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**StarDust Bum** · 01-15-2012, 09:41 AM

Preview: Suns (4-7) at Spurs (8-4)

Date: January 15, 2012 9:00 PM EDT

The San Antonio Spurs continue to dominate at home, and their next visiting foe could come into town short-handed.

The Spurs will try to improve to 9-0 at home Sunday night when they meet the Phoenix Suns, who could be without Steve Nash and Grant Hill.

San Antonio (8-4) is off to its best start at home since beginning 13-0 in 2006-07. The Spurs cruised to a 99-83 victory Friday over Portland by outscoring the Trail Blazers by 16 in the fourth quarter.

"I thought we earned it," coach Gregg Popovich said. "We competed well. We had a lot of guys that competed defensively and rebounding wise in the second half and it generated a lot for us."

The Spurs continue to play without star guard Manu Ginobili but still should be favored against Phoenix (4-7), which is beginning a five-game trip and is unsure when Nash and Hill will return. The aging stars sat out Friday's 110-103 loss to New Jersey.

According to Suns coach Alvin Gentry, the 37-year-old Nash has a "charley horse' type injury - technically a right quad contusion - and the 39-year-old Hill has a right quad tendon strain.

Those injuries occurred in Phoenix's 101-90 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday. Nash also is bothered by a sore back, a condition that has bothered him throughout his career.

The Suns dropped their third straight Friday as Ronnie Price filled in for Nash with 18 points and eight assists.

"It's kind of like Peyton Manning for the Colts,' said forward Jared Dudley about playing without Nash. "This offense is predicated on him and everything. Ronnie filled in nicely. He played extremely well. But obviously there's only one Nash and obviously you need G-Hill out there."

Price and the Suns guards had trouble with Deron Williams, who had 35 points and 14 assists one night after Cavaliers rookie Kyrie Irving had 26 and six against Phoenix.

That could be good news for Spurs top scorer Tony Parker, who scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter Friday. Parker is averaging 17.8 points on 47.0 percent shooting at home compared to marks of 12.3 points on 38.5 percent on the road.

"They did a pretty good job on me the first three quarters,' Parker said. "I was just trying to wait for my time.'

Rookie Kawhi Leonard scored 11 points for the second straight game in his second consecutive start since replacing Gary Neal in the lineup.

Another young player, Tiago Splitter, is starting to become more effective. Splitter made all five shots for a season-high 14 points Friday, and has made 16 of his last 21 field-goal attempts.

"He has been doing this for years in Europe and everywhere," Popovich said. "He is a blue collared guy who just does the basics really, really well. He is a great competitor."

San Antonio went 3-1 against Phoenix last season. The Spurs can knot the all-time series at 72 wins apiece with a victory.

**StarDust Bum** · 01-15-2012, 09:45 AM

Preview: Warriors (3-8) at Pistons (3-9)

Date: January 15, 2012 6:00 PM EDT

The Golden State Warriors have struggled to slow down opponents on the road, where they remain winless.

Their next opponent's struggles at home could help the Warriors finally break into the win column.

The Warriors continue a four-game trip Sunday when they take on the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Golden State dropped to 0-4 on the road following a 112-100 loss to Charlotte on Saturday - its seventh defeat in eight games overall. The Warriors (3-8) cut a 22-point lead to six late in the fourth quarter, but the Bobcats scored seven unanswered points from there to put the game away.

David Lee scored 24 points - his third straight 20-point performance - and added 16 rebounds, while Monta Ellis finished with 18 points. Golden State played without Kwame Brown (torn pectoral muscle) and Stephen Curry (ankle), although Dorell Wright (knee) returned to the starting lineup, finishing with 12 points after missing Thursday's 117-109 home loss to Orlando.

Despite its spate of injuries, Golden State has scored at least 100 points in three straight games after failing to reach the century mark in any of its first eight contests. However, it is also giving up an average of 103.8 points in its last eight games.

The Warriors allowed Charlotte to shoot 50 percent - 56.1 percent in the first half - on Saturday, leading coach Mark Jackson to say he was "embarrassed' by his team's performance.

"We didn't show up,' Jackson said. "As a coach, that's on me. Somehow my guys didn't come out ready to play. We jumped on them early and took our foot off the gas. We thought it was going to be easy. ... This type of effort cannot be accepted.'

While the Warriors are struggling to slow opponents, they may have an easier time against Detroit (3-9), which is averaging 87.2 points at home while losing four of six.

The Pistons snapped a six-game overall losing streak Friday, winning 98-81 at Charlotte. Jonas Jerebko tied a career high with 22 points while Greg Monroe added 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

"We had some glimpses (in Thursday's 102-93 loss at Milwaukee) and (Friday) I think we had a complete game instead of just half a game and I think it showed on the court," Jerebko said.

The Warriors and Pistons split their two meetings last season, with each team winning at home. Detroit has defeated Golden State four straight times at The Palace of Auburn Hills and has taken 15 of the teams' last 16 meetings there.

Ellis is averaging 26.7 points in his last three games against the Pistons.

**StarDust Bum** · 01-15-2012, 09:48 AM

Preview: Jazz (7-4) at Nuggets (8-4)

Date: January 15, 2012 8:00 PM EDT

Despite opening the season without the faces of their respective franchises, neither the Denver Nuggets nor the Utah Jazz considered themselves to be rebuilding.

So far, both have been proven right.

The Northwest Division rivals will look to continue their surprising starts when they meet for the second time this season Sunday night in Denver.

The Nuggets played well at the end of last season after trading Carmelo Anthony to New York and they have carried that over into 2011-12. Denver (8-4) has won six of eight including its last two games after defeating Miami 117-104 at home Friday.

Ty Lawson returned after missing the previous game with a foot sprain and scored 24 points to go along with nine assists in the win over the Heat, while Nene finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

The Nuggets shot 55.1 percent overall and 12 of 25 from 3-point range as their up-tempo offense paid dividends.

"My emphasis at every timeout was don't stop running," coach George Karl said. "Try to run every possession."

That style has been very effective for the Nuggets, who lead the Western Conference with 104.8 points per game and have shot better than 55 percent in four of their last six contests.

Lawson, who is averaging 17.1 points, is shooting 52.2 percent on the season and 60 percent over his last three games.

"We're trying to stay under the radar," Lawson, who was 9 of 11 from the field Friday with both misses coming from 3-point range, told the Nuggets' official website. "We don't need all the press. We're just going to try to get in the playoffs and make a lot of noise."

Denver has won six of its last seven home meetings with Utah, including a 117-100 victory Dec. 28, when Nene had 25 points.

While Utah (7-4) also dealt a key player last season in Deron Williams, it is also playing well after a slow start. The Jazz have won six of seven, with the only loss coming in overtime against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

The Jazz bounced back from that defeat Saturday with a 107-94 home victory over Williams and New Jersey. Al Jefferson scored 20 points and Paul Millsap added 18 with 12 boards and four steals.

It was only the fourth time this season Utah, which is averaging 93.6 points, scored at least 100.

"We want to make sure we push (the offense) early," coach Tyrone Corbin said. "It allows us to get into our offensive sets a lot sooner. ... We're a team that is capable of running."

While the Jazz scored a lot Saturday, defense drives their success. They are limiting opponents to 89.1 points per game this month.

"It starts with defense," said Jefferson, who is averaging a team-high 18.8 points on the season and has three blocks in each of his last two games. "When you get turnovers, turnovers lead to fast breaks and to easy baskets and that gets our confidence up and opens up everything."

Utah's defense could be in for a challenge Sunday. Denver has scored at least 103 points in each of the last 10 games in this series.

**StarDust Bum** · 01-15-2012, 09:57 AM

No. 7 Indiana visits No. 5 Ohio State Sunday

INDIANA HOOSIERS (15-2, 3-2 Big Ten)

at OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (15-3, 3-2 Big Ten)

Tip-Off: Sunday, 4:30 p.m. EDT
Line: Ohio State -12.5, Total: 142.5

Two of the nation’s top-10 teams look to bounce back from disappointing losses earlier this week when No. 5 Ohio State hosts No. 7 Indiana on Sunday afternoon.

The Buckeyes are also eager to avenge their 74-70 loss to Indiana on New Year’s Eve, and they have been crushing teams at home this year, going 13-0 (6-2 ATS) and outscoring them by 21.6 PPG. They won by 31 points versus Nebraska and destroyed Northwestern (who just beat Michigan State) by 33 points in their two Big Ten home games this season. Jared Sullinger finally looks healthy, averaging 22.7 PPG on 64% FG in three games in the 2012 calendar year. OSU lost to Indiana largely due to 17 turnovers, but that won’t happen again at home. The Buckeyes are adept at taking the basketball away (18.2 TO per game, 12th in nation) and boast the 12th-best scoring defense in the nation (56.2 PPG). Expect OHIO STATE to win and cover the lofty spread.

This highly-rated FoxSheets trend also favors the Buckeyes:

OHIO STATE is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in home games versus good 3 point shooting teams - making >=37% of their attempts over the last 2 seasons. The average score was OHIO STATE 84.6, OPPONENT 57.7 - (Rating = 2*).

Big Ten opponents are scoring at will on Indiana, putting up 76.0 PPG on 48.4% FG. The Hoosiers allowed a subpar Minnesota offense (that had scored 61.3 PPG in its three previous games) to score 77 points on them Thursday. Indiana is also struggling on the glass, ranking 165th in the nation in rebounding (35.2 RPG). But offensively, Indiana has been among the country’s most efficient schools, scoring 81.9 PPG (9th in Division I) on 50.1% shooting (5th in nation). Freshman Cody Zeller leads the team in scoring (14.7 PPG), shooting (65% FG) and rebounding (6.5 RPG), but four others average double-figures in points. Christian Watford (12.9 PPG) is 6-foot-9, but shoots much better from three-point range (49%) than from inside the arc (42%). Jordan Hulls (12.4 PPG) is money from downtown, making 40-of-72 threes this year (56%). Victor Oladipo (11.3 PPG) has been off the mark from behind the arc (24% 3-pt FG), but has a team-best 1.8 steals per game. Will Sheehey is averaging 10.8 PPG despite playing just 19.6 minutes per game coming off the bench. Sheehey didn’t play against OSU on Dec. 31, as Indiana’s starting five (Zeller, Watford, Hulls, Oladipo and Verdell Jones III) scored 70 of the 74 points that night, led by 17 from Hulls.

OSU didn’t play well on the defensive end in Tuesday’s 79-74 loss at Illinois, allowing Brandon Paul to score 43 points and not blocking any of the Illini’s 45 field goal attempts. Sullinger only took five shots against Indiana, but got to the line 13 times and finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. The team’s other two double-figure scorers were much less productive though. William Buford (15.4 PPG) had eight points and Deshaun Thomas (15.3 PPG) had just five points. All three of these players finished the game with four fouls. But the biggest disappointment in the Indiana loss was point guard Aaron Craft who committed six turnovers and had just four assists. That was very uncharacteristic for the heady floor general who has 93 assists and just 39 turnovers this season (2.4 A/TO ratio). Craft also averages 2.5 steals per game, which is tied for 12th in the nation.

**StarDust Bum** · 01-15-2012, 10:20 AM

Sunday’s betting tips: Can Texans run on Ravens?

Who’s hot

NFL: The Giants are 5-1 ATS in their last six overall and 6-1 ATS in their last seven playoff games.

NFL: The Texans are 4-1 ATS in their last five road games and 5-1-2 ATS in their last eight against the AFC.

NBA: The Suns are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 meetings against the Spurs.

NBA: The over is 4-1 in the Warriors' last five overall.

NHL: The Rangers are 5-1 in their last six road games and the under 6-0-2 in their last eight overall.

NCAAB: The over is 5-0 in Georgia Tech's last five overall.

NCAAB: Creighton is 13-3 ATS in its last 16 home games.

Who’s not

NFL: The under is 2-8 in the Packers' last 10 overall and 1-6 in their last seven against the NFC.

NFL: The home team is 1-4 ATS in the last five meetings between the Texans and Ravens.

NBA: The Pistons are 1-6 ATS in their last seven overall and 2-8 ATS in their last 10 against the Western Conference.

NBA: The over is 1-4 in the Jazz's last five overall and 2-8 in their last 10 road games.

NHL: The Lightning are 0-6 in their last six overall.

NCAAB: Georgetown is 0-4 ATS in its last four overall and 1-10 ATS in its last 11 against the Big East.

NCAAB: Indiana is 1-4 ATS in its last five overall and 1-10 ATS in its last 11 against the Big Ten.

Key stat

2 – NFL regular-season ranking for both Houston's rushing offense and Baltimore's rushing defense. It will be strength vs. strength in this AFC divisional playoff showdown. The Texans, behind star running back Arian Foster, averaged 153.0 yards per game. The Ravens, led by linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs, allowed just 92.6 yards per contest on the ground.

Injuries that shouldn’t be overlooked

The San Antonio Spurs, of course, are still without Manu Ginobili heading into Sunday's home game against Phoenix. At the same time, though, the Suns are also far from 100 percent. Both Steve Nash and Grant Hill missed Friday night's home loss to the Nets. Nash has a contusion and Hill is dealing with a tendon strain. If Nash and Hill cannot go on Sunday, they will again be replaced by Ronnie Price and Shannon Brown, respectively.

Biggest games on the slate

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens (-9, 36)

New York Giants at Green Bay Packers (-8, 52.5)

Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio State Buckeyes (-12.5, 142.5)

Notable quotable

"We just have to gang tackle him. He's a big physical back. He's a guy that if he's going, going, and has his engine running, he's talking and talking it up. But if it's not going to well for him, you don't really have to worry about that from him because he's not going to say much." – Green Bay Packers' defensive tackle Howard Green on New York Giants' running back Brandon Jacobs.

Tips and notes

The Golden State Warriors will again be without Stephen Curry when they visit Detroit on Sunday. Curry is out indefinitely with an ankle sprain, and the Warriors are not going to rush him back based on how often the ankle problems have popped up. The former Davidson star is averaging 15.2 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds so it is a big loss for Golden State. The Warriors, who will be playing on no day's rest, have lost six of their last seven (their only win was in overtime over Miami), four of which came without Curry.

Sophomore guard Terrell Stoglin has been on fire for the Maryland Terrapins this season. After averaging 11.4 points as a freshman, he is pouring in 21.3 points per contest this year. Stoglin has scored at least 20 points in nine of his last 11 games, including 31 in a home win over Notre Dame and 25 in a road loss at N.C. State last weekend. The Terrapins are hosting Georgia Tech on Sunday.

What's the deal with Alex Ovechkin? As of Friday night he is tied for 45th in the NHL in points with 34 points. That's right; 45th. He has just 18 goals and 16 assists, which is decent by normal standards (it's second best on the Capitals) but not by Ovechkin's. He went three straight games without recording a single point but then ended that skid on Saturday with a goal that opened a 4-3 win over Tampa Bay. Washington hopes that will get its star going as it heads into a Sunday home date with Carolina.

**StarDust Bum** · 01-15-2012, 10:36 AM

NCAAB

Sunday, January 15

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Georgetown - 12:00 PM ET Georgetown -5.5 500
St. John's - Over 130.5 500

Marist - 2:00 PM ET Marist +7.5 500
Niagara - Over 153.5 500

Northern Iowa - 2:00 PM ET Northern Iowa -9 500
Bradley - Under 137 500

Youngstown St. - 2:00 PM ET Youngstown St. +8 500
Butler - Under 129 500

St. Peter's - 2:00 PM ET Canisius -2.5 500
Canisius - Under 127.5 500

Cleveland St. - 2:35 PM ET Valparaiso +1 500
Valparaiso - Over 136.5 500

Western Kentucky - 3:00 PM ET Denver -16 500
Denver - Under 124.5 500

Evansville - 3:05 PM ET Evansville +10 500
Missouri St. - Over 139.5 500

Loyola-Maryland - 3:30 PM ET Loyola-Maryland +12 500
Iona - Over 153.5 500

Minnesota - 4:00 PM ET Penn St. +1.5 500
Penn St. - Under 126 500

Georgia Tech - 4:00 PM ET Maryland -2 500
Maryland - Over 134.5 500

Indiana - 4:30 PM ET Ohio St. -12.5 500
Ohio St. - Over 142.5 500

Duke - 6:00 PM ET Clemson +7 500
Clemson - Under 134.5 500

Nebraska - 6:00 PM ET Wisconsin -15.5 500
Wisconsin - Under 104 500

Washington St. - 7:00 PM ET Washington -8.5 500
Washington - Over 152.5 500

Southern Illinois - 7:05 PM ET Creighton -15.5 500
Creighton - Over 151 500

Wichita St. - 8:00 PM ET Wichita St. -7.5 500
Indiana St. - Over 130.5 500

Illinois St. - 8:05 PM ET Drake -1.5 500
Drake - Over 136.5 500

UCLA - 9:00 PM ET Southern California +1.5 500
Southern California - Under 109 500

**StarDust Bum** · 01-15-2012, 11:03 AM

NBA

Sunday, January 15

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Golden State - 6:00 PM ET Detroit -5 500
Detroit - Under 186 500

Utah - 8:00 PM ET Denver -10 500
Denver - Under 204 500

Phoenix - 9:00 PM ET San Antonio -7.5 500
San Antonio - Under 197 500

-----------------------------------------------------------

NHL

Sunday, January 15

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Pittsburgh - 1:00 PM ET Pittsburgh -125 500
Tampa Bay - Over 5.5 500

Carolina - 5:00 PM ET Carolina -125 500
Washington - Under 5.5 500

NY Rangers - 7:00 PM ET NY Rangers -125 500
Montreal - Over 5 500

San Jose - 7:00 PM ET San Jose +115 500
Chicago - Over 5.5 500

Los Angeles - 8:00 PM ET Los Angeles -123 500
Edmonton - Under 5 500

Anaheim - 9:00 PM ET Anaheim +197 500
Vancouver - Over 5.5 500

**Kaptain** · 01-15-2012, 12:34 PM

get em BUM....go straight to that ass.....no mercy....take no prisoners.......gl podna

Announcement

The Bum's Sunday's Best Bets NCAAB - NBA - NHL !

The Bum's Sunday's Best Bets NCAAB - NBA - NHL !

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