rookie has been playing between 18 and 27 minutes in the starting frontcourt and is 10 of 30 from the floor.

The Mavericks are 7-3 in the last 10 meetings.