Thursday 12/31/15 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[superbeets]

Spanish La Liga TODAY 15:00

Villarreal

v

Valencia

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS1		10/11	5/2	16/5	More markets

​

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT VILLARREAL	RECENT FORM
ALHWADHWHWAW​ Most recent​	1 - 3 4 - 1 2 - 2 4 - 2	AWHDHLADHWHD​ Most recent​

EXPERT VERDICT: It’s been a difficult start for Gary Neville, who has drawn both of his La Liga matches as Valencia manager but hosts Villarreal still look a little short in this derby game. Villarreal tend to be involved in tight matches - their goal difference is only plus sixth despite sitting fifth - and a low-scoring game is likely.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL notebook: Devils sign G Blackwood
By The Sports Xchange

The New Jersey Devils signed goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood to a three-year entry-level contract on Wednesday.
Blackwood, 19, was selected by New Jersey in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2015 NHL draft. Now in his third season with Barrie of the Ontario Hockey League, the native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, leads the league in save-percentage (.932), is second with a 2.36 goals-against average and is tied for fifth with 16 wins in 24 appearances.
The Devils also placed forward Jacob Josefson on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. The move is retroactive to Dec. 26. Josefson has one goal and six assists in 36 games this season. The team recalled forward Mike Sislo from Albany of the American Hockey League. He has 23 points (13 goals, 10 assists) with Albany.

---The St. Louis Blues placed forward Scott Gomez on unconditional waivers.
Both the Blues and Gomez decided on the move as a vehicle to grant Gomez his unconditional release from the team.
Gomez, 36, appeared in 21 games for the Blues, posting eight points (one goal, seven assists) and four penalty minutes. The 16-year NHL veteran has accumulated 755 points (181 goals, 574 assists) and 653 penalty minutes in 1,066 career games, including stints with New Jersey, Montreal, San Jose, Florida and St. Louis.

---The Detroit Red Wings assigned left winger Eric Tangradi to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League.
Tangradi, 26, was recalled by the Red Wings on Monday but did not see game action. The forward has appeared in 24 games with the Griffins this season, ranking first on the team and tying for fifth overall in the AHL with 13 goals. Tangradi also ranks second on Grand Rapids with 22 points.
The 6-foot-4, 233-pound Tangradi, a native of Philadelphia, has totaled 143 NHL games between the Pittsburgh Penguins, Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens in his seven professional seasons, notching 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) and 86 penalty minutes.

---The Toronto Maple Leafs recalled forward Mark Arcobello from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.
Arcobello, 27, has skated in seven games with the Maple Leafs this season, with no points. Since being assigned to the Marlies earlier this season, Arcobello has collected 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 23 games. The Milford, Conn., native currently ranks seventh in AHL scoring.

---The San Jose Sharks sent defenseman Matt Tennyson to the San Jose Barracuda on a conditioning assignment, general Manager Doug Wilson announced.
Tennyson, 25, has appeared in 23 games with San Jose this season, scoring one goal and two assists. Last season, he had eight points (two goals, six assists) in 27 games with San Jose.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Islanders (17-12) at Sabres (14-18)

Date: December 31, 2015 6:00 PM EDT

Goaltending and penalty killing have been outstanding lately for the New York Islanders. They could be a very dangerous team if their last performance is indicative of where their offense is headed.

Buoyed by a remarkable run of penalty killing, the Islanders try to continue their New Year's Eve success Thursday night against the Buffalo Sabres.

New York headed into Tuesday's game in Toronto with four losses in five games and just three goals scored in those defeats. After losing the opener of their home-and-home series 3-1 on Sunday, the Islanders (20-12-5) got exactly what they were looking for on the road, as six different players scored and 13 recorded at least a point in a 6-3 victory.

Captain John Tavares tallied his second goal in 11 contests, Anders Lee ended a 15-game drought and New York matched its season high in goals.

'I just need to produce,' Tavares said. 'Have to find a way to get the puck in the net, whether it's me, my opportunities or creating more for my line mates.'

Brock Nelson, Frans Nielsen, Nikolay Kulemin and Matt Martin also scored for the Islanders, who denied the Maple Leafs on four power-play opportunities to extend their streak to 35 straight kills over a franchise-record 15 games.

"It's our second year here together with (assistant coach Greg Cronin) and we're kind of figuring out what he wants us to do and our routes," Nielsen said. "We're working hard, sacrificing and hopefully we can keep it going."

With Jaroslav Halak nursing an upper-body injury, Thomas Greiss is likely to make his third consecutive start Thursday.

Signed in the offseason to back up Halak, Greiss has been as good or possibly better than the team's No. 1 netminder with a .932 save percentage that puts him among the NHL leaders. He has allowed two goals or fewer in 10 of his 16 starts.

One area that remains a concern for New York is a power play that is 1 for 24 over the last seven games. That unit ranks in the lower third of the league at 17.5 percent.

Playing on New Year's Eve has proven very beneficial for the Islanders, who are 8-0-1 in their last nine games on Dec. 31, including 18 goals scored during four straight wins.

The last-place Sabres (15-18-4) will be happy to see any team besides Washington after they were swept in a home-and-home set. Buffalo followed Monday's 2-0 home defeat by allowing four unanswered third-period goals in a 5-2 loss Wednesday.

Brian Gionta and Zemgus Girgensons scored for the Sabres, who were enjoying a 2-0-1 stretch before running into the league-leading Capitals.

A struggling power play continues to also be an issue for Buffalo, which went 0 for 4 Wednesday and is scoreless on 21 chances spanning seven games.

"It's always about the next opportunity," coach Dan Bylsma told the team's official website. "We've had opportunities. We just didn't capitalize."

Chad Johnson made 38 saves Wednesday and could be rested in favor of rookie Linus Ullmark, who stopped 29 shots in a 2-1 road victory over the Islanders on Nov. 1. Ullmark, though, is 1-6-2 with a 2.69 goals-against average in his last nine starts.

Matt Moulson and Sam Reinhart scored third-period goals in that win at New York.

Moulson hasn't scored in 24 games and was a healthy scratch Wednesday. He tallied 118 goals for the Islanders from 2009-13.

The Islanders are 6-1-2 in their last nine at Buffalo.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Penguins (16-15) at Red Wings (17-12)

Date: December 31, 2015 6:00 PM EDT

Sidney Crosby acknowledged that the Pittsburgh Penguins' unsteady performances of late will likely make it stressful on the team in the closing months of the season.

The Detroit Red Wings are also searching for consistency as they close out the 2015 portion of their schedule Thursday night.

A 3-7-2 mark in its last 12 games has pushed Pittsburgh out of playoff position, and the Penguins (17-15-4) fell to 2-5-1 under new coach Mike Sullivan with a 3-2 shootout defeat to Toronto on Wednesday.

"We know down the stretch it's going to be tight," Crosby said. "I don't know how it's going to work out in the end, but every point is important. Our desperation level has to be there every night now."

The Penguins are also 3-6-1 in their last 10 road games heading into the first of three matchups this season with Detroit. The Red Wings (18-12-7) are 2-4-2 in their last eight and 1-2-1 at home since winning a season-high four in a row there.

They scored one goal in each of their back-to-back losses to close out a three-game road trip and only avoided a shutout against Winnipeg on Tuesday when Pavel Datsyuk tallied a power-play goal in the third period. Detroit had six opportunities with a man advantage and outshot the Jets 34-25.

"We had a lot of good chances," captain Henrik Zetterberg said. "You've just got to keep believing in yourself. Once you get that chance, you have got to really bear down and take advantage of it."

Jimmy Howard struggled again in net in that 4-1 defeat, allowing four goals on 14 shots before he was pulled in the second period. He's 0-1-3 with a 3.77 goals-against average in his last five games. That likely means that Petr Mrazek, 3-3-0 with a 1.79 GAA in his past seven appearances, will start Thursday.

Mrazek has split his two starts against the Penguins and made 42 saves in a 5-1 victory March 15.

Pittsburgh has played without starting netminder Marc-Andre Fleury since Dec. 14 and Fleury returned to practice Tuesday for the first time since suffering his concussion.

Matt Murray made his fourth career start Wednesday and Jeff Zatkoff could be in net for the finale to this back-to-back set. Zatkoff is 0-4-1 with a 2.97 GAA in his last five starts but is coming off a strong 27-save performance Sunday in Winnipeg.

He matched a career high by giving up six goals in a loss to Boston in his prior start Dec. 18.

Zatkoff won his only start against Detroit on Dec. 14, 2013.

The Red Wings have alternated wins and losses in their last eight games against Pittsburgh and won two of three last season. They have needed overtime to claim each of the past two matchups at Joe Louis Arena.

Zetterberg has nine goals and nine assists in 14 career regular-season games against Pittsburgh with at least one point in each of the past 10. Niklas Kronwall has three goals and seven assists in an eight-game point streak against the Penguins.

Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin has eight goals and 14 assists in his past 18 matchups with Detroit including the postseason.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Capitals (26-6) at Hurricanes (15-17)

Date: December 31, 2015 6:00 PM EDT

Injuries aren't slowing down the NHL-leading Washington Capitals and recent history indicates the Carolina Hurricanes are also unlikely to do it.

With at least center Jay Beagle and top defenseman John Carlson out Thursday night against the Hurricanes, the Capitals go for their longest winning streak since setting a franchise record nearly six years ago.

Washington (28-6-2) is off to the best start in club annals, and it's won nine games in a row after scoring four unanswered third-period goals to rally for a 5-2 win over Buffalo on Wednesday.

The comeback effort was made even more impressive considering the Capitals lost Beagle (upper-body injury) and center Nicklas Backstrom (undisclosed) in the second period. They were already without Carlson, who has been out two games with a lower-body injury.

Carlson has already been ruled out for Thursday, while Beagle will undergo surgery and miss significant time. Backstrom's status is unknown.

"We are pretty relentless as a team," goaltender Braden Holtby said. "(Obviously, the injuries) makes it tougher. Those guys play a huge role on our team but we are just going to have to find different ways to win if they are out."

The Capitals are aiming for their longest winning streak since a team-record 14-game run from Jan. 13-Feb. 7, 2010. They're also opening a five-game trip seeking six consecutive road victories for the first time since Feb. 20-March 15, 2011.

Alex Ovechkin has six goals and two assists in the last six games after scoring twice in the third period Wednesday. The star left wing is among the league leaders with 20 goals, but he's only netted six on the road.

Ovechkin has 37 points in 30 career visits to Carolina but is pointless in four straight, including a 2-1 win Dec. 21.

Philipp Grubauer made 31 saves for that victory, and he's likely to get the nod again after Holtby made 25 stops Wednesday to improve to 16-0-1 with a 1.76 goals-against average in his last 18 games.

Grubauer is 4-2-1 with a 2.30 GAA, and he's allowed three goals in winning both his starts in Raleigh.

The Capitals are 7-1-1 in their last nine matchups with the Hurricanes, winning four of five on the road.

The Hurricanes (15-17-5) are 3-3-1 in their last seven games and trying to bounce back from Tuesday's 3-2 loss at New Jersey. They only allowed four shots in the third period but two got past Cam Ward, with the decisive tally deflecting off Justin Faulk with 3:05 left.

"This one definitely hurt us," captain Eric Staal said.

Staal is looking to build on his two goals from Tuesday, ending his nine-game drought. The center hasn't scored in seven straight home meetings with Washington, but he contributed an assist last week.

Faulk leads Carolina with 14 goals and 30 points, but he was held off the score sheet against the Devils after totaling two goals and an assist over the previous two games. The defenseman's 12 power-play goals are the most in the NHL.

He hasn't scored in his last 15 games against the Capitals and doesn't have a point in three straight.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Wild (19-10) at Blues (21-12)

Date: December 31, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

Generally strong defensive play and timely offense has the St. Louis Blues rolling toward the new year.

The Minnesota Wild appear to be returning to their elite form in their own end - which seems to point to a low-scoring affair in Thursday night's matchup at Scottrade Center.

St. Louis (23-12-4) defeated Nashville 4-3 in overtime Tuesday, winning for the sixth time in eight games on Alexander Steen's goal with under a minute remaining. The Blues, though, blew a two-goal lead when the Predators scored twice in a 2:20 span late in the third - the second goal coming with 1:32 remaining.

'It's hard to have to check all the time,' coach Ken Hitchcock said. 'Sometimes with our team when we get comfortable, that's when we get ourselves in trouble. We got comfortable.'

Nashville outshot the Blues 33-18 in regulation, but St. Louis outshot the Predators 6-0 in OT.

'This team, when they get a lead, it's so hard to come back because they collapse and they block a lot of shots,' Predators defenseman Shea Weber said.

St. Louis bounced back from Sunday's 3-0 loss to Central Division-leading Dallas, by far the highest-scoring team in the league.

Jake Allen didn't start that game and has gone 7-2-0 with a 1.76 goals-against average in his last nine starts after making 30 saves Tuesday. Allen, expected to be in net Thursday, has split a pair of starts against Minnesota this season. He won 3-2 in overtime in the most recent one Oct. 31, making 29 saves.

The Wild (19-10-6) gave up nine goals in back-to-back losses Dec. 19 and 21 - a season-high six against the Stars in the second of those - but have since won two of three, giving up one goal in each victory. Minnesota's 1.77 GAA since Dec. 1 is among the top marks in the league.

Its 2.40 GAA overall is among the top 10 in the NHL, close behind St. Louis' 2.36.

Top goalie Devan Dubnyk provided a spark Monday, starting in place of the injured Darcy Kuemper despite a cut on his arm and making 28 saves in a 3-1 home win over Detroit.

"It says a lot," captain Mikko Koivu told the team's official website. "The way you show that you have character is to step in, and even if you're not probably 100 percent, you want to be there. For the teammates that's a sign you want to see."

Dubnyk had allowed 10 goals in his previous three starts - all defeats. He's 3-8-1 with a 3.79 GAA in 12 career starts against St. Louis, taking the loss Oct. 31 but beating the Blues 3-2 at St. Paul on Oct. 10. He made 30 saves and gave up one goal in the third, when Minnesota was outshot 13-1.

The Wild are tied for the fewest road games this season with 15, but the schedule is about to start evening that out. Minnesota's four-game road trip opens a stretch in which it plays 12 of 17 away from home.

The Wild have gone 3-5-5 in their last 13 on the road, scoring two or fewer goals in the past six.

Steen, with two goals in his last three games, has recorded four goals and nine assists in his past 10 in this series.

Blues rookie center Robby Fabbri has scored four goals in his last five games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blackhawks (20-13) at Avalanche (18-17)

Date: December 31, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

The Chicago Blackhawks rode one of the league's best power-play units to snap a scoring slump and earn a much-needed victory to start a brief road swing.

The Colorado Avalanche also used a big game with the man advantage to keep up their rapid scoring pace, and they'll look to win a fifth straight meeting with the Blackhawks on Thursday night.

Chicago (21-13-4) entered the holiday break after a lackluster 4-0 loss at Dallas on Dec. 22 and returned Tuesday with a 2-1 home defeat to Carolina, scoring only a meaningless goal with less than three seconds remaining.

The Blackhawks then faced back-to-back road games to end 2015 but snapped out of their funk with a 7-5 win over Arizona on Tuesday, capitalizing on all three of their power-play opportunities in the first period.

Duncan Keith, Artem Anisimov and rookie Artemi Panarin had those goals, Andrew Desjardins scored twice and Patrick Kane finished with a goal and two assists to give him an NHL-high 53 points.

Chicago ranks among the league leaders in power-play conversion rate at 23.3 percent and is 8-2-1 when getting at least four chances, scoring in 10 of those games and converting 15 times. It had gone 1 for 11 over its previous six games before going 3 for 4 on Tuesday.

'The last few games we haven't had very many (power-play) opportunities, so sometimes you get out of sync,' Kane said. 'We have two good units right now and a lot of depth. If one unit doesn't get it started, the other one wants to get out there for a chance to cash in."

Kane had his franchise-record 26-game point streak snapped as the Blackhawks failed on both power-play chances in a 3-0 home loss to Colorado on Dec. 15. They've been outscored 12-3 during a four-game losing streak to the Avalanche (18-17-2), who have scored at least three goals six times during a 6-1-1 stretch.

They went 4 for 6 on the power play and tied their season high for goals in Monday's 6-3 win over San Jose. Nathan MacKinnon notched his second career hat trick, ending a month-long drought without a goal.

"Tough slump obviously with 14 games. They come in bunches sometimes," MacKinnon said. "We've been struggling a little bit (on the power play). Hopefully it gives us some confidence."

Matt Duchene also scored for the Avalanche, who try to head into 2016 on a roll and continue inching toward playoff position. They're sitting second-to-last in the Central Division after missing the playoffs last season.

"We're creeping up on Nashville, and we want to get in a playoff spot as soon as possible and never look back," said Duchene, who scored in the first meeting with Chicago.

Semyon Varlamov should be back in net after Calvin Pickard made 35 saves Monday. Varlamov has a 1.68 goals-against average over his last 10, including a 29-save shutout against the Blackhawks. He's won his last seven starts versus Chicago with a 1.27 GAA.

The Blackhawks could go with Corey Crawford again despite him having a 3.51 GAA over his last four. Crawford, 3-7-2 with a 3.20 GAA against the Avalanche since the 2011-12 season, allowed three goals in the third Tuesday to make things interesting.

"We made it exciting in the end," coach Joel Quenneville said. "We haven't had a lead like that all year, but we have to play the right way when we get it. Hopefully it will happen again."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Predators (16-12) at Stars (26-8)

Date: December 31, 2015 8:30 PM EDT

The last time the Dallas Stars lost consecutive games, their playoff chances took a major hit. There's quite a bit more breathing room should it happen again.

Even so, they'll try to avoid it Thursday night against the visiting Nashville Predators with hopes of ending the 2015 portion of the schedule atop the entire NHL.

Those back-to-back losses came March 30 and April 3, and a four-game winning streak to end the season wasn't nearly enough to sneak into the postseason. They must not have liked the feeling because they've since gone 31-8-3 with an NHL-best win total, never even linking losses of any kind, though that could happen after Tuesday's 6-3 defeat in Columbus.

"For some reason we think we can come in against these weaker teams and outscore them, but that's not how it works in this league," captain Jamie Benn told the team's official website after extending his point streak to six games. "You've got to play good team defense."

It was a reminder Dallas (27-8-3) remains a team that can occasionally get torched in its own zone. The Stars have allowed at least six goals four times, which is the most in the league and all have ended in losses of at least three goals.

"It was everything," coach Lindy Ruff said. "Our team defense was probably the worst on the year. We started off not defending, we had pockets of good defending. It was a team loss. Everybody was in on it."

Kari Lehtonen allowed three goals on 14 shots in the first period and was replaced by Antti Niemi to start the second. Lehtonen hasn't made it beyond a period in two of his last three starts, so Niemi figures to face Nashville. He took the loss against the Blue Jackets but has been the better option with a 1.53 goals-against average and .946 save percentage on a 3-1-1 span. He's posted shutouts in his last two games against the Predators, but those came with San Jose.

Prior to Tuesday's defensive letdown, Dallas had outscored opponents 21-7 during a 4-0-1 span, so there's no real cause for concern.

Patrick Sharp continued to come on offensively, scoring for a second straight game to extend his point streak to six games with four goals and five assists. He's been limited to two assists in his last nine regular-season games against Nashville. Colton Sceviour also tallied for the third time in four games after managing a goal in his first 31 contests.

The Predators and Stars have split 10 games over the past two seasons with Dallas holding a 28-27 scoring edge, though the Stars are 4-1-0 at home.

Nashville (18-12-7) is coming off Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss in St. Louis but left upbeat, having overcome a 3-1 deficit in the final four minutes of regulation against the Western Conference's No. 2 team. The Predators have followed a three-game skid with 3.60 goals per game over a 3-1-1 span.

"I think we were just pressing," center Mike Fisher told the team's official website. "We felt good about our game and we were getting pucks and getting chances. We felt like it was just a matter of time that we were going to get our break and we did. ... We ended up with those last two goals, which were key."

Carter Hutton faced the Blues, so Pekka Rinne figures to return. Rinne hasn't won on the road since Nov. 5, going 0-5-2 with a 3.30 GAA and .880 save percentage since. He's won seven of his last 10 against Dallas with two shutouts.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Jets (17-17) at Coyotes (17-16)

Date: December 31, 2015 9:00 PM EDT

The Winnipeg Jets are treating the end of December as a fresh start, and one of their youngest players is in the middle of the turnaround.

Rookie goaltender Connor Hellebuyck looks to continue his hot stretch as the rejuvenated Jets seek their first three-game winning streak when they visit the Arizona Coyotes on New Year's Eve.

Winnipeg (17-17-2) opened the season 7-3-1 in October but is just 10-14-1 since, slumping into the Christmas break with losses in four of five games. But a 101:10 shutout streak from their 22-year-old netminder this week helped the Jets to home wins over Pittsburgh and Detroit.

Hellebuyck logged his first career shutout in Sunday's 1-0 win over the Penguins and he didn't allow a goal in Tuesday's 4-1 victory over the Red Wings until early in the third period. He improved to 7-3-0 this season while lowering his goals-against average to 2.01.

More importantly, Hellebuyck helped the Jets to their first winning streak since the opening week of December.

"We had some nights going into the Christmas break that we played really well and didn't have a good result and that takes it toll," coach Paul Maurice said. "They get to feel good, a little better every day and a little more optimistic. We're keeping that faith."

Jacob Trouba scored two goals in Tuesday's win as the Jets tallied more than one for the first time in four games. Winnipeg's offense was inconsistent entering the break, scoring an average of 1.2 goals in its last five losses compared to 4.8 in its last four wins.

"That left a bad taste in our mouth over the Christmas break," Winnipeg's leading scorer Blake Wheeler told the team's official website. "... and that allowed us to come back even hungrier."

Next, the Jets will see if they can sustain success away from home. They open an eight-day, five-game road trip on Thursday, looking to end of a five-game road losing streak. Winnipeg has lost 11 of its last 12 as visitor, the final 10 losses coming in regulation.

Winnipeg's offense will draw a favorable matchup against another young goaltender trying to settle an awful stretch of defense for Arizona (17-16-3). Second-year netminder Louis Domingue has a 4.21 GAA while suffering both of the Coyotes' losses in three game since the Christmas break.

Anders Lindback surrendered three goals on five shots in the first period of Tuesday's 7-5 loss to Chicago, and Domingue allowed three more on 22 shots after coming on in relief. It was the second game in less than two weeks that the Coyotes have given up seven goals, and they have allowed at least five in seven of their last 13 games.

Arizona is tied with Calgary for the worst defense in the league with a 3.22 GAA, and that number rises to 3.92 since the beginning of December.

The Blackhawks scored on three of four power-play opportunities, pushing opponents to 7 of 15 against Arizona's penalty kill in the last four games.

'We need saves. Your goaltending is a big part of your penalty kill,' coach Dave Tippett said. 'It shows us just how far we've got to go.'

Shane Doan tallied a hat trick against Chicago, tying Dale Hawerchuk for the franchise record with 379 career goals. Doan scored seven goals in 74 games with Winnipeg during his 1995-96 rookie season.

The Jets' seventh win in the last eight games of this series was a 3-2 victory on Nov. 21 in Winnipeg.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Kings (21-11) at Flames (16-17)

Date: December 31, 2015 9:00 PM EDT

The Los Angeles Kings are unbeaten entering the final stop on a four-game road trip, which could prove to be the most challenging of the stretch.

They've struggled against Calgary the last two seasons, and the Flames are looking to close out an impressive December on Thursday night as they've started to turn their season around.

While the Kings (23-11-2) won 5-2 over Edmonton on Tuesday and have outscored opponents 14-5 in the last three games, the Flames (17-17-2) fell 1-0 to Anaheim and saw their franchise-record 11-game home winning streak come to an end.

Even so, Calgary has gone 9-3-0 following a three-game skid to end November. Tuesday marked the first time the high-scoring Flames failed to earn at least a point when allowing fewer than three goals, and they were limited to a season-low 14 shots.

"It is frustrating," captain Mark Giordano told the team's official website. "We were right in the game the whole game. We were in a little bit of a rut in the second (period) when we couldn't get through the neutral zone, and they got the majority of chances. In the third, we evened it out, but you've got to give them credit, they played a good road game."

While players such as Johnny Gaudreau were cooled off - he'd scored five goals in his previous two games - the Flames have also started to play at least to a manageable level in their own zone. They allowed 3.58 goals per game through November, and with a 2.50 mark in December, have pushed their season average down to 3.22 - though that's still tied with Arizona for the highest in the NHL.

Karri Ramo has been a big part of the improvement, posting a 1.90 goals-against average in a 5-3-0 span after going 8-8-1 with a 3.06 mark prior. He faced the Ducks and will again be in goal against Los Angeles as Calgary concludes a four-game homestand. Ramo is 3-0-0 with a 1.86 GAA in four career games against the Kings.

The Flames are 7-3-0 in their last 10 in the series with three straight home wins, but Los Angeles is in position for its first four-game road winning streak of the season.

The run is the Kings' most productive three-game stretch offensively - home or away - all season, with back-to-back five-goal efforts after they reached the mark once in their first 34 contests.

Those came on two straight nights, with Dustin Brown and Trevor Lewis each scoring with two assists against the Oilers. Dwight King also had a goal and an assist in his season debut on a line with Brown and Lewis after missing nearly half of the season with a broken foot.

"I think we play to each other's strengths," King said. "Probably a forechecking line is how you'd describe us and we're hard on pucks. We were rewarded tonight for our opportunities which was nice to see, but I just like to compete and battle to get pucks and throw them to the net."

Tyler Toffoli also scored and has six goals and an assist in his last four games, while Anze Kopitar has recorded a goal and six assists on the trip.

The scoring has taken some pressure off Jonathan Quick, but things haven't necessarily been easy. He faced 44 shots against the Oilers, marking the third time in seven games he's seen at least 42.

Quick has won all three of those and has posted a 1.89 GAA in an 11-2-1 span. However, he's won once in his last six games against the Flames with a 2.59 mark.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Ducks (13-15) at Oilers (13-20)

Date: December 31, 2015 9:00 PM EDT

The Edmonton Oilers' anemic power play is unlikely to get a boost against one of the NHL's best penalty killing teams.

Then there's the matter of Edmonton's woeful history against the Anaheim Ducks.

The slumping Oilers have lost three in a row heading into Thursday night's division game against the Ducks, who remain on the road after beating the hottest home team in the league.

The Oilers (15-20-3) opened a six-game homestand with a 5-2 loss to Los Angeles on Tuesday, ending a seven-game winning streak at Rexall Place. The Kings scored on Cam Talbot three times in 96 seconds early in the second period to make it 3-0.

"Things were going pretty well for us, we were doing a lot of things we wanted to do against a real good team," said Edmonton coach Todd McLellan. "And in a matter of a minute and a half, the bottom falls out on us for a number of reasons. That was disappointing."

The Oilers have been outscored 26-12 while going 1-5-1 since Dec. 15. This follows a season-high six-game winning streak during which they outscored opponents 22-15.

Taylor Hall, who has a team-high 15 goals, has not scored in his last six games.

Worse, their power play has been woeful. The Oilers are 0 for 10 in their last 16 games and 3 for 35 over their past 14.

"The thing for us is, you want to be able to generate momentum," Edmonton forward Jordan Eberle told the team's official website. "We don't want to create momentum for the other team by giving them opportunities or just chasing the puck back and forth and just wasting energy."

Edmonton's limp power play will meet one of the NHL's best penalty killing units, as the Ducks rank near the top of the league with an 87.7 percent success rate.

The Oilers have struggled mightily in the series but rallied to beat the Ducks 4-3 in overtime on Nov. 11, the first of five scheduled meetings between the Pacific Division rivals. It snapped a six-game losing streak in Anaheim for the Oilers and was the first time in 10 trips there they scored more than two goals.

Anaheim has been dominating the series, winning 21 of the past 26 meetings, and the Oilers have not won consecutive matchups since 2007.

The Ducks (14-15-6) are coming off a 1-0 win over Calgary on Tuesday that snapped the Flames' franchise-record 11-game home winning streak. John Gibson made 14 saves, half of them in the final period, to post his third shutout of the season.

"We had a game plan to try to clog up the neutral zone, try to slow them down. We did a pretty good job of it," the 22-year-old goaltender said.

Anaheim, in the midst of a three-game road trip, is 10-0-1 this season when leading after two periods. The Ducks have won two in a row overall after being outscored 17-7 during a 1-3-1 stretch.

Edmonton defenseman Brandon Davidson could return to the ice after missing the past four games with a rib injury.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Grand Salami - December

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
12/1 10 53.5 51 UNDER
12/2 4 22.5 18 UNDER
12/3 8 41.5 37 UNDER
12/4 7 36 33 UNDER
12/5 10 52 54 OVER
12/6 7 36 37 OVER
12/7 3 16 15 UNDER
12/8 9 48.5 55 OVER
12/9 4 21.5 20 UNDER
12/10 7 37 44 OVER
12/11 7 36 37 OVER
12/12 10 52 47 UNDER
12/13 3 15 12 UNDER
12/14 5 25.5 24 UNDER
12/15 11 58.5 61 OVER
12/16 2 10.5 6 UNDER
12/17 11 59.5 56 UNDER
12/18 6 30.5 38 OVER
12/19 10 52 46 UNDER
12/20 6 31 42 OVER
12/21 8 42.5 54 OVER
12/22 10 54.5 45 UNDER
12/23 No games scheduled - - -
12/24 No games scheduled - - -
12/25 No games scheduled - - -
12/26 9 47.5 48 OVER
12/27 9 49.5 37 UNDER
12/28 6 30.5 35 OVER
12/29 10 55.5 69 OVER
12/30 5 26.5 - -
12/31 9 - - -

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL Hockey Odds and Picks: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews

I don't watch a ton of regular-season hockey. Oh, I follow it closely but I just don't get too excited about watching the games. It really is true that watching the NHL is vastly more different in person than on TV. It might be the best game to watch of the four major U.S. sports in person, especially if you are sitting along the boards. It also helps you can see the puck much better than on your screens.

That said, I do generally watch some of the Winter Classic each year -- always the highest-rated NHL game -- even if it doesn't involve the team I am a fan of. And this year's Classic on New Year's Day features an Original Six matchup between Montreal and Boston at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots. Boston is the first team to host a second Classic. It beat Philadelphia 2-1 in overtime at Fenway Park in 2010. It's the first time for Montreal in the Classic. The NHL generally hasn't included teams from Canada because obviously that would hurt American TV ratings and interest.

I think the reason I and many others enjoy the Classic is because of the chance these guys will be playing in the snow like some of us did back in the day on frozen lakes or ponds. The weather conditions in Foxboro for Friday afternoon sadly don't include any snow. It's listed as a high of 42 with zero percent chance of precipitation. We also won't be seeing one of the NHL's best players in the game as Montreal goaltender Carey Price, the reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner, remains out with a leg injury. The Habs have been in a funk of late without Price, winning just twice in their past 12 games entering Tuesday. For a while there, Montreal was the Stanley Cup favorite. Now it's +2000 to win the Cup, which are only the seventh-best odds. Boston is at the same price and has lost three straight entering Tuesday. The Canadiens are 2-1 vs. Boston this year. They made a trade on Monday in acquiring goalie Ben Scrivens from Edmonton. So that might mean the Habs don't think Price will be back soon.

Bruins No. 1 netminder Tuukka Rask, who will certainly be in there Friday barring injury, is 1-1 with a 2.02 goals-against average vs. the Canadiens this year. The Bruins will be without center David Krejci, who is week-to-week with an upper-body injury. He was hurt Sunday. Krejci has 11 goals and 22 assists this season.

Here are some other games to watch this week.

Buffalo at Washington, Wednesday: The Capitals, who are -220 favorites here, look like clearly the Eastern Conference's best team, and they lead the East by far with 56 points. They also bring an eight-game winning streak into this one and are +500 favorites for the Stanley Cup. The Caps beat these Sabres in Buffalo 2-0 on Monday behind goals from Alex Ovechkin and Jay Beagle and the second shutout of the season for Braden Holtby, who is your Vezina Trophy favorite this season. Holtby hasn't lost in regulation since Nov. 10, when the Detroit Red Wings defeated Washington 1-0. Washington defenseman John Carlson missed Monday's game with a lower-body injury, ending his streak of 412 consecutive games played. The Sabres went 0-for-3 on the power play and are 0-for-17 in the past six games. Buffalo star rookie Jack Eichel, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft, has 11 goals and nine assists this year.

Pittsburgh at Detroit, Thursday: The Red Wings annually host a New Year's Eve game -- it's a big deal in Motown. The Wings are banged up, without defensemen Jonathan Ericsson (shoulder) and Kyle Quincey (ankle) along with forwards Johan Franzen (concussion), Drew Miller (broken jaw) and Teemu Pulkkinen (dislocated shoulder). The Penguins remain without goalie Marc-Andre Fleury due to a concussion. There's still no timetable for his return, although he has been skating some. And top defenseman Kris Letang was injured in Saturday's game and sat out Sunday. He might have a concussion, although the Penguins aren't saying that yet. This is the first meeting of the regular season between these teams. The Wings did blow out the Penguins twice in the preseason, for what that's worth.

NY Rangers at Florida, Saturday: The second-hottest team in the NHL behind Washington? That would be Florida, which took a six-game winning streak into Tuesday and could take the division lead from Montreal. The winning streak is Florida's longest in eight years. The Panthers aren't very good offensively, ranking 17th in scoring and 20th on the power play, but they allow only 2.3 goals per game, which is third in the league. Roberto Luongo has been great in net, with a 2.20 GAA and .924 save percentage. He and Jaromir Jagr (10 goals, 15 assists) are likely the only Panthers players most people would even know. New York hasn't been playing well since late November largely because goalie Henrik Lundqvist is in a bit of a funk. He is 3-5-1 this month with a 3.41 GAA and .890 save percentage. New York won the lone meeting thus far with Florida, 5-4 in overtime in south Florida on Nov. 21. Rick Nash had a hat trick, including the winner. It was New York's seventh straight win in the series.

Dallas at NY Islanders, Sunday: The Stars continue to pace the Western Conference in points and lead the NHL by far in scoring. Their 1-2 forward punch of Jamie Benn (49 points, second in NHL) and Tyler Seguin (47 points, No. 3) is second to none. It's not clear if the Isles will have top goalie Jaroslav Halak here. He missed Tuesday's game in Toronto, not even traveling with the team, due to an upper-body injury. What's up with Isles star John Tavares? My pick for the Hart Trophy, Tavares has only four points this month and is minus-4. It's the first meeting of the season between these teams and the Stars' only visit to Brooklyn.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Streaks, Tips, Notes

Winnepeg Jets at Arizona Coyotes December 31, 9:00 EST

Backing the home team in this series has been the right choice. In the past ten encounters the home team has won eight and lost two. That trend looks like it will continue. Winnepeg Jets are amoung the worst road teams in the league losing its last five away and 11 of the last 12 on enemy ice. Additionally, Jets are a horrid 2-9-1 in the last 12 trips to Arizona.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL

Hot teams
-- Washington won its last nine games, allowing 15 goals.
-- Blues won six of their last eight games.
-- Colorado won six of its last eight games.
-- Dallas Stars won seven of last eight home games.
-- Anaheim won three of its last four home games.
-- Flames won nine of their last twelve home games. LA won its last three games, allowing five goals.
-- Ducks won their last two games, 4-2/1-0.

Cold teams
-- Islanders, Buffalo both lost four of their last six games.
-- Pittsburgh lost seven of its last nine games. Detroit lost five of its last seven.
-- Hurricanes are 3-4 in their last seven games.
-- Minnesota lost three of last four road games.
-- Blackhawks lost six of their last eight road games.
-- Nashville lost five of its last six road games.
-- Winnipeg lost last four road games, scoring three goals. Arizona lost nine of last 13 games.
-- Edmonton lost six of its last seven games.

Series records
-- Islanders won four of last six games with Buffalo.
-- Penguins-Red Wings split their last ten games.
-- Hurricanes lost six of last seven games with Washington.
-- Blues lost three of last four games with Minnesota.
-- Avalanche won their last four games with Chicago.
-- Predators lost four of last five visits to Dallas.
-- Coyotes lost seven of last eight games with Winnipeg.
-- Kings lost five of last six games with Calgary.
-- Ducks won four of last five games with Edmonton.

Totals
-- Under is 4-0-1 in last five Buffalo home games.
-- Six of last eight Detroit home games went over.
-- Washington is 3-1-1 in last five Washington road games.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six St Louis home games.
-- Over is 8-4 in last twelve Colorado home games.
-- Over is 3-0-1 in last four Nashville games.
-- Last five Winnipeg road games stayed under total.
-- Over is 3-0-1 in last four Los Angeles games.
-- Four of last five Edmonton home games went over.

Back-to-backs
-- Buffalo is 2-3 if it played the night before; teams are 1-4 night after playing Washington.
-- Pittsburgh is 1-5 if it played night before; teams are 2-4 night after playing Toronto.
-- Washington is 4-1 if it played the night before.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA notebook: Warriors' Curry out against Mavs
By The Sports Xchange

The Golden State Warriors attempted to improve their NBA-record start without Stephen Curry on Wednesday in Dallas against the Mavericks after he skipped Wednesday's shootaround to have an MRI on his lower left leg.
It showed no structural damage, but the Warriors were being cautious and planned to hold him out at least one game.
"As long as it's not anything serious, we're fine that he might need a couple of days to heal," Golden State interim coach Luke Walton said.
The Warriors list Curry as day to day. He had been dealing with a strained right calf, but the team says that injury has completely healed.

---New York Knicks forward Cleanthony Early was robbed and shot in the leg during a robbery after leaving a Queens, N.Y., strip club early Wednesday morning, according to multiple reports.
The attack around 4:15 a.m. involved masked gunmen, police sources told the New York Daily News. Early was leaving CityScapes gentlemen's club in Maspeth, Queens, when he was surrounded by up to six men, shot in the knee and robbed of a gold necklace and the gold caps from his teeth, New York Police told WABC-TV.
Early, 24, was taken to Elmhurst Hospital in stable condition. The 6-foot-8 Early, who grew up in the Bronx and later lived in Middletown, N.Y., was selected by the Knicks in the second round of the 2014 NBA draft after his senior season at Wichita State. He has played in 10 games this season, averaging 0.7 points per game.

---Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose was to sit out Wednesday night's game against the Indiana Pacers because of right hamstring tendinitis.
The Bulls announced Rose as a late scratch about an hour before tipoff. Rose participated in the morning shootaround with no apparent problems. Rose, 27, is averaging 14.4 points and 5.1 assists per game this season. He missed two games earlier this season because of a left ankle injury.

---The Miami Heat assigned guard Josh Richardson to the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League.
Richardson has appeared in 13 games (one start) with the Heat this season, averaging 1.7 points and 1.1 rebounds in 9.2 minutes. In his lone NBA start on Nov. 12, he scored eight points and grabbed three rebounds in a 92-91 win against Utah.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Bucks (12-21) at Pacers (18-13)

Date: December 31, 2015 6:00 PM EDT

An inability to defend the 3 has been one of the biggest reasons for the Milwaukee Bucks' struggles on the road

That's not a good sign for facing one of the league's top 3-point shooting teams in the Indiana Pacers, who have already bombarded the Bucks from deep once this season.

The Pacers, however, have the disadvantage of playing on a second straight night Thursday when they face a Milwaukee team trying to avoid losing for the 15th time in 16 road games.

The Bucks (12-21) are allowing opponents to shoot a league-worst 40.1 percent from 3-point range on the road and surrendering an average of 10.0 made 3-pointers during a 1-14 stretch outside Milwaukee.

Indiana (18-13) made 15 of 30 3-pointers in a 123-86 home win over the Bucks on Nov. 21, their most lopsided victory of the season. The Pacers had six players score at least 12 while Milwaukee's leading scorer was Greg Monroe with 11.

Indiana has won 11 of 13 at home and shoots 36.7 percent from 3-point range, but Milwaukee may be catching a break with the Pacers finishing up a back-to-back after Wednesday's tough 102-100 overtime loss in Chicago.

After storming back from 14 down, Indiana looked like it was going to win as it took a seven-point lead with just over 2 1/2 minutes to go, but the Bulls closed regulation on an 11-4 run. Chicago answered Monta Ellis' game-tying 3-pointer with 3.7 seconds left with Jimmy Butler's alley oop with 1.2 to go, and Butler then defended Paul George's tip-in attempt as time expired.

Coach Frank Vogel was irate there was no foul called on Butler on the game's final play but that wasn't the only reason why the Pacers lost.

'We were up seven and pretty much in control before we got to OT," George said. "We let this one get away.'

George had another poor shooting night, going 7 of 20 - the eighth time in 10 games he shot less than 40 percent - and matched a season high playing 42 minutes. The quick turnaround seems problematic for George, who is shooting 29.1 percent - including 4 of 25 from 3-point range - in the second half of Indiana's last three back-to-backs with the Pacers being outscored by an average of 15.3 points in losing each.

Ellis is averaging 7.0 points on 37.5 percent shooting in the second half of Indianapolis' last four back-to-backs and C.J. Miles has totaled seven points on 3-of-16 shooting in the last two.

Miles, second on the team in scoring at 14.6 points per game, was scratched about an hour before Wednesday's tipoff due to a sore lower back. He had a team-high 21 points against the Bucks last month as the Pacers won for the eighth time in nine meetings in Indianapolis.

Khris Middleton had a career-high 36 points and made 6 of 9 3-pointers Tuesday in Milwaukee's 131-123 loss at Oklahoma City.

'We're not going to be able to win with just one man doing everything, though," said Middleton, who also had seven assists. "We need to play as a team and figure it out.'

Over the last five games, Middleton is shooting 57.1 percent while averaging 23.6 points - 7.8 better than his season average. He had eight points on 3-of-11 shooting against Indiana last month.

Giannis Antetokounmpo also had a huge game Tuesday, finishing with 27 points and 10 rebounds after totaling 15 points and 11 boards in his previous two contests. He scored nine in the first meeting with Indiana.

The Bucks have lost three straight and six of eight. This is their fifth three-game losing streak of the season and haven't lost four in a row since March.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Timberwolves (12-20) at Pistons (17-15)

Date: December 31, 2015 6:00 PM EDT

Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves found a way to snap their losing streak against a short-handed team.

They will have little time to savor a rare home win before taking the court against an opponent they have dominated in recent years.

Towns and the visiting Timberwolves will try to win back-to-back games for the second time this month when they face the Detroit Pistons on New Year's Eve.

Towns had 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead Minnesota to a 94-80 win over injury-plagued Utah on Wednesday. It snapped a four-game losing streak for the Wolves and marked just their fourth victory in 16 games.

Ricky Rubio racked up 17 assists, tying a career and franchise high, with six coming in a big fourth quarter. Minnesota (12-20) shot 13 of 19 from the field while scoring 32 points in the fourth after shooting 39.7 percent over the first three.

Towns, the No. 1 overall draft pick in June, had 12 points in the fourth after being pulled by coach Sam Mitchell following some sloppy play in the third.

"What he's doing offensively for a 20-year-old is just amazing," Mitchell said. "The way he's scoring the basketball, how efficient he is. But to Karl's credit, when I took him out of the game he said, 'Coach I know why you're taking me out of the game.' He's a unique individual."

The Timberwolves piled up 27 assists on 36 made shots, including 11 on 13 baskets in the fourth quarter.

They improved to 5-12 at home but have been better on the road, going 7-8.

Location hasn't made a difference when they play the second half of a back-to-back, though, as they're 0-5 in such games.

Detroit (17-15) enters on a three-game losing streak, one off a season worst.

Ersan Ilyasova had 19 points in a 108-96 loss at New York on Tuesday. Andre Drummond was held to 13 points and nine rebounds after going nine consecutive games - and 14 of 15 - with double-digits boards.

"I'm tired of losing. Tired of watching fans walk out of here up 15, going home excited about a win," said Reggie Jackson, who had 17 points and nine assists. "We can't continue to watch ourselves sink."

Jackson has been held to less than 20 points in each of his last four games after scoring at least 20 in each of the previous five.

The guard had 18 points when the Pistons snapped a 10-game losing streak against the Timberwolves with a 96-86 win on Nov. 20 in Minneapolis. Drummond led the way with 21 points and 11 rebounds, scoring 15 in the third quarter.

The Pistons have given up an average of 104.7 points in the last three while scoring 96.3 points. That fits with a season-long pattern, as the Pistons are 14-2 when scoring at least 97.

The Pistons are 10-4 when holding teams to 45.1 percent shooting or worse. Each of their opponents during the skid has gone above that number, shooting a combined 49.6 percent.

Kevin Martin has sat out the past four games for Minnesota as the team continues shopping him around.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Warriors (29-2) at Rockets (16-17)

Date: December 31, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

The Golden State Warriors have survived an injury to their head coach, but they're clearly not the same without their best player.

Coming off their worst loss in nearly three years, the Warriors conclude a brief road trip Thursday night against the Houston Rockets with Stephen Curry's status in question.

With Curry unavailable due to a bruised lower left leg, the Warriors had by far their worst performance under interim coach Luke Walton in Wednesday's 114-91 loss at Dallas. They trailed by as many as 30 in their most lopsided defeat since a 140-109 setback at Houston on Feb. 5, 2013.

Golden State shot 40.7 percent while failing to replace Curry's league-leading 30.5 points per game. Klay Thompson managed just 10 points and Draymond Green had 11 as both finished 4 of 15 from the field.

'We had great looks," Thompson said. "It was just one of those nights.'

The Warriors (29-2), second in the NBA with a 48.3 percent field goal percentage, shot under 41 percent for only the third time during their historic 31-game start with Walton running the team as Steve Kerr recovers from back surgery. One came during the Dec. 12 loss at Milwaukee that halted their 28-game regular-season winning streak, the other in a double-overtime win at Boston a night earlier.

'He's one of those rare players in this league that affects the entire game just by being on the court,' Walton said of Curry. 'Obviously without him the spacing won't be as good.'

Walton hinted that he may rest Curry again Thursday, a move the erratic Rockets surely won't object. The reigning MVP averaged 31.2 points while shooting 49.1 percent on 3-pointers to lead the Warriors past Houston in five games during last season's Western Conference finals. He then scored 25 in 27 minutes in a 112-92 rout at Houston on Oct. 30 for Golden State's ninth win in the past 10 matchups, including the postseason.

Curry isn't the only Golden State player ailing. Harrison Barnes remains sidelined with an ankle sprain, reserve guard Leandro Barbosa (sprained shoulder) is expected to miss a third straight game and center Festus Ezeli (toe) also sat out Wednesday.

Houston (16-17) is relatively healthy with forward Terrence Jones over an illness that kept him out of Tuesday's game against Atlanta, though it's hardly in top form. After dropping a 110-108 decision at struggling New Orleans on Saturday, the Rockets squandered a 16-point third-quarter lead in a 121-115 loss to the Hawks.

The Rockets shot a torrid 69.2 percent during a 71-point first half but 36.4 percent after the break, and had 11 of their 20 turnovers over the final two quarters.

"We gave up too many offensive rebounds and we turned the basketball over," guard James Harden said. "We're kind of beating ourselves in that aspect."

Harden was 6 of 16 from the field and is shooting 36.2 percent over a three-game stretch, though Dwight Howard ended 10 of 12 for a season-high 30 points and added 16 rebounds.

Howard wasn't much of a factor in the teams' previous meeting, mustering nine points on 4 of 11 shooting while saddled with foul trouble much of the night.