Saturday's Trends and Indexes - 12/8 (NBA, NCAAB, Misc.)

[Udog]

NBA
Short Sheet

Saturday, December 8

Phoenix at LA Clippers, 3:35 ET
Phoenix: 14-4 Under off a SU loss as a home favorite
LA Clippers: 14-2 ATS with a total of 200+ points

Golden State at Washington, 7:05 ET
Golden State: 17-6 ATS playing without rest
Washington: 23-43 ATS off an ATS win

San Antonio at Charlotte, 7:05 ET
San Antonio: 13-3 ATS off a division game
Charlotte: 1-9 ATS at home off a road loss by 10+ points

New Orleans at Miami, 7:35 ET NBATV
New Orleans: 30-15 ATS after playing BB games as an underdog
Miami: 7-20 ATS at home off a SU loss by 10+ points as a home favorite

Philadelphia at Boston, 7:35 ET
Philadelphia: 17-5 ATS in December
Boston: 14-29 ATS playing without rest

Detroit at Cleveland, 7:35 ET
Detroit: 29-12 ATS off a combined score of 205+ points
Cleveland: 10-23 ATS with a line of +3 to -3

Atlanta at Memphis, 8:05 ET
Atlanta: 19-36 ATS off BB wins
Memphis: 9-1 ATS off BB wins

New York at Chicago, 8:05 ET
New York: 16-3 ATS away off 5+ games scoring 100+ points
Chicago: 1-9 ATS in home games

Dallas at Houston, 8:05 ET
Dallas: 32-14 ATS as a road underdog of 6 points or less
Houston: 6-17 ATS after winning 4 or 5 of their last 6 games

Sacramento at Portland, 10:05 ET NBATV
Sacramento: 15-34 ATS in the first half of the season
Portland: 35-20 Over after playing as a home underdog

[Udog]

NCAAB

Saturday, December 8

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NCAAB game of the day: Illinois at Gonzaga
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Illinois at Gonzaga (-12)

Illinois stands at 9-0 for the second straight year while outscoring its opponents by an average of 15.3 points, but the 14th-ranked Illini haven’t faced anyone like Gonzaga. Off to the best start in their Division I history, the 10th-ranked Bulldogs improved to 9-0 on Wednesday after Kevin Pangos scored with two seconds left to beat Washington State, 71-69. Illinois is coming off an unimpressive 72-64 win over Western Carolina on Tuesday, when the Illini were outrebounded 41-34. They’ll need a better effort against a Gonzaga team that boasts a rebounding margin of plus-12.7 while shooting a sizzling 53.1 percent. The Bulldogs are 53-5 in non-conference games at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT ILLINOIS (9-0): The backcourt of Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson is being mentioned as one of the best in the country, and for good reason. Paul is averaging 17.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists while shooting 46 percent, and Richardson is averaging 12.3 points with a team-high 16 steals. The Illini have three seniors in their starting lineup, so they don’t figure to be rattled by a capacity crowd at Gonzaga. However, they’ll need to improve their post defense against the Bulldogs' stellar frontline. The Illini have used the same starting lineup all season, with 6-11 sophomore Nnanna Egwu averaging six points and 4.2 rebounds at center.

ABOUT GONZAGA (9-0): Opponents are shooting just 37.5 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from beyond the arc against the Bulldogs, who feature a deep lineup with 10 players averaging at least 11 minutes. Senior forward Elias Harris leads the team in scoring (16.8) and rebounding (8.1), and 7-foot forward Kelly Olynyk is averaging 13.8 points and seven boards. Olynyk came off the bench to score all of his 22 points in the second half against Washington State. Pangos hit the game-winner against the Cougars, but was only 2-for-12 from the field. The senior point guard is averaging 10.6 points and 3.9 assists.

TRENDS:

* Fighting Illini are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Bulldogs are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 home games.
* Fighting Illini are 1-9 ATS in their last 10 road games.
* Fighting Illini are 0-5 ATS in their last five Saturday games.

TIP-INS:

1. John Groce is the first coach to start his Illinois career 9-0 in over 100 years.

2. Gonzaga 7-1 freshman C Przemek Karnowski is averaging 9.3 points and 3.8 rebounds off the bench.

3. Illinois is making an astounding 10.8 3-point field goals per game.

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