NBA Sunday Gameday

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NBA Sunday Gameday

The NBA’s Central Division grabs the hoops spotlight on Sunday afternoon, with its top teams looking to end the week with a win. Here is your NBA Gameday.

Chicago Bulls at Detroit Pistons, 1:00pm ET

The Bulls have won three games in a row, but they’ve still lost quite a bit of ground to the Pistons in the Central Division over the past couple of weeks. The Bulls currently find themselves 4.5 games back of Detroit for first place despite consecutive wins over Atlanta, Cleveland, and Washington. That mini-streak, however, came on the heels of five losses in six games at the beginning of the month. Chicago forward Andres Nocioni is now out indefinitely with a foot injury.

The Pistons have won nine of their past 10 contests to move into first place in both the Central Division and the Eastern Conference standings. Detroit’s only loss over that span came on February 14, when they scored just 81 points in a 90-81 defeat versus San Antonio. Detroit has the definite advantage in the splits on Sunday afternoon as well – they’re 18-10 at home this season, while the Bulls are just 10-18 on the road. The Bulls, though, are 8-2 versus Central opponents.

Cleveland Cavaliers at Miami Heat, 3:30pm ET

The Cavaliers sit right between the Pistons and the Bulls in the Central Division right now, 3.5 games back of Detroit and a game up on Chicago. This will be the third time that the Cavs will take on the Heat in the month of February – they lost to Miami 92-89 back on February 1, but picked up a 103-79 victory at home on February 9. LeBron James led the way for Cleveland in that win, scoring a game-high 29 points. Larry Hughes had 16 points, while Drew Gooden had 13 boards.

Dwyane Wade poured in 27 points for Miami in their loss on February 9, but the star guard’s dislocated shoulder will keep him out of today’s game – and many more games to come. In fact, if Wade decides to have shoulder surgery he could be out of action until next season. That would be bad news for the Heat, who have won seven of their past 10 games but are still just barely in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference (and, shockingly, are two games below .500).

Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors, 6:00pm ET

The Lakers have little chance of catching the Suns in the Pacific Division this season, but they’re still comfortably in the Top 8 of the Western Conference despite having lost seven of their past 10 contests. In fact, Los Angeles’ win over the Celtics on Friday night put an end to an ugly six-game losing streak, in which they fell short versus Detroit, Toronto, Cleveland, New York, Cleveland again, and Portland. Lakers forward Vladimir Radmanovic is out with a shoulder injury.

The Warriors are hoping they have better luck against the Lakers than they did versus the other Los Angeles team on Saturday afternoon. Al Harrington scored 24 points against the Clippers on Saturday, but Golden State was still defeated 103-90 on the road. Jason Richardson had 18 points in that game, while Monta Ellis picked up 17 points and 13 assists. The Warriors are still in the hunt for a postseason berth in the West, but they’re also a sub-.500 team right now as well.

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NBA First-Half Roundup

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NBA First-Half Roundup


The Western Conference routed its Eastern counterpart 153-132 in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night, but they start playing for real again on Tuesday. Here's a look back at how each of the 30 teams fared over the season's first half:

ATLANTIC DIVISION

TEAM --- SU --- ATS --- OVER/UNDER
Toronto --- 29-24 --- 33-19-1 --- 21-32
New Jersey --- 25-29 --- 28-24-2 --- 27-25-2
New York --- 23-30 --- 28-25 --- 28-25
Philadelphia --- 17-36 --- 24-26-3 --- 25-26-2
Boston --- 13-38 --- 22-27-2 --- 23-28

CENTRAL DIVISION

TEAM --- SU --- ATS --- OVER/UNDER
Detroit --- 32-19 --- 25-26 --- 21-28-2
Cleveland --- 31-22 --- 25-27-1 --- 25-28
Indiana --- 28-24 --- 29-22-1 --- 28-24
Chicago --- 29-25 --- 23-31 --- 26-27-1
Milwaukee --- 19-34 --- 26-27 --- 31-21-1

SOUTHEAST DIVISION

TEAM --- SU --- ATS --- OVER/UNDER
Washington --- 29-21 --- 23-25-2 --- 28-22
Orlando --- 27-26 --- 25-28 --- 21-31-1
Miami --- 26-26 --- 28-22-2 --- 26-26
Atlanta --- 21-31 --- 24-28 --- 26-26
Charlotte --- 19-33 --- 23-29 --- 24-28

NORTHWEST DIVISION

TEAM --- SU --- ATS --- OVER/UNDER
Utah --- 35-17 --- 26-24-2 --- 29-22-1
Denver --- 26-25 --- 26-24-1 --- 26-22-3
Minnesota --- 25-27 --- 27-25 --- 30-21-1
Portland --- 22-32 --- 26-28 --- 27-27
Seattle --- 20-32 --- 25-24-3 --- 27-24-1

PACIFIC DIVISION

TEAM --- SU --- ATS --- OVER/UNDER
Phoenix --- 39-13 --- 28-22-2 --- 26-26
LA Lakers --- 30-24 --- 27-25-2 --- 29-24-1
LA Clippers --- 25-28 --- 19-33-1 --- 25-28
Golden State --- 25-29 --- 27-27 --- 33-21
Sacramento --- 22-29 --- 21-29-1 --- 27-24

SOUTHWEST DIVISION

TEAM --- SU --- ATS --- OVER/UNDER
Dallas --- 44-9 --- 28-21-4 --- 22-31
San Antonio --- 35-18 --- 27-26 --- 23-30
Houston --- 33-19 --- 25-25-2 --- 25-27
New Orleans --- 25-28 --- 31-22 --- 26-27
Memphis --- 14-40 --- 23-31 --- 31-21-2

The current playoff teams in the Eastern Conference are the Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic, and Miami Heat. The New Jersey Nets are two games back of the Heat for the conference's eighth postseason berth at this time.

Over in the Western Conference the current playoff teams are the Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Los Angeles Clippers and the New Orleans Hornets are both a half-game back of the T-Wolves for eighth place, while the Golden State Warriors are a full game back.

OVER bettors have been making money on the Golden State Warriors so far this season - they lead the league with 33 OVER results to date. The Milwaukee Bucks and the Memphis Grizzlies have each put up 31 OVER results so far, while the Minnesota Timberwolves have 30. At the other end, the Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, and Orlando Magic have all put up just 21 OVER results

Here's how the league's 30 teams are currently ranking on the points-scored-per-game and the points-allowed-per-game charts through the All-Star Break . . .

Ranking: Points-Scored-Per-Game

Phoenix --- 110.7
Golden State --- 105.9
Washington --- 105.8
Denver --- 105.6
LA Lakers --- 103.1
Utah --- 102.3
Memphis --- 100.7
Seattle --- 100.4
Sacramento --- 100.2
New York --- 100.1
Dallas --- 99.9
Milwaukee --- 99.5
Toronto --- 99.1
Chicago --- 99.1
San Antonio --- 98.3
New Jersey --- 97.2
Indiana --- 96.8
Detroit --- 96.6
Boston --- 96.6
Minnesota --- 96.5
Miami --- 96.5
Cleveland --- 96.4
Houston --- 95.9
LA Clippers --- 95.7
Charlotte --- 94.8
Philadelphia --- 94.8
Orlando --- 94.3
Portland --- 93.6
New Orleans --- 92.6
Atlanta --- 92.5

Ranking: Points-Allowed-Per-Game

Houston --- 90.3
San Antonio --- 91.0
Dallas --- 92.5
Detroit --- 92.8
Orlando --- 93.4
Cleveland --- 93.9
New Orleans --- 94.4
Chicago --- 95.4
Atlanta --- 96.8
Indiana --- 96.8
Minnesota --- 97.2
LA Clippers --- 97.3
Portland --- 97.8
Miami --- 98.0
New Jersey --- 98.4
Toronto --- 98.7
Philadelphia --- 99.0
Utah --- 99.4
Charlotte --- 99.8
Boston --- 99.8
Sacramento --- 100.8
LA Lakers --- 102.2
New York --- 102.3
Seattle --- 102.9
Phoenix --- 103.4
Denver --- 103.9
Milwaukee --- 104.0
Washington --- 105.7
Memphis --- 105.7
Golden State --- 107.5

The NBA returns with a 10-game schedule on Tuesday night, including the Denver Nuggets at the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns at the Los Angeles Clippers. Also on tap for Tuesday are New Orleans at Charlotte, Minnesota at Washington, Orlando at New York, Detroit at Milwaukee, Atlanta at Chicago, Utah at Portland, Boston at Sacramento, and then Memphis at Seattle.

College Basketball Gameday

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College Basketball Gameday

How much stock do you put in the polls?

If you’re a casual college basketball fan, it might be difficult for you to get interested in teams who lie outside the Top 25. That’s too bad. What if we told you that’s where the money is? Six of the 10 most profitable teams against the spread are unranked. As long as they stay out of the limelight, their chances of staying profitable will be enhanced. But let’s risk shining a little light on some of these teams and their Saturday matchups.

Mississippi at Arkansas

The Mississippi Rebels are one of the big surprise stories of the 2006-07 season. Picked by many to finish at the bottom of the SEC West, the Rebels have instead stormed out to a 17-8 record straight up, including 6-5 in a tough conference. That turnaround translates to 16-6 against the spread.

Ole Miss remains under the radar, though, with an RPI rating of 54. The non-conference portion of the schedule was softer than ice cream on a summer day in the Magnolia State – then the Rebels opened up SEC play at 1-4 before putting together their current four-game winning streak. One of the key changes for Ole Miss is the decision to convert senior guard Clarence Sanders from a starter to a sixth man. The last time the Rebels faced the Razorbacks, Sanders was still in the rotation and shot just 5-for-13 (38.5 percent); however, in five games coming off the bench, the Alabama native is shooting 36-for-73 (49.3 percent). Arkansas will have its hands full Saturday.

Davidson at Western Carolina

Welcome to the Southern Conference. Davidson is sitting pretty on top of the South Division at 13-1 SU (22-4 overall) and third in the ATS standings at 16-6-1. That seems like reason enough to get to know the Wildcats.

The big story on this team is freshman guard Stephen Curry. He’s mowing down opponents with 20.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and two steals per game, nailing 40 percent of his 3-point attempts along the way. And he just keeps getting better. Curry has more than just filled the void that opened up after the Wildcats lost so many talented seniors from last year’s squad, including the school’s top scorer of all-time, Brendan Winters.

Beating the Catamounts for the second time this season shouldn’t be a problem. The ‘Cats won the last matchup (also at Western Carolina) 79-59 to cover the 16-point spread. Davidson is 4-0 ATS this year when favored by more than 12 points.

Towson at Bucknell

The Colonial Athletic Association gave us some great stories last year, none greater than the George Mason Patriots. But this year’s unlikely candidates for your attention are the Towson Tigers, a perennial doormat in the CAA. No longer; Towson is 14-13 overall, 8-8 in conference action, and a very healthy 16-8 against the spread.

This is all a little less surprising when you look at the recent history of the program. The Tigers hired Pat Kennedy to take over the coaching reins in 2004. Kennedy was an assistant under the legendary Jim Valvano at Iona; as a head coach, Kennedy twice took the Gaels to the NCAA Tournament, then returned to the big dance with both FSU and DePaul. His work turning the flagging Blue Demons program around earned him the job at Towson, and Kennedy is once again working his magic.

The Tigers won’t be making the Tournament this year, barring a fluke, but they are well on their way to respectability. They’re also playing very good basketball right now. Towson covered 10 of its past 12 games, including a pair of close losses to Virginia Commonwealth and another pair to Hofstra, two of the top teams in the CAA. Now they get to travel outside of the conference for what should be another tight matchup versus Bucknell of the Patriot League. The Bison generally don’t see any betting lines in their own conference, but this is a BracketBuster contest, and Bucknell has been in the Tournament each of the last two seasons. Towson will have a lot of trouble getting to the basket in this one. The total will be the lowest the Tigers have seen in at least 12 games – the OVER has a slim 7-5 advantage during that span.

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NBA Infirmary Report

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NBA Infirmary Report


With Steve Nash out of the lineup the Phoenix Suns are finding out how the other half lives. The Suns dropped their second straight game on Sunday night, and are hoping the two-time NBA MVP returns quickly from his shoulder injury. In the meantime, here's another edition of the NBA Infirmary Report . . .

Steve Nash - G - Phoenix Suns
Nash isn't expected to be back on the floor for the Suns again until next week, and he's also reportedly going to sit out this weekend's All-Star festivities in Las Vegas (the guard's sore shoulder didn't feel any better as of Monday). The Suns' first game after the break is on February 20 against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Boris Diaw - F - Phoenix Suns
Kurt Thomas - F - Phoenix Suns
Suns forward Diaw is listed as questionable for Wednesday night's game against the Seattle SuperSonics, as he's suffering from back spasms (he also missed the game against the Bulls on Sunday). As for Thomas, he has been cleared to practice and could return from his elbow injury shortly after the All-Star break.

Paul Pierce - G - Boston Celtics
The return of Pierce from the injured list hasn't been enough for the Celtics to put an end to their losing streak (as of Monday), but he's at least giving Boston fans someone to watch. However, Pierce hurt his hip against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night and is listed as day-to-day right now.

Rashard Lewis - F - Seattle SuperSonics
Lewis has returned from his hand injury, and he scored 23 points for the Sonics against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night. Seattle, though, is still mired in the basement of the Northwest Division.

Michael Redd - G - Milwaukee Bucks
There has been some speculation that Redd might be able to return from his knee injury for the Bucks' two games this week (on Tuesday and Wednesday), but the team hasn't officially announced his status for those contests. Redd has missed the Bucks' last 18 games with the ailment, and he would be a big help against the powerful Mavericks on Tuesday night.

Carlos Boozer - F - Utah Jazz
Andrei Kirilenko played through a sore back for the Jazz on Saturday night, but Boozer has yet to return from his leg injury. There had been some talk last week that Boozer would be able to play in this weekend's All-Star Game, but the league has since announced that Carmelo Anthony and Josh Howard have been selected as replacements for Boozer and Yao Ming.

Grant Hill - G - Orlando Magic
The Magic are falling down the Eastern Conference standings, and could use the boost that Hill's return to the lineup would give them. The guard isn't expected to suit up for the team this week, but could be back just after the All-Star break.

Antawn Jamison - F - Washington Wizards
Jamison has been out of the Wizards' lineup with a sprained knee since the beginning of February, and is expected to be out of action until at least the end of the month. The official diagnosis of the injury was three-to-six weeks, which would mean a return date of no later than mid-March.

Yao Ming - C - Houston Rockets
The Rockets are playing pretty well with Ming on the sidelines, but they'd still like to have their big man back on the court before the end of the regular season. Ming actually led all Western Conference players in All-Star votes this year, but obviously won't be able to participate in the game.

Richard Jefferson - F - New Jersey Nets
Jefferson's return from ankle surgery is currently on schedule, and he could be back on the floor at the end of February or at the beginning of March. The Nets are riding a three-game winning streak right now as they try to chase down the Toronto Raptors for first place in the Atlantic Division.

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