The set-up: The 14-10 Marquette Golden Eagles have lost six of their last nine games and visit Carnesecca Arena in Queens at just 5-7 in Big East play. The host St. John's Red Storm are looking to get back to .500 with a win, as they are 12-13 overall and a pathetic 1-11 in the Big East. However, that lone conference win came just this past Wednesday when the Red Storm shocked No. 1 Villanova 79-75, as a 16 1/2-point dog. That major upset came just four days after the Red Storm upset then-No. 4 Duke (at plus-10.5) last Saturday, 81-77. As Vince Lombardi famously once said, "What the hell is going on out there?"

Marquette: The Golden Eagles are a high-scoring squad averaging 81.9 PPG (33rd) on 47.2 percent shooting (56th) but the team allows 77.8 PPG (302nd) on 47.5% shooting (317th). A trio of guards are the core of Marquette's team, Markus Howard (22.0), Andrew Rowsey (18.8 & 4.2 APG) and Sam Hauser (14.1 & 5.9). Marquette had dropped four in a row before knocking off Seton Hall 88-85 on the road this past Wednesday. The Pirates will play four of their remaining six regular-season games on the road. "We have a group that really wants to win," Marquette head coach Steve Wojciechowski told reporters. "What we're trying to learn and develop is doing what it takes to win. And that's all of us together. I thought (against Seton Hall) we did the things that it took to win a game against an outstanding team on their home floor."

St. John's: There are not many schools in the nation who are 1-11 in conference play and have as much talent as the Red Storm. Before back-to-back major upsets of Duke and Villanova, the Red Storm took now-No. 5 Xavier right to the wire in a 73-68 loss. After that game, Xavier head coach Chris Mack told reporters. "That might be the best 0-11 team I've ever seen anywhere in a conference. Period." As noted, St. John's had dropped 11 straight games to open Big East play before stepping out of conference last Saturday and stunning Duke. The Red Storm then proved that was no fluke four days later, when they came back into conference play with a trip to No. 1 Villanova and came away with a second straight four-point win. St John's doesn't score like Marquette (72.9 PPG) but also allows a six-plus PPG fewer (71.3 per). Despite losing guard LoVett (14.9) after just seven games, the Red Storm still own a perimeter group to match up with the Golden Eagles. The trio of Ponds (20.5-5.2-4.7), Simon (11.2-7.3-5.0) and Ahmed (11.8 & 4.6) is quite formidable. Just ask Duke and 'Nova.

The pick: St. John's is better than its record but off wins over Duke and Villanova, I just can't play them here. After all, before winning last Saturday against Duke in Madison Square Garden (considered a home game for the Red Storm), St John's had lost six consecutive home contests. Make Marquette an 8* play.

The set-up: The Boston Celtics held onto the top spot in the Eastern Conference with an overtime win in Washington on Thursday and return home tonight to begin a three-game homestand leading up to the All-Star break.The 40-16 Celtics lead the Raptors by only one game but while they lead the Cavs by 7 1/2, almost all agree that the moves Cleveland made on Thursday will rejuvenate LBJ and make the Cavs a feared opponent for either Boston or Toronto. The first team up for Boston in its three-game hoemstand will be the 30-25 Indiana Pacers, who lost 111-102 to the Wizards at home on Monday and then they were given some extra rest when Wednesday's visit to New Orleans resulted in a postponement due to a leaky roof at the Smoothie King Center.

Indiana: Due to the postponement and the upcoming All-Star break, Indiana will play a total of just four games in 17 days. The Pacers chose to sit out Thursday's trade deadline and will move forward built around All-Star guard Victor Oladipo (24.0-5.2-4.1), who missed Monday's loss to Washington due to an illness. Bojan Bogdanovich (13.6) did his best to fill the void with a season-high 29 points while making five three-pointers, and backup Joe Young (3.7) matched him from beyond the arc en route to 17 points, his second-best output this season. Indiana remains without starting point PG Darren Collison (12.8 & 5.3 APG) , who is suffering with a knee injury.

Boston: Kyrie Irving made three free throws in the closing seconds of regulation to force OT and then scored seven points in the extra session to help Boston maintain a one-game lead over Toronto in the East with Thursday's OT triumph against the Wizards. Irving (24.8 & 5.0 APG) finished with 28 points and Jaylen Brown (14.2 & 5.4) added 16 for the Celtics, who swept a 3-0 homestand last week and have won five of their last six overall. Boston also stood pat at the deadline but it was able to introduce one of its recent additions in center Greg Monroe, who had five points and six rebounds in 20 minutes at Washington in his team debut.

The pick: While the Pacers should be fresh (they haven't played since Monday and were relaxing in their Boston hotel Thursday night), the Celtics started their game in Washington at 8 p.m. for national television and then had to go to overtime. The Celtics defeated the Pacers 108-98 without Oladipo in November and then won 112-111 in a December rematch when Terry Rozier stole an ill-advised pass from Bogdanovic and went in for a go-ahead dunk with 1.5 seconds left.Both games were in Indiana and Boston will take a five-game winning streak in the series into tonight's game. I don't want to buck the Celtics here but the dynamics of a well-rested Indiana team and a Boston team being a little tired, points to a higher scoring game than anticipated by the over/under line. Make the Over a 10* play..

The set-up: The 26-23-6 NY Islanders squandered a chance to climb into playoff position their last time out. New York erased a three-goal deficit in Buffalo on Thursday but allowed a tally with 4:14 left in the third period and dropped a 4-3 decision. With 58 points, the Islanders lose a tie-breaker with the Blue Jackets for the final playoff spot in teh East and are just one point up on the Hurricanes, who sit in 10th-place. New York will host the 21-23-8 Detroit Red Wings, who have a modest 50 points and are staring at a second straight season of missing teh playoffs after qualifying for 25 straight postseasons. The Red Wings are coming off back-to-back 3-2 losses, falling at Florida on Saturday before being edged at home by Boston on Tuesday.

Detroit: The Red Wings have scored more than two goals only three times in their last 12 games, going 4-7-1. Center Dylan Larkin notched an assist Tuesday to end his five-game drought and increase his team-leading total to 39. Darren Helm was held without a point by Boston, after collecting a goal and four assists over his previous two contests. Frans Nielsen, who spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Islanders, scored just his second goal in 14 games on Tuesday. The Red Wings are nearing must-win territory if they hope to return to the playoffs, as they enter Friday eight points behind the Islanders and Blue Jackets. I think there's a huge urgency (to) the games we have coming -- the games we have ahead of us will make the latter games matter," Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters after practice Thursday. "It's a critical junction."

NY Islanders: New York's loss to the Eastern Conference-worst Sabres cost them a chance to gain sole possession of the second wild card, so instead, the Islanders enter Friday tied with the Blue Jackets, who have two games in hand. The team is dealing with a plethora of injuries on the blue line, Dennis Seidenberg found himself in the lineup Thursday for just the fourth time since Jan. 5 and 21st overall this season. Captain John Tavares (28 goals / 32 assists) has tallied in back-to-back contests and is riding a three-game point streak, leaving him three shy of 600 for his career.

The pick: This is a game between one of the lowest-scoring teams (Detroit's 2.54 GPG ranks 28th) and one of the highest-scoring ones (Isles average 3.29 GPG to rank 3rd). With the Red Wings in a 12-game scoring drought (see above), the best play here is the total. Make the Under a 10* selection.

The set-up: The Princeton Tigers have won six of their last nine games to inch over .500 at 11-10 on the season. Princeton will visit Harvard on Friday night, which would need a win over the Tigers to level its record at .500, as the the Crimson are 10-11, after winning four of their last five. However, while Princeton is 3-3 in Ivy League play, Harvard is 5-1, one game back of 6-0 Penn.

Princeton: The Tigers have a guard trio leading the way in both scoring and rebounding. Devin Cannady is averaging 18 points and 5.1 rebounds, Myles Stephens is averaging 14.5 & 6.1 and Amir Bell checks in at 10.5 & 5.4. Princeton averages 73.3 PPG and allows about the same at 70.3.

Harvard: The Crimson also have a trio of double digit scorers, all of whom are sophomores. Bryce Aiken(14.1) is thetetam's top backcourt player but the other two top performers play in the frontcourt. The 6-7 Towns (15.6 & 5.2) is the team's leading scorer and the 6-9 Lewis (11.7 & 5.3) barely edges Towns as the top rebounder. Harvard scores less than Princeton at 65.6 PPG but also allows fewer points at 67.2.

The pick: Some (most?) view Princeton as the better team but as Bill Parcells once said, "You are who your record says you are." Harvard is 5-1 in Ivy play and Princeton just 3-3. At this near pick-em price on Harvrad's home floor (the Lavietes Pavilion), I'll make Harvard the 10* play.

The set-up: The Portland Trail Blazers went 0-3 on a recent three-game road trip that featured stops in Toronto, Boston and Detroit. The Blazers now limp home to the Moda Center at 29-25, tied with the Nuggets' for the West's No. 6 seed (note: both teams are just one game ahead of the Clippers, who are currently the 9th-seed and outside of the playoff cut line). Portland will play three of its next four at home, beginning with tonight's game against Eastern Conference foe, the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets will look to bounce back after watching a three-game winning streak come to an end with a 121-104 setback in Denver on Monday. Charlotte is 23-30 on the season, leaving them four games back of the East's No. 8 seed (76ers).

Charlotte: The Hornets allowed the Nuggets to shoot 56.8 percent from the floor and drain make 18 three-pointers on Monday. PG Kemba Walker () again leads the team in scoring and overall, Charlotte does a nice job offensively on the perimeter. Shooting guards Lamb (13.6 & 4.5) and Batum (12.2-4.5-4.7) have lately seen second-year shooting guard Treveon Graham (5.2) emerge as a scoring option, while earning extra playing time over the last four games. Graham scored in double figures in three of the last four contests, matching his total of double-digit scoring outbursts from his first 36 games. Center Dwight Howard (16.0 & 12.6) averages a double-double but once again the question looms, is he making his latest team any better?

Portland: The Blazers had scored at least 100 points in 17 straight games before missing the mark against Boston and Detroit to close out the trip. CJ McCollum, who scored 50 points on 18-of-25 shooting in the last home game on Jan. 31, slumped to 14 points on 6-of-15 in Monday's setback while All-Star point guard Damian Lillard went 6-of-21 from three-point range on the trip. Portland can't afford its guard duo to play like that, as Lillard (25.1-4.7-6.6) and McCollum (21.8-3.9-3.2) are the 'heart' of this team. Only center Nurkic (14.2 & 8.2) can be counted on besides that duo to contribute on a regular basis.

The pick: The Blazers have been in trade talks over the past couple of weeks but as of Wednesday hadn't pulled the trigger on any deals. The team's two stars, Lillard and McCollum, have said they hope general manager Neil Olshey will stand pat. We'll see. The good news is that Portland takes the court tonight on an eight-game home winning streak (7-1 ATS) and while the Blazers are only 12-20 against teams that are .500 or better, they are 17-5 against teams without a winning record. The Hornets are a sub-.500 team (23-30), including an 8-16 road record. Lay the points and make Portland a 10* play. 

ANALYSIS COMING

The set-up: The Boston Celtics finish off a quick two-game road trip at the Washington Wizards on Thursday. The first stop on the trip didn't go well, as the Celtics lost 111-91 at Toronto on Tuesday and saw their lead in the Eastern Conference shrink to one game over the Raptors. Kyrie Irving returned from a quad injury to score 17 points in 22 minutes for Boston but the Celtics' 37-point first half did them in. As for the Wizards, they surprisingly won five straight after losing All-Star PG John Wall () to a knee injury, before falling flat in Philadelphia on Tuesday in a 115-102 loss. Bradley Beal scored 30 points in the loss but is averaging 23.4 points (on 50 percent shooting) and 6.2 assists over his last five games.

Boston: The 39-16 Celtics saw Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown combine to shoot 10-of-17 from the floor at Toronto but the team's three other starters , Al Horford, Jayson Tatum and Aron Baynes, scored only a combined 12 points, while connecting on just 6-of-22 shots (27.3%). "We looked slow, we looked like we weren't ready to react to their speed or their physicality," head coach Brad Stevens told reporters. "I think that was probably the case the whole night." Terry Rozier scored 18 points off the bench and is averaging 19.3 over a four-game span.

Washington: The 31-23 Wizards (31-23) have moved into the No. 4 seed position in the East (just a half-game back of the Cavs), due to their recent surge. After the Wizards had 30 assists and eight players scored in double figures against the Raptors, Beal explained the contagious ball movement as "everybody eats." Center Marcin Gortat later tweeted out "Unbelievable win tonight! Great team victory!" Many interpreted those statements as a shot against Wall, charges Beal and Gortat denied. Thursday afternoon's NBA trade deadline is looming with the primary buzz involving Washington centers plus the lingering narrative about the team's improved play without Wall. He is averaging 19.3 points and 9.3 assists and expects to be out six to eight weeks following left knee surgery on Jan. 31.

The pick: These teams had a pretty tough East semifinal last spring that Boston won in seven. Washington is 10-7 without Wall this season but his play helped lead the Wizards to a 111-103 at Boston on Christmas Day, getting a small piece of revenge. Beal scored 25 points, Wall had 21 and 14 assists plus Otto Porter finished with 20 points. However, Boston is an Eastern Conference best 18-8 SU on the road and this time around, they are the ones seeking revenge (from that Christmas Day loss), not to mention looking to "make up" from the team's poor effort in Toronto on Tuesday. Make Boston an 8* play. 

The set;: The city of Philadelphia will honor the Super Bowl champion Eagles Thursday afternoon and tonight, the most recognizable tenants of Broad Street (the Flyers), will hope to keep the party going when they host the Montreal Canadiens. The Flyers snapped a four-game losing streak with Tuesday's 2-1 overtime victory at Carolina and at 25-19-9, the team's points moved them into the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.Montreal comes in off resounding victories over Anaheim and Ottawa over the weekend, answering a dismal 2-5-2 stretch by going 5-for-10 on the power play in wins of and, respectively.

Montreal: "Our power play got better because we stuck with it," Canadiens head coach Claude Julien told the Montreal Gazette. “All the pain that we went through earlier on is starting to pay off." Shea Weber skated before Wednesday's practice, marking the first time he's done so since Dec. 16 as he nurses a right foot injury. "It's good to get him back on the ice. It's been quite a while. It's good to know he's getting better," fellow defenseman Victor Mete said of the 32-year-old, who has 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 26 games and is averaging 25:20 of ice time. The 22-25-6 Canadiens (just 50 points) have struggled since losing top defenseman Shea Weber to a foot injury. They have gone 7-10-2 in 19 games without Weber, dropping out of playoff contention. Goalie Carey Price certainly has missed Weber, especially on the road as the former Hart and Vezina Trophy winner sports a 4-12-0 mark with a 3.23 goals-against average in 16 encounters outside of the Bell Centre this season.

Philadelphia: Jakub Voracek extended his assist and point streak to six games by setting up Wayne Simmonds' goal in the second period on Tuesday, giving him two goals and seven assists in that stretch. He leads the NHL with 52 assists. The 25-19-9 Flyers (59 points) keep toggling in and out of playoff position. The return of goaltender Brian Elliott should help their chances of climbing the Eastern Conference standings. Elliott made 27 saves on Tuesday in his return from a four-game absence due to an undisclosed injury and boasts a 6-3-1 career mark with two shutouts against Montreal.

The pick: I've already noted Price's poor road (see above) and the entire team checks in at 8-15-1 on the road, allowing 3.33 GPG. It's a big day for The City of Brotherly Love and after that Super Bowl parade for the Eagles, I don't expect the Flyers to "rain on the parade." make Philly an 8* play.

The set-up: Nevada joined the MWC for the 2012-13 season, meaning the in-state rivalry between the Wolf Pack and Runnin' Rebels only intensified. When it comes to bragging rights for the state of Nevada, there's no love lost between UNLV (located in Las Vegas) and Nevada (located in Reno), although the schools are 430 miles apart. Nevada moved back into the AP top-25 rankings this week at No. 23, thanks in part to a 9-1 record in Mountain West play, the school's best conference start since joining the league. As for UNLV, the Runnin' Rebels have rebounded from a 11-21 record in head coach Marvin Menzies' first season at the helm and will enter this contest at 16-7. However, the school took advantage of a weak non-conference schedule to go 11-2. UNLV is just 5-5 in MWC play.

UNLV: The Runnin' Rebels are off a 93-91 overtime loss at second-place Boise State on Saturday night. Brandon McCoy is a 7-1 center who was selected the conference preseason freshman of the year. He's lived up to expectations by averaging 18.0 & 10.0 with 12 double-doubles. He's one of four double digit scorers, the others being guards Johnson (14.6 & 5.9 APG) and Mooring (13.5) plus the 6-7 Juiston (14.6 & 9.7), who was last year's national junior college player of the year.

Nevada: The Wolf Pack are just a 104-103 double-overtime loss at Wyoming from being undefeated in Mountain West play. They are led in scoring by 6-7 junior forward Caleb Martin (19.8 & 5.3), a transfer from North Carolina State who is shooting 46.9 percent from three-point range and is coming off a 26-point, seven-rebound outing in a 76-67 victory at Colorado State. Jordan Caroline is a 6-7 guard who is the reigning Mountain West Tournament MVP. He is second in scoring (16.7) and leads the team in rebounding (8.8). Cody Martin, twin brother of Caleb and also a N.C. State transfer, is averaging 13.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, while senior guard Kendall Stephens (12.6 points), a transfer from Purdue, also is averaging double digits.

The pick: UNLV used to dominate the series between the two Silver State schools and hold a 59-25 series advantage but Nevada is 3-1 since Eric Musselman took over as head coach and handed UNLV a pair of lopsided beatdowns last season, winning 104-77 at Lawlor Events Center and 94-58 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Both schools feature very different roster from last year but the intensity remains. last yera's whe win in Reno featured the Wolf Pack unveiling new "Battle Born" jerseys, pre-game introductions by famed boxing ring announcer Michael "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" Buffer and Nevada players walking through a record crowd of 11,841 to enter the court before delivering the impressive 27-point knockout. I expect UNLV to remember and note that Nevada has lost the last three times after entering the national poll. However, all three of those games were on the road, not here at home where the Wolf Pack are 40-4 under Musselman, including 29-1 in their last 30 home contests. Not sure I want to buck Nevada but a low scoring game should be expected. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The Los Angeles Kings never expected they'd have goaltender controversy this season but former Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Quick has lost seven of his last eight starts. He has been especially porous in his past two. He was pulled after allowing five goals on 19 shots in a 6-2 loss against the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 23 and when he returned in goal last Thursday, he allowed five more goals in a 5-0 loss at the Nashville Predators. The 29-18-5 Kings welcome the disappointing 23-24-4 Edmonton Oilers to Staples Center tonight, who are coming a 6-2 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday.

Edmonton: The Oilers have been a huge disappointment this season, as after last season's points, they currntly have just 50 points, leaving them 13 points behind the final wild card team in the West (the Wild have 63 points). However, the Oilers are coming off their best seven-game stretch of the season (5-1-1), which includes wins over the Golden Knights and Lightning , who each lead their respective conferences. They've been led by reigning Hart Trophy winner, Connor McDavid, who has scored a career-high four goals and has six goals and an assist in his last two games. Ryan Strome set up a pair of goals in the first period against the Lightning to give him five assists in his past three games. Cam Talbot benefited from the increase in offense and turned aside 32 shots on Monday to improve his save percentage to .917 over his past five games (4-1-0).

Los Angeles: It's been all downhill for Quick since a 5-0 shutout against the Oilers back on Jan. 2 in Edmonton. Backup Darcy Kuemper has stepped in, posting back-to-back shutouts last week against the Dallas Stars and Arizona Coyotes, and the career backup hasn't allowed a goal in his past 170 minutes, 30 seconds. "Darcy is seeing the puck right now. The puck's hitting him," Stevens said after the 6-0 victory against the Coyotes on Saturday. "He's probably played as well as he's ever played, and he's really come in and played sound for us. With a couple days in between, you don't often get that. We'll enjoy the win, but there's no question we're going to need both our goalies to win hockey games as we move along here." Captain Anze Kopitar increased his point total to 15 (three goals, 12 assists) in his last 13 games after scoring and setting up a goal against Arizona. He has reached the 20-goal plateau (20 goals and 55 points) for the ninth time in his career and ignited a three-goal surge during a lengthy power-play opportunity to propel Los Angeles in its rout of Edmonton in the first encounter.

The pick: The matchup in goal is expected to be Ward and Quick. I'm ready to call it a shootout but I do want to make the Over a 10* play.

analysis soon

The set-up: The No. 2 ranked Virginia Cavaliers are a perfect 11-0 in ACC play and have won 14 in a row overall to reach 22-1, thanks to beating teams by an average of 16.4 PPG. Meanwhile, 17-6 Florida State is stuck in the middle of the ACC pack with a 6-5 mark heading into the final weeks of the regular season. Florida State welcomes the 2nd-ranked Cavs to the Donald L. Tucker Center looking to make a bold statement with a marquee victory. Virginia's defense was "on its game in winning 59-44 at Syracuse on Saturday and FSU comes into this matchup with some confidence of its own, after an 80-76 victory at Louisville avenged a Jan. 10 loss to the Cardinals that halted the Seminoles' 28-game home winning streak.

Virginia: The Cavaliers are allowing just 52.3 PPG, fewest in the nation and the second-best mark in in school history. They have held 11 opponents to fewer than 50 points. Virginia's slow, deliberate style creates turnovers as the Cavs leas the nation with 9.2 takeaways per game and six opponents have committed more giveaways than successful baskets. Defense has the key, so the Cavaliers haven't needed an explosive offense. UVa averages a modest 68.7 PPG, with guards Guy (15.5) and Hall (12.1 & 4.2) being the team's lone double digit scorers. The team uses an eight-man rotation and the biggest contributors among the other six have been guard Jerome (9.6) and the 6-7 Wilkins (6.0 & 6.7).

Florida State: The Seminoles are the anti-Cavaliers, as they like to push the ball up the court with a fast-break offense (84.7 PPG ranks ) led by guard Terance Mann, the team's leading scorer (15.5). Fellow guard Angola checks in at 14.1 & 4.4 and the 6-8 Cofer has come into his own this season, averaging 13.4 & 5.5. Five other players contribute between 6.1 and 9.3 PPG, including the 7-4 Koumadje (8.9 & 5.5)

The pick: The Cavs have to "slip up" sometime and somewhere, right? I realize that no team has scored more than 68 points against the Cavaliers this season but the Seminoles are 10-1 at home where they have averaged 91.2 PPG. One of these days, the Cavs lack of offense ( (ranks 290th in scoring) will come back to 'bite' them. How about right here, where the Seminoles have won 32 of their last 33 games? Make FSU a 10* play.

The set-up: Veteran center Joe Thornton (13 goals & 36 points) went down with a knee injury back Jan. 23 for the San Jose Sharks. San Jose lost its first three games without Thornton but has responded with 3-1 victories over Columbus and Carolina to move into second place (28-16-8) in the Pacific Division, 10 points behind Vegas. The Sharks will cap a five-game road trip Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche (28-19-4), who now sit just one point out of wild-card position in the Western Conference. This coming on the heels of the Avs finishing with an NHL-low 22 wins and 48 points last season. Colorado is returning home after going 2-3-1 on a pair of three-game road trips sandwiched around the All-Star break.

San Jose: Defending Norris Trophy winner Brent Burns (nine goals & a team-high 44 points) has three goals and 16 assists in his last 16 games and will be counted on even more with Thornton out of the lineup. Burns, who had a goal and an assist Sunday versus Carolina, is a team-worst minus-21, which coach Peter DeBoer told reporters "he could care less about.'' Fellow defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (nine goals & 21 points) has scored four goals in his last nine games and is averaging 22 minutes, 42 seconds of ice time. Logan Couture took a puck to the face Friday night and it looked like San Jose would be down another key forward. However, for the Sharks, Couture returned for the end of the 3-1 win at Columbus and seems to have avoided a major injury. He was also on the ice for San Jose's 3-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday and enters as the team's top goal-scorer with 22 (39 points).

Colorado: The Avalanche welcomed the return of No. 1 goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who made 29 saves in Saturday's 3-0 loss at Winnipeg, after missing 11 contests with a groin injury. "I thought (Varlamov) played great," Colorado coach Jared Bednar told reporters. "It was great to see him back in the net and he was our best player (Saturday). The Avs should fell confident as they return to the Pepsi Center where they have won eight in a row, giving them an 18-7-1 home record. Alexander Kerfoot (12 goals, 32 points) has taken MacKinnon's place on the top line but the rookie hasn't recorded a point since his promotion. Mikko Rantanen (17 goals, 50 points) has also been quiet while Gabriel Landeskog (19 goals, 40 points) had two assists in Thursday's 4-3 overtime victory in Edmonton.

The pick: Home may be where the heart is for Colorado but the team is in the midst of 13 of 16 games away from home. Tuesday's game is a quick stop before a three-game swing through St. Louis, Carolina and Buffalo. The return of top goaltender Semyon Varlamov may be good news but after he, played his first game since Jan. 2 on Saturday, he will back up No. 2 goaltender Jonathan Bernier (15-9-2, 2.68 GAA & .917 SP) against San Jose. The Sharks have looked good at the end of this road trip and I expect them to get the better of Colorado in this "rare" home game (see above). Make San Jose a 10* play.

The set-up: The Nebraska Cornhuskers have rebounded nicely this season after winning 13, 16 and 12 games the last three seasons. The Cornhuskers have won six of their last eight and will travel to Williams Arena in Minneapolis at 17-8 (8-4 in Big Ten). Waiting for them are the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who have not been so golden these days in losing eight of their last nine. Minnesota was 8-1 and ranked 14th when it met Nebraska for the first time this season (Cornhuskers won 79-68 in Lincoln) and after a win over Illinois, stood at 13-3. Those days are long gone now, as Minnesota is 14-11, including only 3-9 in the Big Ten.

Nebraska: Three players are averaging in double figures for Nebraska, James Palmer Jr. (17.6 & 4.4), the 6-9 Isaac Copeland (13.2 & 6.4) and Glynn Watson Jr. (11.0 & 3.5). Nebraska's three-game winning streak has come against Big Ten bottom-feeders, most recently an 11-point win against Wisconsin. "You could just see our guys growing in confidence," said coach Tim Miles. The Cornhuskers trailed Wisconsin at halftime, shot just 4-of-19 from three-point range for the game and had two of their starters go scoreless but still rallied for a 74-63 win. James Palmer Jr. registered 28 points and has matched or exceeded that total in three of the last four outings. Isaac Copeland added 17 points and is averaging 21 points over his last three games while committing only one turnover in 100 minutes over that stretch.

Minnesota: The Gophers put in a good effort at Michigan their last time out but it still resulted in a loss. "I'm proud of our guys for their effort," Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino said after the three-point loss in overtime. "To play in front of a sold-out crowd when you're down two of your top six (players), no team in college basketball can sustain that. We're not feeling sorry for ourselves. We're not making excuses. We've got to play as close to perfect as we possibly can in order to win. We were close. We know we can play with anybody if we play the right way."Minnesota's demise began when the 6-10 Reggie Lynch (10.1 & 8.0) was sidelined due to sexual assault investigation. Amir Coffey, the team's third-leading scorer at 14.0 PPG has a shoulder injury and has missed the last two (he's missed seven game sin all, this season). Forward Jason Murphy is having a superb year (17.5 & 11.3) and guard Mason (15.7-3.9-4.3) has been the team's best guard. Freshman guard Isaiah Washington delivered the best performance of his rookie season with 26 points off the bench against Michigan but checks in averaging a modest 7.7 PPG on the season.

The pick: Minnesota is no slouch at home (10-4 SU and averaging 80.7 PPG) but without the shot-blocking Lynch (4.1 per game), the Golden Gophers have lost their last three at home. Without a healthy Coffey as well, this team is VERY vulnerable and looking like an NIT-bound squad. Meanwhile, the Cornhuskers are now on the radar of the NCAA Tourney Selection Committee. The committee doesn't consider ATS records but we sure do and will note that Nebraska is on a highly-profitable 12-1-1 ATS run. Let's not forget that Nebraska handled this team at home when Minnesota had "all hands on deck,' plus it's a bonus that 6-11 center Jordy Tshimanga has recently been reinstated (20 combined points and 12 rebounds over his last two games). Make Nebraska a 10* play.

The set-up: The Memphis decided to sideline PG Mike Conley (17.1 & 4.1 APG) after a game on Jan 13, so he could rest his Achilles. More recently, the team announced Conley would not return this season. Memphis was 7-6 when Conley was sidelined but has gone 11-28 since, leaving them 9 1/2 games out of the West's final playoff spot at 18-34, overall. The Grizzlies will visit Philips Arena Tuesday night to take on the 16-37 Hawks, whose 10-year playoff run will come to an end this season. The Hawks are just trying to stay clear of the East 'basement,' edging the New York Knicks 99-96 on Sunday to earn their second win in four games (the Hawks are a half-game worse than the Magic, leaving them 15th of 15 teams in the East).

Memphis: The Grizzlies are trying to find their way while surrounding center Marc Gasol (18.0 & 18.6) with a plethora of young players. Swingman Tyreke Evans (19.5-5.0-5.0) was picked up for 'a song' and has been Memphis' best player but he's on the trading block and has been absent from the first three games in Memphis' four-game trip pending a potential deal prior to the Thursday deadline.The 6-8 JaMychal Green (10.1 & 7.4) is the only other Memphis player in double digits.

Atlanta: The Hawks surrendered an average of 121 points in losses to Charlotte and Boston before turning things around on the defensive end and limiting the Knicks to 5-of-23 from three-point rang in Sunday's three-point win. That victory was just the Hawks' third road win against the East, snapping an eight-game conference losing streak. PG Dennis Schroder (19.3 & 6.4 APG) is the team's lone "go-to" scorer, although six others are averaging between 10.0 and 13.2 PPG. That group includes 6-10 rookie John Collins (Wake Forest), who is averaging 10.4 & 6.9 in about 22 minutes.

The pick: The Grizzlies are just 5-29 on the road and 3-15 outside of the Western Conference but playing at Philips Arena hasn't been a home court advantage for the Atlanta, as the Hawks are just 11-16 SU. I'll take depth-shy Grizzlies, making Memphis an 8* play. 

The set-up: The Houston Rockets are humming along nicely of late, displaying effective chemistry on both sides of the ball. Houston made a big statement with its 120-88 rout in Cleveland Saturday night against the Cavaliers on ABC. The Rockets made 19 three-pointers (Houston leads the NBA by a wide margin with 43 three-point attempts per game), giving them a fourth straight win and 11 victories over the last 13 games. There will be national TV 'stage' tonight in Brooklyn, when teh Rockets visit Barclays Center for a contest with the 19-35 Nets. Brooklyn lost 109-94 to Milwaukee on Sunday to fall to 1-2 on their four-game homestand, leaving them eight games shy of the playoff 'cut line,' as the trade deadline approaches.

Houston: Harden (31.2-9.0-9.1) can still dominate the conversation for Houston from time to time (see his 60-point triple-double a week ago) but other components are also going well for the Western Conference's second-best team. Houston is 11-2 in its last 13 games (since Jan. 8) and before the Rockets began this run with a 116-107 win at Chicago, Houston had followed up a 14-game winning streak with seven losses in nine games. The Rockets are now 38-13, comfortably in second place in the West and inching closer to Golden State (two games back). Houston is six games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs. Paul (19.2-5.7-8.5) had 22 points and 11 assists and Ryan Anderson (10.2 & 5.4) added 21 points on Saturday as Houston had no issues overcoming an off night for the NBA's leading scorer, James Harden (16 points, going just 1-of-11 from three-point range). Houston ranks second in scoring at 114.0 PPG but another sign of progress in the last few weeks has been on the defensive side. Although the Rockets are in the middle of the pack by allowing 105.7 PPG (16th), they are allowing 101.8 in the last 13 while posting a 102.5 defensive rating in that stretch.

Brooklyn: The Nets have lost six of their last seven after Sunday's loss to the Bucks (see above), while getting held under 100 points in five of their last six outings. Brooklyn has been outrebounded by 18 in back-to-back games, something which may continue here, as the team's leading rebounder is forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (6.5) has missed five games in a row with a groin injury and has already been ruled out for this one. The Nets are the NBA's worst shooting team at 43.6% but rank a middle-of-the-road in points scored, at 104.9 PPG. Defensively, Brooklyn allows 108.7 PPG to rank 24th.

The pick: Houston has won three straight matchups with Brooklyn and the Rockets are looking to sweep the season series for the eighth time in the last 12 seasons. Harden scored 37 points and added 10 rebounds while Paul finished with four points and a season-high 14 assists in a 117-103 win over the Nets at home earlier this season (Nov. 27). Brooklyn has been able to slip inside inflated numbers vs. Houston since last season, including a 14-point loss (as a 17 ½-point dog) on Nov. 27 at Toyota Center. The Nets could just 'hang around' in this home dog role and with both teams trending “under” lately, I look for a higher scoring game than the total indicates. Note that in Houston's three-game winning streak over Brooklyn, the Rockets have scored 117 points (TY), plus 122 and 137 points in two meetings LY. Make the Over a 10* play!

The set-up: The Washington Capitals have allowed 11 goals in consecutive losses to Pittsburgh and Vegas, marking the first time they has dropped two straight in regulation since Nov. 14-16. After failing to earn a point in back-to-back games for the first time since mid-November, the the 30-17-5 Capitals, whose 65 points have them atop the Metropolitan Division, look to get back on track when they visit the 27-21-4 Columbus Blue Jackets, in the front end of a home-and-home series. The Capitals have only two wins in their last seven games (2-3-2), while the Blue Jackets suffered a 4-3 setback at the New York Islanders on Saturday and enter tonight's contest on a three-game slide giving them a poor 2-5-1 mark over their last eight games.

Washington: "We’re just giving up too (many) good chances right now,” defenseman Matt Niskanen said after the Capitals allowed two goals in the final 11 minutes in Sunday's 4-3 home loss to the Golden Knights. Special teams have also dragged down the Capitals in the past two games, as they killed off just one of five penalties while going 0-for-5 on the power play, this after scoring eight times with the man advantage in the previous four games. However, there's no panic among the Capitals, who led the Golden Knights in the third period before giving up the winning goal. "I thought that we played well enough to at least get a point there and we didn't," Capitals head coach Barry Trotz said. "I thought we had the game when it was 3-2. We had a couple of open nets and we missed those, and it just came back and bit us you know where." Let's note that the Capitals had been one of the NHL's hottest teams before this two-game before the mini-skid, having 20-4-5 in their previous 29 games

Columbus: The Blue Jackets could not protect a third-period lead in Saturday's 4-3 loss at the New York Islanders. However, despite the loss, Columbus head coach John Tortorella said his team "took a huge step in the right direction" by unleashing a season-high 49 shots on goal. Right wing Cam Atkinson has collected a point in all four games since returning from the lineup after missing more than a month following foot surgery. Atkinson notched his eighth goal Saturday and is looking more like the player who led the Blue Jackets in scoring last season with. The Blue Jackets are definitely struggling recently. They were sitting in first place in the division at Thanksgiving but they've struggled for the past two-plus months, never winning more than two games in a row and now they're clinging to a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference (58 points) with a host of teams breathing down their necks with 57, 56 and 55 points..

The pick: February could be make-or-break time for the Blue Jackets. A majority of their games will be against division opponents, including the Capitals three times, before the calendar turns to March. Coming off back-to-back losses (see above), I expect the Caps, who average 3.06 GPG (9th) to bring their "A game" but I will also note that Washington is allowing an average of 3.54 GPG on the road, Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley were both solid in their team debuts for the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday (a 113-103 win over the Bulls), giving the 26-25 Clippers hope that they can still contend for a playoff spot after trading away franchise cornerstone Blake Griffin. The Clippers will welcome the 17-36 Dallas Mavericks to Staples Center on Monday night, with the Mavericks coming off a 106-99 win at Sacramento on Saturday. That victory ended ended a stretch of five straight losses and a run of six games in a row having failed to reach 100 points.

Dallas: Leading scorer Harrison Barnes (18.4) went 5-of-17 from the floor as the Mavericks dropped a 102-88 decision at Phoenix (Wednesday) to begin the trip but rebounded with a 7-of-14 outing on Saturday. Dallas also benefited from the return of reserve point guard J.J. Barea (11.3 & 5.9 APG), who missed three straight games with an oblique injury but returned at Sacramento and handed out 11 assists in 24 minutes. Rookie PG Dennis Smith (14.7-3.9-4.8) has been one of the NBA's best first-year players but Dirk (12.1 & 5.6) is on the downside of his career and no longer a substantial contributor.

LA Clippers: Harris is an underrated player, who is averaging 18.2 & 5.1 this season, after averaging 16.1 & 5.1 last season. Bradley is an outstanding defender and a reliable scorer, although he's still working his way into shape after battling a groin injury near the end of his tenure in Detroit. He started and played 32 minutes on Saturday. "I felt like it was good," Bradley told reporters. "I'm still getting my legs under me. But I feel like it was a good start for us. We're still getting used to each other. But I feel like once we're able to learn how to play off one another, the sky is the limit for this team." As long as LA keeps Williams (23.4 & 5.2 APG) and Jordan (11.6 & 14.9), he may be right.

The pick: However, LA is said to be looking to clear salary for upcoming free agency reasons and might not be done wheeling and dealing before the deadline, with a good chance that DeAndre Jordan is next to be on the move by Thursday. In two previous meetings this season, the Clipper won here in LA 119-98 and the Mavs won in Dallas, 108-82. LA's situation is "in flux" but I see both teams combining for more points than this over/under line reflects. Make teh Over an 8* play.

The set-up: The 36-13-3 Tampa Bay Lightning have maintained their league-best point total (75) by going 5-2-0 so far with just one contest remaining on the team's eight-game road trip which spanned almost three weeks, as it was sandwiched around the All-Star break. The Lightning complete their trek with a visit to the 22-24-4 Edmonton Oilers on Monday. The Oilers have been a huge disappointment this season but have gone 4-1-1 in their last six games. Still, Edmonton has a lot of work to do to climb back into the playoff race, as the Oilers' 48 points leaves them 13 points behind the final wild card team in the West (the Wild have 61 points).

Tampa Bay: Nikita Kucherov had his goal-scoring drought reach 10 games but recorded a pair of assists Saturday to push his league-leading total to 66 points. Captain Steven Stamkos notched his sixth point in five contests last time out to reach 60 in a season for the sixth time in his career while Matthew Peca has recorded two goals and three assists during his four-game point streak, posting a plus-8 rating in that span. Versatile forward Yanni Gourde scored for the fourth time in six games Saturday and has 18 goals on the season, tying him for second in the league among rookies. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has stopped 149 of 156 shots while winning his last four starts and also leads the league with 31 victories. He owns a 2.22 GAA and .930 SP, meaning he should get serious consideration for the Vezina Trophy.

Edmonton: Connor McDavid is the reigning Hart Trophy winner and is doing his best to start the process of Edmonton climbing back into the playoff picture. He has recorded nine points in his last seven contests (including two goals in Thursday’s 4-3 overtime loss to Colorado), giving him 17 goals and 56 points. “That’s our leader,” Oilers head coach Todd McLellan told reporters. “He’s got to provide it all over the rink, offensively and defensively, and the rest of the group has to follow.” Leon Draisaitl is second on the team with 42 points, after registering a goal and eight assists in his last seven contests. Cam Talbot (18-17-2, 3.14 goals-against average, .901 save percentage), who has won three of his last four starts, could return to the lineup after missing Thursday’s contest due to illness.

The pick: Edmonton must improve on special teams if it is to continue surging as the team has gone 0-for-17 on the power play over its last eight games and allowed five man-advantage tallies over the last four. However, can that be expected to happen against the league's best team? Hard to see it with Talbot expected back in net for Edmonton after missing one game because of illness. He is coming off his worst month of the season, going 4-5-0 with a 3.57 goals-against average and .890 save percentage in 10 games. The Lightning are 4-0-1 in the last five meetings but did lose 4-3 in a shootout at Edmonton last season. Make Tampa Bay a 10* play.

The set-up: The Pistons opened the new year 2-11 and had lost eight games in a row before trading for the Clippers' Blake Griffin. This just in, the "Blake Griffin era" is off to a rousing start. The Pistons ended their eight-game slide by taking down the Cavs 125-114 the game before Griffin joined the team and then added two more wins with Griffin averaging 20.0-9.5-6.0. "Just a little more tired today - the adrenaline wore off a little bit, just the toll of the week," Griffin told reporters on Saturday. "It's amazing to see all these guys step up and play so well." Detroit gets set to host the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday. The Trail Blazers arrive in Detroit looking to recover from blowing a 16-point halftime lead at Boston on Sunday, losing 97-96 when Al Horford beat the buzzer with a 15-footer!

Portland: CJ McCollum led the way with 21 points for Portland, but after scoring at least 100 points in 17 straight games, Portland's streak came to an end in Boston. Portland,, which shoots 45.4% from the floor on the season, shot just 39.6 percent with Damian Lillard being one of the main culprits with a 6-for-19 effort (his worst single-game shooting percentage since Nov. 13. Maurice Harkless (5.4) helped to pick up some of the slack by making a career-high five three-pointers in as many attempts and scoring 19 points, eclipsing his total from the previous eight games combined. Lillard (25.2-4.7-6.7) and McCollum (21.9-4.0-3.2) are an excellent guard tandem but only center Nurkic (14.3 & 8.2) joins them in double digits.

Detroit: All-Star center Andre Drummond (15.0 & 15.3) has welcomed Griffin with open arms, and the tandem has shown flashes of dominance underneath, outrebounding Miami on their own by a 29-26 margin. Drummond grabbed 20 of those boards to go along with 23 points, four blocks and four steals, and the big man has registered six straight double-doubles. " Ish Smith scored a season-high 25 points against the Heat and is shooting 60.7 percent over his last five games. He's taken over for the injured Jackson at PG and is up to 10.6 PPG and 4.4 APG on the season.

The pick: Griffin has re-energized the Detroit franchise. The Pistons have won the first three games of a six-game homestand since acquiring Griffin from the Los Angeles Clippers and at 25-26, can get back to the .500 mark if they continue their streak against Portland on Monday night (note: the Pistons are now a half-game behind Philadelphia for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference). The early returns on the power pairing of Griffin and All-Star center Andre Drummond have been promising and note that D rummond averaged 23.5 points and 14.5 rebounds as Detroit went 2-0 against Portland last season. One wonders just how Portland recovers thsi quickly after Sunday's brutal loss in Boston? Make Detroit a 10* play.

The set-up: Both Indiana (12-12) and Rutgers (12-13) are basically .500 teams on the season but while the Hoosiers are 5-7 in Ben Ten play, the Scarlet Knights are a woeful 2-10. Indiana travels to New Brunswick Monday night and comes in off losing five of its last six games, including a current four-game slide. Rutgers welcomes Indiana to the Louis Brown Athletic Center., where the Scarlet Knights have lost five of their last seven home games.

Indiana: The Hoosiers fell short in their upset bid of fourth-ranked Michigan State on Saturday, dropping a 63-60 decision to the Spartans on Saturday. "We're coming down the home stretch and we're trying to fight and claw for every win that we can," Indiana head coach Archie Miller told reporters. "It's all about Rutgers right now and we've got to get ready to go." The 6-8 Juwan Morgan (16.5 & 7.2) led the way with 23 points and 11 rebounds against Michigan State, registering his seventh double-double of the season. Freddie McSwain Jr. (3.8 & 4.3) added eight points and set a career high with 16 rebounds, including nine offensive boards. Guard Devonte Green (7.3) contributed eight points and dished out a career-high six assists, but Indiana was undone by a 28.8 percent performance from the floor in the three-point loss. Other than Morgan, guard Johnson (13.2 & 4.6) is the only other double digit scorer.

Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights made a valiant effort last Saturday, losing just 78-76 to No. 3 Purdue (team's fifth straight loss). That effort came despite playing without key players Mike Williams (9.2 & 4.2) do to an ankle problem and Eugene Omoruyi (7.6 & 4.7) out with a knee issue. "We can play with anybody when we play like that and follow the game plan and execute," Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell told reporters. "When building a program you have to go through a lot of stuff." Guard Corey Sanders (14.2-4.4-3.2) poured in a season-high 31 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the loss to Purdue to move into 22nd place on the program's all-time scoring list. The 6-7 Deshawn Freeman (11.3 & 7.5) narrowly missed a double-double as he scored 16 points and pulled down nine rebounds, to finish in double figures for the 20th time in 25 games this season. Freshman guard Geo Baker (11.6) went 3-of-4 from the three-point line en route to 14 points.

The pick: The Indiana Hoosiers aren't winning many games, but they are playing better basketball recently (see Michigan St. game). The Scarlet Knights are connecting on just 38.0% of their shots in their five-game slide and they hope to avoid a seventh consecutive loss to the Hoosiers. Not happening, off that all-out try against Purdue. Make Indiana a 10* play.

The set-up: The New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles meet Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis for Super Bowl 52. It's common knowledge that the Patriots have a chance to win the sixth Super Bowl title in franchise history, all of which have come since the 2001 NFL season, during the Belichick and Brady era. Meanwhile, the Eagles are looking for the first Super Bowl title in franchise history (lost to the Raiders in Super Bowl and the Pats in Super Bowl), as well as the franchise's first NFL championship since the 1960 season. That team beat Lombardi's Packers, handing the coaching legend his only postseason loss (9-1). Both teams went 13-3 SU, with the Pats going 11-5 ATS and the Eagles, 10-6.

Philadelphia: Carson Wentz was a MVP candidate before getting hurt in Week 15. Nick Foles has endured an uneven ride as his replacement. while filling in for the injured Carson Wentz. He replaced an injured Wentz against the Giants and completed 24 of 38 with four TD passes but then was a combined 23 of 49 for 202 yards (one TD / two INTs) in Weeks 16 & 17. However, he completed 23-of-30 passes for 246 yards in the 15-10 win over the Falcons and then 'exploded' in the NFC championship game romp over the Vikings. Foles completed 26 of 33 for 352 yards with three TDs and zero INTs, giving him a 141.4 QB rating. He's backed by a solid running game that averaged 132.3 YPG on the ground during the regular season, 3rd-best in the NFL. Jay Ajayi stumbled out of the blocks with a fumble on his first carry against Atlanta, before finishing with 54 yards rushing and 44 receiving on three catches. He then ran for 73 yards vs. the Vikings and caught three more passes for 26 yards. He has become Philadelphia's top option out of the backfield following an in-season trade with Miami, although LeGarrette Blount (team-high 776 yards in the regular season) had a rushing TD in each of Philly's two playoff wins. Philly owns an excellent defense. It ranked 4th in scoring (18.4 PPG) and total D (306.5 YPG) during the regular season and held Matt Ryan and the Falcons scoreless in the second half of that divisional round win and to just 10 points for the game on just 281 yards. It then followed by allowing the game's first TD against the Vikings, before shutting them out the remainder of the game.

New England: Brady had another remarkable season (4,577 passing yards with 32 TDs and just eight INTs for a 102.8 QB rating), as the Pats led the NFL in total offense (394.2 YPG) and scored the second-most points at 28.6 PPG. Brady owns the most postseason wins in history and added to his playoff legacy vs the Titans by passing for more than 300 yards (337) for the 13th time and surpassing Joe Montana with his 10th three-touchdown performance. Brady and his "injured" right hand then led the Pats to two 4th-quarter TDs in coming back from 20-10 down against the Jags, to win 24-20. He was 26 of 38 for 290 yards with two TDs, zero INTs and a 108.4 QB against Jacksonville's dominant defense, giving him his 27th postseason win. Four New England players had at least 56 catches in the regular season with TE Rob Gronkowski topping the list with 69 receptions (15.7 YPC) and eight TDs. Gronk was KO'd against heh Jags but is expected to be back. However, in Gronk's absence, Cooks had six catches for 100 yards and Amendola had seven catches fo 84 yards, including both TDs in the fourth quarter. RB Dion Lewis had rushed for at least 60 yards in seven of his last eight games but was held to 34 yards. However, he caught seven passes against the Jags, after catching nine against the Titans. New England finished the season allowing 18.5 PPG but it allowed 32.0 PPG through its first four games, before allowing only just 14.0 PPG over its last 12. In two playoff wins, the Pats then held the Titans to just 14 points and 267 yards and the Jags to 20 points (just two FGs in the second half).

The pick: Physical play still matters in this league and the Eagles have the edge in that department. The Patriots famously use a committee in the backfield (although Lewis has been the "main man" lately) and it's hard to ignore that the Eagles led the NFL against the run, allowing just 79.2 YPG. They then held Atlanta and Minnesota to a combined 156 yards in the two playoff wins. Philly can lean on Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount against a New England rush D that allowed 4.71 yards per rush, second most in the NFL. Ajayi, who ran for more than 1,000 yards with the Dolphins last year, was traded to Philly in October and had an impressive 5.8 yards per carry while sharing the workload with Blount, who won a Super Bowl ring with the Pats last year and is an excellent short-yardage (goal-line) runner. Of course, no one is comparing Foles with Brady but he has completed 77.8 percent of his passes in two playoff wins, without an INT in 63 attempts. Also, just how does one ignore that the first five Belichick/Brady Super Bowls were decided by four points or less, before last year's game ended in OT, with the Pats winning by six. Take the points and make Philly a 10* play.

The set-up: The New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles meet Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis for Super Bowl 52. It's common knowledge that the Patriots have a chance to win the sixth Super Bowl title in franchise history, all of which have come since the 2001 NFL season, during the Belichick and Brady era. Meanwhile, the Eagles are looking for the first Super Bowl title in franchise history (lost to the Raiders in Super Bowl and the Pats in Super Bowl), as well as the franchise's first NFL championship since the 1960 season. That team beat Lombardi's Packers, handing the coaching legend his only postseason loss (9-1). Both teams went 13-3 SU, with the Pats going 11-5 ATS and the Eagles, 10-6.

Philadelphia: Carson Wentz was a MVP candidate before getting hurt in Week 15. Nick Foles has endured an uneven ride as his replacement. while filling in for the injured Carson Wentz. He replaced an injured Wentz against the Giants and completed 24 of 38 with four TD passes but then was a combined 23 of 49 for 202 yards (one TD / two INTs) in Weeks 16 & 17. However, he completed 23-of-30 passes for 246 yards in the 15-10 win over the Falcons and then 'exploded' in the NFC championship game romp over the Vikings. Foles completed 26 of 33 for 352 yards with three TDs and zero INTs, giving him a 141.4 QB rating. He's backed by a solid running game that averaged 132.3 YPG on the ground during the regular season, 3rd-best in the NFL. Jay Ajayi stumbled out of the blocks with a fumble on his first carry against Atlanta, before finishing with 54 yards rushing and 44 receiving on three catches. He then ran for 73 yards vs. the Vikings and caught three more passes for 26 yards. He has become Philadelphia's top option out of the backfield following an in-season trade with Miami, although LeGarrette Blount (team-high 776 yards in the regular season) had a rushing TD in each of Philly's two playoff wins. Philly owns an excellent defense. It ranked 4th in scoring (18.4 PPG) and total D (306.5 YPG) during the regular season and held Matt Ryan and the Falcons scoreless in the second half of that divisional round win and to just 10 points for the game on just 281 yards. It then followed by allowing the game's first TD against the Vikings, before shutting them out the remainder of the game.

New England: Brady had another remarkable season (4,577 passing yards with 32 TDs and just eight INTs for a 102.8 QB rating), as the Pats led the NFL in total offense (394.2 YPG) and scored the second-most points at 28.6 PPG. Brady owns the most postseason wins in history and added to his playoff legacy vs the Titans by passing for more than 300 yards (337) for the 13th time and surpassing Joe Montana with his 10th three-touchdown performance. Brady and his "injured" right hand then led the Pats to two 4th-quarter TDs in coming back from 20-10 down against the Jags, to win 24-20. He was 26 of 38 for 290 yards with two TDs, zero INTs and a 108.4 QB against Jacksonville's dominant defense, giving him his 27th postseason win. Four New England players had at least 56 catches in the regular season with TE Rob Gronkowski topping the list with 69 receptions (15.7 YPC) and eight TDs. Gronk was KO'd against heh Jags but is expected to be back. However, in Gronk's absence, Cooks had six catches for 100 yards and Amendola had seven catches fo 84 yards, including both TDs in the fourth quarter. RB Dion Lewis had rushed for at least 60 yards in seven of his last eight games but was held to 34 yards. However, he caught seven passes against the Jags, after catching nine against the Titans. New England finished the season allowing 18.5 PPG but it allowed 32.0 PPG through its first four games, before allowing only just 14.0 PPG over its last 12. In two playoff wins, the Pats then held the Titans to just 14 points and 267 yards and the Jags to 20 points (just two FGs in the second half).

The pick: Sure, it's Foles and not Wentz at QB but tell that do a Minnesota defense which entered the NFC championship game ranking first in points allowed (15.8) and total defense (275.9), as well as second in passing yards allowed (192.4). Foles completed 26 of 33 for 352 yards with three TDs and zero INTs (giving him a 141.4 QB rating), as the Eagles rolled up 38 points. The New England defense has real issues against the run (4.71 YPC) and Foles has two quality RBs in Ajayi and Blount. Sure, the Philly defense is stout and physical but doesn't Brady "always find a way" to move the chains and put points on the board? The Pats have averaged 30.1 PPG since their bye week (10 games, including the postseason), having been held to less than 24 points just twice. The Over is an 8* play.

The set-up: The Suns began a three-game homestand with a 102-88 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday but that defense did not carry over to Friday, as Phoenix was trounced 129-97 by the Utah Jazz and the Suns have now lost six of their last seven to fall to 18-35 (1 1/2 games out of the Western Conference 'basement'). Phoenix completes its three-game homestand by hosting the 22-29 Charlotte Honets on Super Bowl Sunday. The Hornets have lit up the scoreboard in back-to-back wins over in Atlanta on Wednesday (123-110), followed by a 133-126 home win over Indiana on Friday.

Charlotte: PG Kemba Walker (22.9 & 5.9 APG) scored 41 points in the win over the Pacers, after getting 38 at Atlanta. "Offensively, we are playing great," Walker told reporters. "We were moving the basketball and making the extra pass and knocking it down when we needed to. Defensively, I think we can be a lot better, but I think we have been doing a great job, especially when we really need it. We are getting some big-time stops." SG Nicolas Batum is finally rounding into form as well, and followed up a triple-double at Atlanta with 31 points and nine rebounds against Indiana. Batum is now averaging 11.9-4.5-4.7, not quite at the level of production he had last season but he's heading in the right direct. Center Dwight Howard averages a double-double (15.9 & 12.7) but once again the question arises, is he really making his team better?

Phoenix: About the only positive coming out of Friday's ugly 32-point loss was the continued strong play of rookie small forward Josh Jackson. He scored 20 points to reach that mark for the third straight game, the best stretch of his young career. Jackson is averaging10.5 & 3.8 on the season but another young Phoenix player is not having such a strong run. 20-year-old power forward Marquese Chriss (7.0 & 5.0) is expected to serve a team-imposed one-game suspension on Sunday for reportedly getting into a verbal confrontation with an assistant coach. Devin Booker broke the franchise record for consecutive made free throws in a season when he reached 60 on Friday, surpassing the previous mark of 57 shared by Kevin Johnson and Mike Bratz. Booker (24.3) is the team's lone "All Star caliber" player, although one can't discount T.J. Warren's (19.5 & 5.2) consistent production. However, when a team ranks dead-last in points allowed at 112.1 PPG, most games are an up hill battle.

The pick: This Super Bowl Sunday matchup sets up as a showdown between a pair of two perceived all-star snubs, Kemba Walker and Devin Booker. The Hornets begin a four-game road trip with this one and with trips to Denver, Portland and Utah on the schedule, this is easily the team's best chance to pick up a win on this Western swing. However, it's difficult for me to view Charlotte, a team with a 7-15 SU record on the road, being a road favorite. Let me note that the home team has taken each of the last four in this series, with the Suns earning a 120-103 triumph back on March 2 in the Hornets' most recent visit to Phoenix. Make the Suns a 10* play.

The set-up: Both the Temple Owls (12-10 / 4-6 AAC) and the Tulane Green Wave (13-8 / 4-5 in AAC) are in the bottom half of the American Athletic Conference standings The two schools meet on Super Bowl Sunday in New Orleans, with the Owls looking to build off wins in four of their last five games, including an an 81-79 overtime win over No. 16 Wichita State on Friday. Meanwhile, the Green Wave are looking to turn their momentum around after losing four of their last six, although they did take a step in the right direction with a 71-69 overtime win over East Carolina in their last outing.

Temple: Guard Quinton Rose led Temple with 19 points against the Shockers, while fellow Josh Brown (8.3-3.5-3.5) added 15 points along with three assists and three steals. Rose is the etam's leading scorer at 14.4 PPG (also adds 4.4 RPG) and the team's second-leading scorer is guard Shizz Alston Jr. (13.0 & 3.4), who added 12 points but shot a miserable 5 of 22 from the floor. The The 6-10 Obi Enechionyia (11.3 & 6.6) andfreshman guard Nate Pierre-Louis (7.3), each added 11 points. Temple's 81-point outburst is not typical, as the Owls average 68.1 PPG (299th) on 41.7% shooting from the floor (310th), including just 33.8% from behind the arc (239th and 68.1% from the foul line (279th).

Tulane: Melvin Frazier led Tulane with 22 points, while adding eight rebounds and a team-high four assists in the team's OT win against East Carolina. Frazier (17.3 & 5.7) is the team's leading scorer, joined in double digits this season by the 6-8 Reynolds (15.8 & 6.3), PG Embo (10.1-3.2-3.4) and the 6-9 Sehic (10.0 & 5.4). Tulane can score slightly better than Temple, averaging 75.1 PPG.

The pick: Temple’s win over Wichita State was huge, perhaps the school's biggest win since joining this conference in 2013. Does that mean this contest against Tulane has "letdown written all over it?" Not in my opinion. Temple preceded its upset of Wichita State with a well-played 85-67 romp over UConn, making me believe the Owls are more of a "play on" team at the moment. Revenge should work here, after Temple lost at home to Tulane 85-75 in its AAC opener back on Dec. 28th. Temple was a 9 1/2-point choice in that one but shot a season-worst 4 of 21 from three-point range in that 10-point loss. Obi Enechionyia was a season-worst 1 of 9 from the floor in the first meeting and surely will play better, plus Temple can't possibly shoot worse from beyond the arc, right?. Make the Owls a 10* play.

The set-up: The Western Conference-leading Vegas Golden Knights look to rebound from a flat performance when they continue a six-game road trip Sunday afternoon against the Washington Capitals. The 34-13-4 Golden Knights (72 points) own a 10-point lead in the Pacific Division but managed just 24 shots on goal in a 5-2 loss at Minnesota on Friday. “We didn’t play well at all (Friday),” Vegas head coach Gerard Gallant told reporters. “We looked like a tired team for the first time this year. There’s no excuse. You’re playing back-to-back, but everybody plays them.” Washington, which has won the Presidents Trophy the last two seasons, leads the Metropolitan Division at 30-16-5 (65 points) but is just 3-3-2 in its last eight games after surrendering the final three scores in Friday's 7-4 setback at Pittsburgh. “At the end of the day, we just gave them a few too many odd-man rushes, and we lost the special-teams war,” Capitals coach Barry Trotz told reporters. “We didn’t kill any (penalties) off, and we didn’t score any (on the power play), so that ends up being the difference - three goals. We can play better.”

Vegas: The Golden Knights are 2-1-0 on their current trip and will visit Pittsburgh and San Jose after meeting the Capitals. Erik Haula is riding a five-game goal-scoring streak during which he reached 20 goals for the first time in his career and has notched at least one point in eight straight contests to match David Perron, who is second on the team behind Jonathan Marchessault (48) with 46 points. Perron has recorded four goals and eight assists during his run. William Karlsson (27 goals) has gone four straight games without one and All-Star James Neal (22 goals) was held without a shot in Friday’s setback.

Washington: Captain Alex Ovechkin scored twice in the loss at Pittsburgh and has collected five goals and five assists over his last seven games to increase his team-leading total to 56 points. Evgeny Kuznetsov scored for just the second time in nine games Friday and has 48 points to rank second on the team while defenseman John Carlson has produced five of his 40 points over the last six contests. All-Star Braden Holtby (26-10-4, 2.78 GAA & .914 SP) has allowed nine goals in his last two games but backup Philipp Grubauer (4-6-3, 2.60 GAA & .916 SP) is expected to start Sunday.

The pick: Sunday will be the Knights' first visit to Washington. In the teams' first meeting, back on Dec. 23 in Las Vegas, Alex Tuch, Oscar Lindberg and William Karlsson scored first-period goals in a 3-0 Golden Knights win. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 26 shots for the shutout. Fleury is 21-12-2 with a 2.53 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage against Washington during his career. However, as noted often here, a "typical" Vegas road game features an average final score of 6.19 goals. I'm not completely sold on Philipp Grubauer but the Capitals do own a 17-7-1-0 record all-time on Super Bowl Sunday. Let's make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: Arizona lost all three games in the Battle for Atlantis tourney but has recovered to win 16 of 17 and at 19-4 (9-1 in Pac 12), is ranked 9th in the latest AP poll and sits atop the Pac 12 standings, one game better than 8-2 USC. The Wildcats have reeled off seven straight wins after a 100-72 blowout victory over host Washington State in their last game. Arizona travels to Seattle tonight to take on the surprising Washington Huskies, who are 16-6 overall, including 6-3 in Pac 12 play. Washington has third place in the Pac-12 to itself (2 1/2 games back of Arizona), after being picked 10th in the preseason.

Arizona: The Wildcats' lone loss in their 16-1 run came 80-77 at Colorado back on Jan. 6). Junior guard Alonzo Trier (19.9) and 7-1 freshman Deandre Ayton (19.7) rank 1-2 atop the list of Pac-12 scoring leaders and Ayton leads the conference in rebounding (10.7) plus ranks second in field-goal percentage (63.2). Guard Rawle Alkins (14.7 points), who has missed three of the last five games while dealing with a sore foot, and the 7-0 Ristic (11.3 & 6.7) also are averaging double figures while PG Parker Jackson-Cartwright is averaging 7.4 points and a team-best 5.0 assists. Arizona is averaging 82.5 PPG (30th) on 51.4% shooting (3rd).

Washington: The Huskies have made the most of a three-game homestand so far, routing Washington State (80-62) on Sunday and out-dueling 23rd-ranked Arizona State (68-64) on Thursday night. 6-8 forward Noah Dickerson had 21 points and 16 rebounds – his second double-double in the last three games – to bump up his season averages to 14.5 points and a team-leading 8.1 RPG. Guards Jaylen Nowell (16.6), David Crisp (11.8) and Matisse Thybulle (11.3) also are averaging double digits for the Huskies, who lead the conference in steals (8.7) and turnovers forced (15.6).

The pick: Arizona has won the last eight meetings in the series but Washington seems like a very different team this season under after 76-68 (road) and 77-66 (home) victories a season ago. Saturday’s game will be their only regular-season meeting this year under first-year head coach and former Boeheim assistant, Mike Hopkins. It’ll be strength-vs.-strength from the three-point arc as Arizona is shooting a Pac-12-best 40.0 percent from long range while the Huskies own the conference’s top three-point defense, limiting the opposition to a 32.9-percent success rate. The cry out of Seattle these days is, "Who needs Markelle Fultz!" The One and Done former Huskie was the NBA's No. 1 pick and while he struggles with an injury and shooting woes (doing NOTHING for the 76ers), Washington is thriving with four of last year's five starters back. Upset alert. Make Washington an 8* play.

The set-up: Minnesota's off-season moves have seemingly turned the Timberwolves into a viable playoff team for the 2017-18 season. Every team plays in Golden State's 'shadow' but it's hard to dismiss the fact that a team which has not been in the playoff field over the previous 13 seasons, currently sits at 33-22 (No. 4 seed). The Timberwolves have won 11 home games in a row at the Target Center and have the second-most wins at home (21-6) in the NBA this season as they get set to host the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday. New Orleans just lost All-Star DeMarcus Cousins for the season to an Achilles injury. The Pelicans lost their first two games without Cousins but posted an impressive 114-100 victory at Oklahoma City on Friday, behind 43 points and 10 rebounds from Anthony Davis.

New Orleans. In an effort to mitigate the loss of Cousins (25.2 & 12.9), the 28-3 Pelicans traded for Chicago forward Nikola Mirotic. He is expected to make his debut in tonight's contest. "When you lose a guy like DeMarcus, it's tough on our team," Davis told the team's website. "But we have to keep going. I think the organization went out right away to do something about it, knowing the position we are in, sitting at No. 7 now. We want to make sure we don't drop, and that we keep progressing as a team." the 6-10 Mirotic brings size and shooting. He is averaging career-bests in points per game (16.8), field-goal percentage (47.4), three-point percentage (42.9) and rebounds (6.4 per game) in his fourth season.

Minnesota: Center Karl-Antony Towns had 24 points and 11 rebounds in Thursday's win over Milwaukee. against Milwaukee. However, Jimmy Butler is averaging 24.5 points in four games since returning from a knee injury and leads the team in scoring (21.9) on the season (also averages 5.4 RPG and 5.0 APG ). All five starters average in double digits, followed by Towns (21.9 & 12.1), Wiggins (17. & 4.2), Teague (12.9 & 6.9 APG) and Gibson (12.1 & 7.4). Sixth-man Crawford (9.9) just misses.

The pick: With the Super Bowl this Sunday in Minneapolis, many notable figures were present for Thursday's game, including New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, boxer Floyd Mayweather and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown. Tonight's game could see more of the same buzz in the arena. "It's funny, the Super Bowl brings out all the celebrities," center Karl-Anthony Towns. "It was very cool for all the celebrities who are not accustomed to coming out to Minnesota getting to watch the game in our house, and it's awesome." Minnesota has won all three meetings with the Pelicans and those were before Cousins was lost for the season. Mirotic will need some time to work his way into the rotation and with high over/under number, I see the Under as a 10* play.

The set-up: The St. Louis Blues had allowed only two goals in a three-game winning streak but fell 3-1 at Boston, leaving them at 31-19-3 on the season. St. Louis wraps up a two-game road trip at the 14-28-9 Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night. While the Bruins (68 points are the second-highest total of any Eastern Conference team) are one of the NHL's best teams, the Sabres' 37 points are the fewest points for any team in the East.

St. Louis: The Blues' have 65 points (3rd in the Central) but they were on their heels against the Bruins, getting out-shot 46-33 to lose for the seventh time in their last 10 on the road (3-6-1). Jake Allen entered the season as the unquestioned No. 1 goaltender but he has became a forgotten man as backup Carter Hutton went 8-1-1 since Dec. 30 and stopped 94 of 96 shots in his last three outings. However, Allen was back in net Thursday and excelled in defeat, turning aside 43 of 45 shots and possibly earning another start against Buffalo. "Going into the game, I felt confident in him," Blues coach Mike Yeo said. "I hope that that's a game in his eyes that he can build off of." Brayden Schenn leads the Blues in points with 51 (21 goals, 30 assists) in 53 games. Vladimir Tarasenko has 47 points (21 goals, 26 assists) in 53 games.

Buffalo: The Sabres went into the All-Star break riding an impressive three-game winning streak but been outscored 7-3 in dropping back-to-back home games against New Jersey and Florida. "It's so frustrating when you don't win at home," Sabres forward Kyle Okposo said. "We've got to pick our game up." Buffalo ranks last in the league in scoring, averaging 2.29 goals, although the power play has been producing over the past two weeks by converting on 9 of 25 chances in the last seven games. The Sabres have slowed down on offense after a burst in their trip through western Canada. Last week, the Sabres picked up a 4-0 win over Vancouver and a 5-0 win over Edmonton but those performances seem to be the exceptions to the rule considering the all-around struggles this season. Chad Johnson got the start for Buffalo against Florida, so starter Robin Lehner will likely return between the pipes against St. Louis. Lehner has a save percentage of .912 and has allowed 2.85 GPG in 38 games played this season (11-19-6 as a starter).

The pick: I expect Allen to play well again in goal here for the Blues and the Sabres seem like the perfect foil for St. Louis' recent road 'blues." After all, the Blues have won 10 of their last 11 against the Sabre. Make St. Louis a 10* play

The set-up: The Xavier Musketeers are ranked No. 6 in the latest AP poll and are now 20-3 (8-2 in Big East) after squeaking by St, John's 73-68. "We're fortunate to come away with a win," head coach Chris Mack told reporters. "That might be the best 0-11 team I've ever seen anywhere in a conference. Period."Xavier will be at home on Saturday to host the 13-8 Georgetown Hoyas, who benefited from a weak early-season slate to open 8-0. However, the Hoyas are just 5-8 since, including 3-7 in Big East play.

Georgetown: The 6-10 Jessie Govan has been the heart and soul of the Hoyas attack, leading the team in points (16.2) and rebounds (10.3) but the junior center is mired in a lengthy slump, having averaged just 10.2 points and 5.6 rebounds over his previous five outings. 6-7 forward Marcus Derrickson (15.6 & 7.3) has picked up the scoring slack during Govan's cold snap, averaging better than 22 points over his past three games, including a season-best 27 points in a thrilling double-overtime win over St. John's on Jan. 20. That duo comprises the team's lone double digit scorers, although the Hoyas average a respectable 78.0 PPG (79yth).

Xavier: The Musketeers boast one of the most well-balanced offenses in the nation, ranking 19th in scoring (84.2 points per game), 15th in assists (17.5), 16th in field-goal success rate (49.9 percent) and and 27th in free-throw percentage (76.8). Xavier's scoring leader is the 6-6 Trevon Bluiett (18.7 & 5.7) but he has been in a minor scoring funk, averaging 14 points over his previous three games while shooting 6-for-20 from three-point range. J.P. Macura (13.0 & 4.3) broke out for 27 points in a Jan. 20 win over Seton Hall but has scored just 18 points in two games since, shooting a combined 5-of-16 from the floor. The 6-10 Kanter (10.2 & 5.4) is the team's only other double digit scorer and will be tasked with slowing Govan.

The pick: Foul shooting has helped the Hoyas remain competitive in the majority of their Big East games so far as Georgetown ranks second in the conference and fifth in the country in free-throw percentage (78.6). Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing took solace in the way his team battled back against Creighton in a tough environment. After trailing 46-33 at halftime, the Hoyas rallied to cut the Bluejays' lead to 71-70 with less than four minutes remaining, before falling 85-77. "We didn't start the game out with the intensity and with the right frame of mind that I would have liked," Ewing said. "In the second half, we came with a lot more intensity, a lot more effort, a lot more focus." The Hoyas are 5-1 as a rod dog in Big East play and this is a lot of points. Make Georgetown an 8* play.

The set-up: The Kentucky Wildcats opened the season No. 5 in the AP's preseason poll and was at No. 18 when it lost back-to-back games on Jan. 16th & 20th. The Wildcats fell out of the AP's Jan 22nd poll, ending a run of 68 straight weeks of being in the top-25. However, with Kentucky's big comeback win over then-No. 7 West Va. last Saturday (trailed West Virginia by 15 at halftime, before outscoring the Mountaineers 50-28 after intermission), the Wildcats were back in the top-25 at No. 21 this past Monday. The Wildcats overcame another slow start this past Wednesday (trailed by 14 points in the second half against Vanderbilt), before coming back to win 83-81 in overtime. Kentucky is 17-5 (6-3 in SEC) as it visits 14-8 Missouri (4-5 in SEC) on Saturday afternoon in Columbia, Mo. at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers snapped a three-game skid with a 69-60 win at Alabama on Wednesday.

Kentucky: Freshmen account for 86.6 percent of the Wildcats’ scoring (Kentucky averages 77.6 PPG, which ranks 91st), as four of their five starters, as well as their top six scorers, are first-year players. The 6-9 Kevin Knox (15.6 & 5.8) picked up National Player of the Week honors last week after averaging 26.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in wins over Mississippi State and West Virginia, while PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (12.6 & 4.3 APG) has upped his production to 15.7 points and 4.4 assists in six games since moving into the starting lineup. Guard Hamidou Diallo (12.2 & 4.4) and 6-7 reserve forward P.J. Washington (10.6 & 5.0) also average double digits in points.

Missouri: This is Cuonzo Martin's first season at Missouri but the coach spent three years at Tennessee from 2012 to 2014. The Tigers are thin in the backcourt, as reserve point guard Terrence Phillips has been suspended indefinitely in the midst of a Title IX investigation .while freshman point guard Blake Harris transferred earlier in the season. Missouri is led by Robertson, a graduate transfer, at 16.0 PPG. He has topped 20 points the last three games. Two 6-7 forwards follow, Jordan Barnett (14.0 & 5.9) and Kevin Puryear (9.0 & 4.7). The Tigers also count on two big freshmen in key roles, the 6-10 Jeremiah Tilmon (8.3 & 4.2) and Jontay Porter (8.1 & 6.5 rebounds). Both had big games against Alabama (Porter had 13 points and Tillman 12) and can make a major impact at both ends of the floor when they aren’t in foul trouble.

The pick: Kentucky assistant Tony Barbee is filling in for coach John Calipari, who has been ill. He said about Missouri, "They're one of the most talented teams in this league. Don't let their record fool you. They've had some great wins. Going to Alabama and winning. Beating Tennessee, beating Georgia, beating South Carolina. I mean, this team is as good top to bottom as any team in this league and they present a lot of difference challenges for us." Forewarned is forearmed and the Wildcats can't keep falling behind their opponents. A "very focused' Kentucky team is the 10* play in this one.

The set-up: The 22-28 Utah Jazz head to Phoenix on Friday night to open a four-game road trip, having won three in a row and four of five. The 18-34 Suns welcome the Jazz to Phoenix having snapped a five-game losing streak with a 102-88 home victory over Dallas on Wednesday. Utah's recent uptick has them within 'shouting distance' of a playoff berth (Jazz sit 10th in the West, four games back of the final playoff spot), while the Suns are already nine games out of a playoff berth, just two games better than the West's worst team (Mavs).

Utah: The NBA season is a grind but the Jazz can't help but be feeling somewhat giddy after they shot a season-high 58.7 percent against Golden State in Tuesday's 129-99 home win. "Shooting is an equalizer," Jazz head coach Quin Snyder told reporters afterward. Small forward Joe Ingles (10.0 & 4.2) had 20 points and a career-high six three-pointers, while Ricky Rubio (11.4 & 5.0 APG) had a double-double with 23 points and a season-high-tying 11 assists. Rookie Donovan Mitchell, the team's leading scorer at 19.2 PPG, had 20 points against the Warriors. Mitchell is making a strong case for NBA Rookie of the Year consideration, after averaging 22.2 points in 11 January games, with season highs of 34 and 35 points. He was named the Western Conference rookie of the month for January.

Phoenix: Devin Booker had 15 points and Marquese Chriss had his second double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds when both returned to the lineup against Dallas after missing a game. NBA folowers know all about Booker (24.4 PPG) but with a third-quarter steal Wednesday, third-year forward Chriss became the fourth player in league history to record 100 steals, 100 blocks and 100 3-pointers before his 21st birthday. LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant are the others. "I think it is pretty dope," said Chriss, averaging 7.1 points and 5.1 rebounds a game. "I like to block shots. I like to shoot. So I think that's me."

The pick: The Jazz know they need to avoid a letdown off that Golden State win, as they prepare for a trip that will take them through San Antonio, New Orleans and Memphis after leaving Phoenix. "You want to move on from it in the sense that there's some sense of accomplishment: It's over," Quin Snyder told reporters. "But how you got the win, and how you played and what you're doing -- we need to understand the things that we did that we want to do again. It becomes a question of repeating it. The more you do it, the more it becomes who you are. Games like that can give you some confidence." There is no doubt that the return of center Rudy Gobert has made a difference for Utah (14.5 PPG, 10.0 RPG and 2.7 BPG in his six games back) but the Jazz are just 7-19 SU on the road and a let down off that Golden State win seems almost inevitable. Make Phoenix an 8* play.

The set-up: Jabari Parker takes the court for the first time in nearly 12 months when the 27-23 Milwaukee Bucks host the New York Knicks on Friday. Parker has been recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee. It was supposed to mark the first time Milwaukee put its core of Parker, Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Bledsoe on the floor in the same game. However, Antetokounmpo, who has been battling a knee issue this season, suffered an ankle injury late in a 108-89 loss at Minnesota on Thursday night. Making matters worse for Milwaukee, point guard Malcom Brogdon was also injured Thursday night. The team tentatively announced that Brogdon suffered a strained left calf but will undergo further testing Friday night and isn't expected to play tonight when the 23-29 NY Knicks visit . the Bradley Center.

NY Knicks: Facing a short-handed Bucks squad would be good news for the Knicks, after the team saw its a two-game winning streak snapped with a horrific 103-73 loss to Boston on Wednesday, the team's largest margin of defeat this season. The Knicks may come into the game six games under .500 and 10th in the Eastern Conference but they are still within striking distance of the playoffs, trailing No. 8 Philadelphia by three games and No. 7 Milwaukee by five. Porzingis (23.1 & 6.6) remains the "go-to" guy on offense but although the Knicks shoot well as team (46.8% ranks 7th), they average a modest 104.5 PPG (20th). Defensively, they are middle-of-the-pack a in allowing 105.9 PPG (16th).

Milwaukee: Parker had posted career-best averages of 20.1 points and 6.2 rebounds in 51 games last season prior to his latest ACL tear. Parker was informed that he will play about 15 minutes in his return and the club will certainly monitor him closely due to the fact that he's had two ACL tears in the same knee in a 26-month span). Brodgon's (13.3) injury came in the second quarter but Antetokounmpo's (28.2-10.4-4.8) came in the fourth with the Bucks trailing by as many as 17. Interim head coach Joe Prunty defended his decision to keep his star player on the floor late in a blowout loss on the first night of a back-to-back. "That's the whole thing, (the deficit) was right around 15 and that's what we were talking about, was, 'Can we make a push here'?" Prunty said. Milwaukee shoots well like the Knicks (47.9% ranks 4th) but similarly, does not score well enough (104.8 PPG ranks 19th).

The pick: The Bucks are 6-3 when unrested this year (played last night) but the injuries to Antetokounmpo and Brogdon could cause concern. Then again, the Knicks are just 7-20 SU and 11-16 ATS on the road. I'll make Milwaukee a 10* play.

The set-up: The 261-6-8 San Jose Sharks have lost four in a row, a stretch coinciding with veteran center Joe Thornton suffering a serious knee injury. Thornton was hurt in an overtime loss to Winnipeg on Jan. 23 and the Sharks have followed with three more losses, the most recent being a 2-1 shootout loss at Detroit this past Wednesday. San Jose makes its third stop of a five-game road trip tonight when the Sharks visit the 27-19-4 Columbus Blue Jackets. Columbus is also coming off a shootout defeat (3-2 at home to Minnesota), when it failed to score more than two goals in regulation for the 10th time in the last 11 games.

San Jose: "We've played three games without (Thornton) and we've lost all three and gotten one point. That has to stop now," San Jose forward Logan Couture said. "He's a great player but we've got to find a way to start winning hockey games without him." Without the 13-year veteran Thornton, the young Sharks will take a committee approach. They have seven double-figures goal scorers, led by Logan Couture's 21. Tomas Hertl is next with 14, followed by Chris Tierney with 12, Timo Meier with 11, and Joe Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi with 10 apiece. Defenseman Brent Burns had a team-leading 42 points. Goaltender Martin Jones was among the players who said they have to "step up" in Thornton's absence, and he did his part by making a season-high 43 saves against Detroit. Jones has struggled through an erratic, injury-plagued campaign, but coach Peter DeBoer said he has no concerns about him entering the stretch run. “I don’t even think that’s a question,” DeBoer said. “I think he’s going to do that. I think we’re going to get great goaltending the whole second half here.”

Columbus: The Blue Jackets own the league's worst power play at 14.1 percent, although there has been an uptick in production with six goals in 19 chances over the past eight games. Columbus has played in fits and starts during the first 50 games of the season. After an early six-game winning streak, the team has leveled off dramatically and fallen back in the Eastern Conference standings (currently own the first of two wild card spots). After the Blue Jackets suffered a 3-2 shootout loss at home Tuesday night to the Minnesota Wild, coach John Tortorella worked the team hard in practice to prepare for the final 32 regular-season games in 65 days.

The pick: Both teams will be attempting to figure out how to pick up a win when they meet tonight at Nationwide Arena. and while neither is showing much scoring 'punch,' my gut says the "over" is the way to go. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The 18-3 Rhode Island Rams take their 13-game winning streak and a No. 22 ranking in the latest AP poll to the Siegel Center in Richmond, Va. to take on the 14-8 Virginia Commonwealth Rams in Atlantic 10 action on Friday. Rhode Island is 10-0 in league play, while VCU is 6-3. Rhode Island trailed by as many as 13 points against UMass on Tuesday night, before prevailing 85-83, and is in the midst of its longest winning streak since 1939-40. VCU has won its last three games and is 10-3 at home on the season.

Rhode Island: Senior guard Jared Terrell is the leading scorer for Rhode Island on the season, averaging 18.0 PPG, However, after going out with an injury after the season's first two games, 6-5 senior EC Matthews (13.7 PPG in 15 games) returned on Dec. 16, which was the beginning of Rhode Island's 13-game winning streak. Joining that guard duo in double digits are the 6-8 Andre Berry (10.0 & 4.1) and another senior guard, Stanford Robinson (10.0 & 5.6).

Virginia Commonwealth: The 6-8 Justin Tillman leads in scoring (18.2) and rebounding (9.7) with guard De’Riante Jenkins (13.1 & 4.0) and PG Jonathan Williams (10.2 & 5.8). Registering double-doubles is commonplace for Tillman, who has had 18 in his last 30 conference games, but Khris Lane got into the act for the first time this season during Saturday's win over George Mason. The 6-7 senior forward, who had six double-doubles last season while averaging 17.1 points and 7.3 rebounds at Longwood, had 25 points and 12 rebounds, both season highs, against George Mason. However, he is averaging just 8.0 & 3.7 on the season.

The set-up; Rhode Island has not only won 13 straight overall, it enters this contest on an 18-game conference winning streak, with 10 of those wins coming on the road. The 18-game league win streak for Rhode Island is tied with George Washington for the fourth-longest in A-10 history behind Saint Joseph's (21) and Temple (25, 27). The streak will end sometime (somewhere), but NOT here. Make Rhode Island a 10* play.

The set-up: Two middle-of-the-road Pac 12 teams meet tonight at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto, Ca, as the 11-9 (3-5 in Pac 12) Oregon State Beavers take on the 11-11 (5-4 in Pac 12) Stanford Cardinal. The Beavers could sure use a win here after losing five of their last seven games, while a Cardinal victory gets Stanford one game over .500.

Oregon State: The 6-8 Tres Tinkle is the coach's son and leads in scoring (17.9), rebounding (7.2) and assists (3.4). Guard Stephen Thompson Jr. is right behind him at 16.3 & 3.3 plus the 6-10 Drew Eubanks is the third double-digit scorer (12.3 & 6.6). The Beavers shot just 3-of-17 from three-point range in last Saturday’s 66-57 loss to rival Oregon. Stephen Thompson Jr. led the Beavers against the Ducks with 16 points and has scored in double figures in nine straight games. However, head coach Wayne Tinkle sure needs more production from forward Drew Eubanks, who has scored a total of eight points in his last two games. OSU averages a modest 72.5 PPG (221st).

Stanford: The Cardinal are averaging 75.0 PPG and allowing 75.4, so it's no surprise they are 11-11. The 6-8 Reid Travis leads in scoring at 19.4 and adds 7.6 RPG. Three other players are averaging in double digits. Guard Pickens, back from missing seven weeks due to a foot injury, is at 13.4 PPG (in 12 games), the 6-10 Humphrey averages 11.4 PPG and leads in rebounding (7.9) plus PG Davis checks in at 10.4-4.1-4.6.

Oregon State: The Beavers haven't won a road game in over a year and a half (since March of 2016), while Stanford is providing plenty of spread value since the first of the year, covering seven in a row before losing at UCLA on Jan. 27. Stanford has won 21 of its last 23 games against Oregon State at Maples Pavilion, so I'm laying the points and making the Cardinal an 8* play.

The set-up: The Washington Wizards announced on Tuesday that Wall (19.4 & 9.3 APG) would miss up to two months following knee surgery and then went out and handed Thunder their first loss in nine games with a 102-96 triumph, limiting Russell Westbrook to 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting (note: he had scored 46 in a win over Washington at OKC just five days earlier). "Everybody contributed to the win tonight," All-Star guard Bradley Beal told reporters after scoring 21 points and matching a career high with nine assists. "All 15 guys came in and did their job and did what they're supposed to do. So it's a credit to everybody." The 28-22 Wizards will host the 34-15 Toronto Raptors in the finale of a two-game homestand, tonight. The Raptors just beat Minnesota 109-104 at home Tuesday night and after this contest will return to Air Canada Centre to play four in a row where they are 19-4.

Toronto: The Raptors have closed within 1 1/2 games of the Celtics for the East's No. 1 seed and have also put some distance between themselves and the third-seeded Cavs (4 1/2 games). Toronto's All-Star backcourt of DeMar DeRozan (24.4-4.1-5.2) and Kyle Lowry (16.4-6.0-6.6) combined for 38 points and 17 assists in the win over the T-wolves. That duo is complemented by PF Ibaka (13.0 & 6.1) and center Valanciunas (11.8 & 8.4), in the frontcourt. Valanciunas added 18 & 11 against Minnesota, giving him four straight double-doubles while making 33-of-51 shots (64.7%). Toronto's 111.1 PPG ranks third behind only the Warriors and Rockets.

Washington: Otto Porter Jr. (13.8 & 6.2) led the way with 25 points in the win over Oklahoma City and Tomas Satoransky (4.9 & 2.7 APG) made his second straight start in place of Wall a memorable one by helping to lock up Westbrook on the defensive end. "Tomas played well," coach Scott Brooks told the media. "Tomas really battled, and he was trying to stay in front of one of the fastest guards in the league." Satoransky had six assists, five rebounds, two steals and a block, although he did miss all four of his shot attempts. With Wall out, the Wizards will need frontcourt players like Oubre (12.1 & 4.8), Morris (10.6 & 5.6), Scott (9.1 & 3.2) and Gortat (8.9 & 8.0) to pick up some of the scoring slack.

The pick: The Raptors offense has had some stumbles of late but a soft part of the schedule coming up should help them, as this is only one of two road games in stretch of ten games that began after the 108-93 win at Atlanta on Jan. 24. Washington averages 107.0 PPG (9th), so both teams can score. However, as was shown in the first game without Wall, the Wizards kept Westbrook in check and held the Thunder to just 96 points. That kind of pace may be a key to beating the Raptors here. Note that these two teams have met twice already (both time in Toronto), with each winning once. However, look at the final scores, 107-96 and 100-91. Make the Under a 10* play!

The set-up: It's been a rough season for the 20-24-6 Montreal Canadiens. Montreal won the Atlantic division last year with 103 points but with only 46 points so far this season, Montreal finds itself well behind in the wild card standings with five teams ahead of them as the group chases the two current wild card entries, Columbus and Philadelphia. Montreal visits the 23-19-8 Carolina Hurricanes tonight, having lost at home to the Hurricanes 6-5 in the team's final game before the All-Star break. Montreal returned to the ice with 3-1 loss at St. Louis on Tuesday, while the Hurricanes look for their third consecutive victory in the second contest of an eight-game homestand (Carolina beat Ottawa 2-1 on Tuesday).

Montreal: This contest is the second road game among a stretch of seven road games in a 10-game span for Montreal. Making matters worse, the Canadiens might be out of the road routine having played only three times away from home in January, with a 1-2-0 record in those games. Goaltender Carey Price owns the highest goals-against average of his career (3.00) and, despite a solid 28-save performance at St. Louis, he fell to 4-11-0 with a 3.31 GAA in 15 road starts. The Canadiens aren't exactly feeling encouraged after they lost 3-1 on Tuesday night at St. Louis. "We didn't generate much offensively," Montreal head coach Claude Julien said. "It's the same old story. We have to find ways to get on the inside. ... It's important for us to find ways to score some goals. We need results." Captain Max Pacioretty added, "Even when we play pretty decent, it seems like it's just not enough," "We have to figure out how and why that's happening and find ways to win."

Carolina: The Panthers are stuck in the basement of the Metropolitan Division but sit just four points out of third place after opening the homestand with that win over Ottawa. "Everyone is aware of where we are in the standings and in the season," Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner said. "You have an opportunity at home to pick up some points. It's big at any point of the season, but obviously for us right now it's huge." Sebastian Aho missed four games after suffering a concussion and lower-body injury versus Calgary on Jan. 14, but he returned to the lineup with a flourish against Ottawa. Aho sparked the third-period comeback by netting the tying tally, his seventh goal in the past seven games and his team-high 17th. As noted, Carolina began an eight-game homestand with Tuesday night's 2-1 victory against the Ottawa Senators but that was the only victory for the Hurricanes in five January home games.

The pick: However, the Carolina Hurricanes are healthy and they're at home. Head coach Bill Peters said with games on back-to-back days (Thursday and Friday) he'll see what works best in terms of goaltending for the Montreal game. However, he said he liked Cam Ward's sharpness and communication level coming out of the All-Star break in Tuesday's victory. Ward is 19-12-4 with a 2.70 goals-against average versus Montreal and remember, Montreal's Price has an awful road record (see above) and as a team, Montreal is 8-14-1 on the road, allowing 3.39 GPG. Make Carolina an 8* play.

The set-up: After 72 years in the MVC, Wichita State is "trying the AAC on for size" in the 2017-18. So far, so good. The Shockers are 17-4 (7-2 in AAC) as they head to Philly tonight to take on the 11-10 Temple Owls (3-6 in AAC). Wichita State has bounced back from a two-game losing streak with back-to-back 19-point victories, including 90-71 over Tulsa on Sunday. Meanwhile, Temple's 85-57 win over Connecticut on Sunday, its largest margin of victory this season, gives the Owls three wins in their last four to creep one game over .500, overall.

Wichita State: The team's leading scorer is sophomore guard Landry Shamet (14.6 & 5.2 APG) but he's just 5-for-27 from the floor (18.5%) in his last three games, including a horrific 1-for-18 from three-point range. Senior forward Shaquille Morris (12.8 & 4.6) is 20 points shy of becoming the 46th player in school history to reach 1,000 after totaling 39 in his last two games. Sophomore guard Austin Reaves (7.0 points) set a school record for three-pointers in a half with seven Sunday en route to a career-high 23 points. Senior forward Rashard Kelly (team-high 7.7 rebounds) will try to become the first Shocker in more than 21 years to record four straight double-figure rebounding games after grabbing 31 in his last three contests. Wichita State is an excellent offensive team, averaging 83.4 PPG (25th) on 48.2% shooting (30th).

Temple: The Owls' largest margin of victory this season (see above) came right after the team's 75-42 setback at No. 8 Cincinnati on Jan. 24, its most-lopsided loss of the season. Sophomore guard Quinton Rose averages a team-high 14.2 points after scoring 17 versus Connecticut but had only 12 in his previous two games combined. Junior guard Shizz Alston Jr. Alston averages 13.1 PPG and the only other Owl in double figures is 6-10 Senior Obi Enechionyia (11.3 & 6.9). The Owls can't come close to matching the Shockers' firepower, averaging a modest 67.5 PPG (309th) on 41.7% shooting (311th).

The pick: Having just switched leagues, Wichita State has not seen much of Temple and will be looking for its first-ever win over the Owls (0-3 in previous meetings). However, this is a classy Wichita State group, one which ranks fourth nationally in rebounding margin (plus-10.5) and third in the country in assists at 19.1 per game. That bodes well against an offensively-challenged and erratic-shooting (see above) Temple team. The Shockers lead the nation in road wins (71) and road winning percentage (.826) since the start of the 2010-11 season and while Temple has defeated a top-25 team in each of the last 10 seasons, it is 0-3 in such games this campaign and won't get a win here. Make Wichita State a 10* play.

The set-up: The Portland Trail Blazers have gotten things together and last night's 104-96 road victory over the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers (due to the Blake Griffin trade) was the team's sixth win in its last seven games. Portland is now 28-22, giving them what would be the No. 6 seed in the West, three games inside the playoff 'cut line.' The Blazers are back home tonight to face the 18-32 Chicago Bulls, who have lost four consecutive games after dropping a 110-96 decision to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.

Chicago: PG Kris Dunn (13.7-4.6-6.4) will miss his sixth consecutive game due to a concussion and the Chicago offense isn't running on all cylinders without him. Jerian Grant has received more playing time during Dunn's absence but his inconsistency (22 points, 13 assists against New Orleans, a combined 16 points and 11 assists over the following two contests) remains a problem. Guard Zach LaVine returned to action Jan. 13 after missing the first half of the season following ACL surgery on his left knee. LaVine has averaged 12.6 PPG in eight games but has really struggled with his shooting in the past two games, going a combined 5 for 28 from the floor. Overall team health plus the potential potential trade involving forward Nikola Miroti (16.8 & 6.4) are big concerns for the Bulls right now.

Portland: PG Lillard (25.5-4.7-6.5) is on a big-time roll since returning from hamstring and calf injuries and has topped 20 points in each of the last 10 games while averaging 27.4 points during the stretch. Backcourt partner CJ McCollum (21.4) has enjoyed a productive month with 10 , 20-point outings, although he had a modest 16 points on 5-of-18 shooting against the Clippers last night. In contrast, center Jusuf Nurkic matched his career high by collecting 20 rebounds against the Clippers and has been a mainstay for the Blazers, averaging 14.3 & 8.2 on the season. He's the only Blazer in double digits outside of the team's starting backcourt.

.The pick: The Bulls went on a 7-0 run when Nicola Mirotic returned to the court and were 10-2 through his first 12 games back. However, that positive mojo has now 'gone with the wind,' as the team has lost 10 of 15 (four straight) and Mirotic is still expected to be moved before the trade deadline (will Chicago get the first-round pick they want?). Meanwhile, Portland comes in looking for a seventh win in its last eight overall, including an eighth consecutive home win. Portland's averaged 113.3 PPG during its seven-game home winning streak and with both teams having played last night, expect a little less effort on the defensive end all around. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: Cleveland's 99-92 loss at Golden State on Christmas Day sent the team into a 4-10 tailspin, before back-to-back home wins over the Pacers (Fri) and Pistons (Sun) gave a glimpse of a 'light at the end of the tunnel.' However, in last night's quick turnaround matchup with the Pistons (this time in Detroit), the Cavs not only lost 125-114 to the depth-shy Pistons (due to the team's trade with the Clippers), but All-Star power forward Kevin Love (17.9 & 9.4) was removed from the game with 7:19 left in the first quarter and did not return. An X-ray showed a non-displaced fracture of the fifth metacarpal on his left hand, according to the team, and his status would be updated Wednesday. Reports have already surfaced saying that Love will likely miss six-to-eight weeks. Cleveland welcomes the Miami Heat to Quicken Loans Arena tonight, a team which has won 11 of its last 15 contests to reach 29-21, leaving them just one-half game behind the third-place 29-20 Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Miami: The Heat posted a 95-88 win at Dallas on Monday, when they limited the Mavericks to 38.4 percent shooting while holding a fourth straight opponent below 100 points. Center Hassan Whiteside had 25 points (on 10-of-15 shooting) and 14 rebounds against the Mavericks, a performance that occurred one day after an hour-long conversation with coach Erik Spoelstra. Whiteside had averaged just seven points on 6-of-17 shooting over the previous two games but whatever Spoelstra said it worked, as Whiteside (14.6 & 11.9) posted his 18th double-double of the campaign. Dragic (17.0-4.1-4.8) leads the team in scoring but with SG Waiters (14.3) out for the season, Miami is sure glad to get
Tyler Johnson (ankle) back after a five-game absence, even if he's made just 5-of-13 shots in the last two games.

Cleveland: "When it rains, it pours," downcast Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters after the setback. "Kevin has been great for us all year. To lose an All-Star in the midst of what we are going through is tough. But next man up, we've got to be ready to play. But I feel sorry for Kevin." Cleveland has dropped 11 of its last 16 contests and now will be adjusting to not having Love, although he has been involved in team friction lately, most notably with guard Isaiah Thomas. Veteran forward Channing Frye picked up some of the scoring slack last night with season bests of 20 points and four three-pointers, and figures to be one of the players asked to step up his production.

The pick: The Cavs' ATS record has been dreadful (especially at home where it's 5-18-1) but getting right back on the court after the loss to the Pistons (and the loss of Love), may just be a rallying point for this team. The pointspread has been adjusted down and I'm not convinced that Love's absence is all that big of a deal. Make the Cavs a 10* play.

The set-up: The 28-18-5 Toronto Maple Leafs have 61 points, good enough for third-place in the Atlantic Division. The really good news is the top-three teams in each division qualify for the playoffs and the Maple Leafs own a 15-point lead over the Atlantic's fourth-place team (hard to blow that advantage). Oddly enough, Toronto welcomes the 25-21-2 NY Islanders to Air Canada Centre having lost four straight home contests (0-2-2). The Islanders play in the much tougher Metropolitan Division and with 55 points, will likely be fighting for one of the two wild card spots. New York will be coming to Toronto in a bad mood after suffering a 4-1 home loss to Florida on Tuesday, allowing 40 shots and totaling 21 giveaways.

NY Islanders: Captain John Tavares leads the team in scoring (57 points) despite being kept off the scoresheet in three straight contests. All-Star Josh Bailey (12 G / 43 A) notched an assist on Tuesday and has collected five in his last five games to move within two points of Tavares for the team lead. Casey Cizikas (five goals, 11 points) returned to the lineup Tuesday for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury on Jan. 13 while veteran defenseman Johnny Boychuk (lower body) has been skating and could be back on the blue line soon.

Toronto: The Maple Leafs have a comfortable cushion in the playoff race and could get top-four defenseman Nikita Zaitsev (broken foot) back in the lineup as early as Wednesday. Defenseman Morgan Rielly (upper body), who is fourth on the team with 31 points, has missed the last four games but is skating while Zaitsev will be a game-time decision after being out since Dec. 15. All-Star Auston Matthews has recorded three of his team-leading 22 goals in the last four games and tops Toronto with 37 points - one more than William Nylander, who has notched four points in his last three contests.

The pick: The Maple Leafs went into the break on a high note, winning two games in a row, to give them a 5-2-3 mark in their last 10 games. This is their first game since the break, while the Islanders lost Tuesday at home to Florida. The Islanders are just 12-13-2 on the road, where they are allowing an 'ugly' 3.63 GPG. Toronto is just 0-2-2 its last four games at home but had gone 13-6-0 before that. The team's home "mini-slump" ends here. Make Toronto an 8* play.

The set-up: The Miami Hurricanes opened 10-0 and 13-2 but then suffered back-to-back losses to Clemson and Duke. things began looking up for Miami following wins over North Carolina State and Louisville but the Hurricanes fell 103-94 in OT on Saturday at rival Florida State. The 'Canes hope to put that dismal defensive performance behind them and earn a season sweep of Pittsburgh, which began ACC play with a 67-53 loss to Miami on Dec. 30 and a month later is still looking for its first conference win (0-9) after a hard-fought 60-55 loss to Syracuse.

Pittsburgh: The Panthers attempted a season-high 65 field goals in the loss to Syracuse but they connected on a season-low 27.7 percent (18-of-65) from the floor. Pitt now hopes to avoid losing 10 consecutive games for just the third time in school history. Pittsburgh has started three or more freshmen in a game 14 times this season, including each of the last 12 contests, with four – Marcus Carr, Khameron Davis, Parker Stewart and Terrell Brown – starting in the first meeting with Miami. PG Carr (10.4 & 4.1 APG) is the only freshman averaging in double digits, as junior guard Wilson-Frame (12.8) and 6-9 senior Luther (12.7 & 10.1) are the team's top scorers.

Miami: A tough week for Miami got even tougher on Tuesday with the news that versatile sophomore guard Bruce Brown (11.4-7.1-4.0) hurt his foot in practice and will undergo surgery that will keep him out at least six weeks. The Hurricanes will now need to make their push for the NCAA Tournament without their top rebounder and second-leading scorer. Miami will need to lean more on The Huell (13.5 & 6.9), the team's leading scorer, and heralded freshmen Lonnie Walker IV (10.8), the ACC's Co-Rookie of the Week after putting up 25 points against Louisville and 23 versus Florida State.

The pick: The Panthers have used 15 different starting lineups (the most in the NCAA) and are still looking for their first victory since December 22. However, while Miami's defense was a strength early on, that hasn't been the case with the team splitting its last 10 games. In fact, Miami couldn't contain the Seminoles, who became the first team to shoot 60 percent in a game against Miami since Villanova shot 62.7 percent on March 24, 2016.Pittsburgh hasn't won a road game since February 8 of last year but Miami, especially with the loss of Brown, should not be laying this many points. Make Pittsburgh a 10* play.

The set-up; The Kentucky Wildcats opened the season No. 5 in the AP's preseason poll and was at No. 18 when it lost back-to-back games on Jan. 16th & 20th. The Wildcats fell out of the AP's Jan 22nd poll, ending a run of 68 straight weeks of being in the top-25. However, with Kentucky's big comeback win over then-No. 7 West Va. last Saturday (trailed West Virginia by 15 at halftime, before outscoring the Mountaineers 50-28 after intermission), the 16-5 Wildcats (5-3 in SEC) are back in the top-25 at No. 21. The Wildcats will host an 8-13 Vanderbilt team coming off a quality win of its own in Tuesday's SEC action. Vanderbilt edged 15-6 TCU 81-78 on Saturday, as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Vanderbilt: Riley LaChance led the 'Dores with 24 points and Jeff Roberson added 20 points. The 6-6 Roberson (15.6 & 7.0) has scored between 17-21 points in nine of his last 11 games and said after the win, "More than anything, it's just a big confidence builder going forward." LaChance (12.7) is one of three guards averaging in double digits for Vandy, joined by senior Fisher-Davis (11.9 & 5.1) and freshman Lee (10.1). However, the Commodores are tied for last place in the SEC standings plus they are 0-4 on the road in league play.

Kentucky: The 6-9 Kevin Knox (15.5 & 5.7) had a career-high 34 points in the win over West Va. but Calipari can't be happy that his team had only one other double-digit scorer against the Mountaineers, with guard Hamidou Diallo (12.7 & 4.6) recording 13 points, his second-highest total in the last nine outings. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (11.8-3.8-4.4) continues to do a little bit of everything for Kentucky, registering six points, five assists, five rebounds and two blocks versus West Virginia. The 6-7 PJ Washington (10.8 & 5.0) notched a career-high 22 points against Mississippi State last week but followed up that effort by scoring only two points in 11 minutes against the Mountaineers.

The pick: It would be hard to argue that this is a vintage Coach Cal edition but the comeback win in Morgantown was impressive. Plus, let's not forget Vandy's 0-4 SEC road mark, where the 'Dores have scored just 60, 62 and 62 points in three straight SEC road losses. Make Kentucky a 10* play.

The set-up: Russell Westbrook has elevated his game to MVP-levels once again during Oklahoma City's eight-game winning streak (longest active in the NBA) and the 27-22 Washington Wizards will now take on Westbrook and the 30-20 Thunder for the second time in less than a week. Westbrook scored a season-high 46 points in a 121-112 win over Washington at home on Thursday and the Wizards, who lave lost four of their last six, could be without All-Star point PG John Wall (knee) for a second straight game.

Oklahoma City: The Thunder are averaging 122.5 points over its last six games and with Westbrook (25.7-9.5-10.1) coming off a 37-point, 14-assist effort in Sunday's intense victory over Philadelphia, he's averaging 33.8 points and 11.8 assists over his last five games. "I play the same way," Westbrook told reporters following the 122-112 triumph. "I can't really give you another answer because I do the same thing every night, regardless of what's going on." Sunday's game was the first since the team lost defensive stalwart Andre Roberson for the season due to a ruptured patella tendon and there may have been some greater incentive to keep the streak alive while figuring out new rotations. Paul George scored 31 points and is averaging 27.8 over a five-game span. George is up to on21.2 & 5.4 the season and 'Melo is at 17.6 & 5.9.

Washington: Wall's absence didn't matter much in Saturday's 129-104 win at Atlanta, as Washington shot 57.6 percent from the from and 56.3 percent from 3-point range, as six players scored in double digits. Head coach Scott Brooks said that Wall (19.4 & 9.3 APG), who missed eight games earlier this season with a sore knee, wanted to play against Atlanta but the team exercised caution ahead of a challenging stretch of five games in eight days, the last three on the road. Markieff Morris (13.6 & 6.9) tied his season high with 23 points and Tim Frazier fell one assist shy of matching his career high when he handed out 14 in the win. Beal (23.9-4.4-3.8) joins Wall in an All-Star backcourt plus six others contribute between 6.2 and 13.6 PPG.

The pick: Wizards could not slow down Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road last week but even if Wall sits, I see this game turning out much differently. Bradley Beal scored 41 points in the earlier loss to the Thunder and note that the Wizards won 120-98 in the last meeting between these two in Washington back on Feb. 13, 2017. Yes, OKC has won eight straight (6-2 ATS) but right before the team's winning streak began, the Thunder had been on a 2-5 SU & ATS run. Westbrook "stared down" Embiid on Sunday and is a "world class" talent but has anyone reminded him he wasn't "won anything" in his career? Or for that matter, neither has George nor 'Melo. Make Washington a 10* play.

The set-up: The two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions are serving notice that they have no intention of going away quietly. The season has been a struggle but Pittsburgh's 2-1 setback at San Jose on Jan. 20 was just the second in the team's last nine outings (7-2-0). The 27-21-3 Penguins now have 57 points and are currently tied with Columbus for second-place in the Metropolitan Division. The Penguins welcome the Sharks to PPG Paints Arena with 26-15-7 San Jose looking to strengthen its grasp on second in the Pacific Division (59 points) after it loosened a bit with back-to-back one-goal losses on the heels of wins in five of its previous six contests.

San Jose: All-Star defenseman Brent Burns (team-high 34 assists, 41 points) set up a pair of goals in the previous tilt versus the Penguins and aims to extend his six-game assist and point streak as the Sharks open a five-game road trip. Logan Couture has turned it on this month with 10 points (five goals, five assists) in his last 10 games, including four (three goals, one assist) during his last three game. He has a team-high 20 goals on the season, putting him within five of his total in 2016-17 and 12 shy of his career-best campaign in 2010-11. Martin Jones (14-11-4, 2.68 GAA & .910 SP) is expected to return in goal after sitting out his team's last four games with an undisclosed ailment.

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins have been picking up steam in January. Crosby is riding high with a nine-game assist and point streak (three goals, 16 assists). The Pens have won the first two contests of their four-game homestand to improve to 17-7-1 at PPG Paints Arena on the season. Matt Murray is expected to return to the crease on Tuesday, marking 26 full days since his last start (Jan. 4) and 23 since his last game action (Jan. 7). He left the team to spend time with his family prior to the death of his father, James, on Jan. 16, and was kept on the bench when he returned to the club by coach Mike Sullivan.

The pick: Murray has silenced the Sharks during his young career, turning aside all 32 shots he faced in his lone encounter last season and posting a 1.77 goals-against average as Pittsburgh captured the Stanley Cup in 2016 with a six-game series. As for Martin's return to goal for San Jose, he's just 5-7-2 on the road this season with a 2.85 goals-against. That leaves a bit to be desired, considering Pittsburgh averages 3.32 GPG at home. Make Pittsburgh an 8* play.

The set-up: The Boston Celtics lost 109-105 in Oakland to Golden State this past Saturday but the 35-15 Celtics still own the East's best record. However, the Raptors have closed within one game of Boston after it has lost five of its last six games. The Celtics will be looking to go 2-2 on their four-game road trip with a win tonight in Denver against the 26-23 Nuggets. However, the Nuggets are looking to wrap of their five-game homestand with a fourth win and Denver is an impressive 19-6 at the Pepsi Center on the season.

Boston: The Celtics led most of the game at the defending champion Warriors on Saturday, before falling just short in a 109-105 loss. Irving was brilliant in Saturday's setback, scoring 37 points on 13-of-18 shooting while going 5-of-6 from three-point range. However, Stephen Curry "one-upped" him with 49 points! Boston's recent slump is just the latest indicator that Brad Stevens needs a tune-up for the Boston engine, as Celtics rank last in NBA offensive efficiency since mid-December. With Hayward out, Boston has falled to 23rd in scoring (102.9 PPG) and ranks 24th by making 44.7% of its shots. However, great defense has kept Boston atop the East, as the Celtics rank first in FG percentage (43.3) and second in points allowed (98.5 per).

Denver: The Nuggets followed up a 130-118 Thursday win over the Knicks by edging the Mavs 91-89 on Saturday. Being able to win a high-scoring game and a grind-it-out game is a good sign for the team. "To be a good team in the NBA, you have to be able to win (playing) different styles," head coach Michael Malone told reporters. "... It shows that late in the game, you have to be able execute on offense. And at the end of the game, you gotta be able to get timely stops." The Nuggets aren't worrying about the finals but they are focused on making the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. They occupy the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference after winning three in a row and are just 1 1/2 games behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the sixth seed (note: New Orleans just lost DeMarcus Cousins for teh season).

The pick: I realize Denver owns an impressive home record (see above) but the Nuggets have lost two home games in January to the sad-sack Atlanta Hawks and equally inept Phoenix Suns, plus nearly let one slip away against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night. Boston has an excellent 16-7 SU record on the road and is a remarkable 9-1 ATS as a dog, Make Boston a 10* play.

The set-up: The 17-4 Kansas Jayhawks (6-2 in Big 12) are currently ranked No. 5 in the latest AP poll (a new poll will be released Monday afternoon), as thy head to Manhattan Kansas to take on in-state and Big 12 rival Kansas State. The Wildcats are 16-5 (5-3 in Big 12) and are looking to avenge a one-point loss suffered in Lawrence just two weeks ago (Jan. 13). Kansas leads the overall series with Kansas State, 194-93, including having won 55 of the last 60 meetings dating to Feb. 12, 1994.

Kansas: Devonte Graham scored 23 points and Malik Newman hit two go-ahead free throws with 15 seconds left to provide Kansas that 73-72 win in the first meeting. Kansas features a four-guard lineup in which Graham ( leads in scoring (17.3) and assists (7.3). The remaining three starting guards are Mykhailiuk (16.8 & 4.0), Vick (13.4 & 5.5) and Newman (11.9 & 4.9). The 7-0 Azubuike (13.9 & 7.6) is the fifth starter. No other player scores as much as 5.0 PPG. Mykhailiuk scored 24 points and Newman added 15 and a team-high seven rebounds in the Jayhawks’ 79-68 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday but the Jayhawks lost last Tuesday 85-80 at Oklahoma. The Sooners fouled center Udoka Azubuike repeatedly in the second half to come from behind, as Azubuike missed all but one of his eight free throws. Kansas coach Bill Self blamed himself for not taking Azubuike out in crunch time, and said he expects other teams to do the same thing if he leaves in his big man, who is shooting 37.5 percent from the line. "Bad decision," Self said after Tuesday's game. "It was on me, for this game. I did not do our team any favors

Kansas State: The 6-8 Dean Wade has taken center stage for Kansas State over the last two weeks. He kicked off a streak of five consecutive 20-point outings with 22 in that 73-72 loss to the Jayhawks back on Jan. 13 and capped it with 20 points and eight rebounds as the Wildcats pushed their winning streak to four games in a 56-51 win over Georgia on Saturday. The winning run has corresponded with the insertion into the lineup of backup PG Cartier Diarra. Starting guard Kamau Stokes (13.4 & 4.6 APG) is sidelined with a broken bone in his foot (happened against against Texas Tech on ). Diarra (6.9) has averaged 13.2 points per game in his six starts. Guard Barry Brown also has picked up the slack. He's averaging 22.0 points in those games, compared with his team-leading 17.3 on the season. Getting back to Wade, he's averaging 16.2 & 6.5, while guard Sneed (11.0 & 4.4) also adds double digits.

The pick: Kansas State coach Bruce Weber has his team playing very well. KSU has not trailed in a conference game since a brief one-point deficit in the first half against Oklahoma back on Jan. 16. The Wildcats defeated the Sooners 87-69 with a second-half eruption, then led wire-to-wire at home against TCU and at Baylor. In their most recent game, they overcame a second-half deficit to defeat Georgia 56-51 Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. However, as note already, this series is lopsided in Kansas' favor. Then again, not as much as it was a decade ago. Kansas won 25 straight games between 1983 and 2007 on the Wildcats' home floor but Kansas-State has won four of the last 10 games in Manhattan. Kansas' Bill Self, in his 15th season, has won all but one conference championship in his time there. He relies on strong guard play, a dependable big man, at least away from the free-throw line (see above), and a solid defense. The Wildcats may be 11-1 at home this season but these are the type of games Kansas has been winning against Kansas State (and the rest of the Big 12, as well), for years. Make the Jayhawks a 10* play.

The set-up: The Minnesota Timberwolves are a different team with Jimmy Butler in the lineup and the All-Star guard's return helped them avoid a three-game slide. Butler sat out four games with right knee soreness and watched his team fall to fellow Western Conference playoff contenders Portland and Golden State on the road before returning on Saturday and helping Minnesota to a 111-97 home win over the Brooklyn Nets. Butler will continue to shake off the rust and try to lead the Timberwolves to back-to-back victories when they visit the NBA-worst Atlanta Hawks (14-35) on Monday. Atlanta just allowed the Washington Wizards to shoot 57.6 percent from the floor in a 129-104 loss on Saturday and the team's latest slide (just three games), has seen them allow an average of 119.3 PPG.

Minnesota: Minnesota surrendered an average of 119 points in the four games that Butler missed but forced 16 turnovers in the easy win, while allowing 97 points. "Defense is what wins this game," All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns, who added three blocks and a steal to his 16 points and 19 rebounds, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The double-double was an NBA-leading 43rd for Towns, who is averaging 20.1 & 12.2. Butler averages a team-high 21.7 PPG (also 5.4 RPG & 5.0 APG) and Wiggins 18.2 & 4.2. That trio is joined by PG Teague (13.3 & 6.9 APG), PF Gibson (12.1 & 7.5) and sixth-man Crawford (10.0) in double digits.

Atlanta: The Hawks now lean heavily on PG Dennis Schroder (19.6 & 6.4 APG), who has replaced Jeff Teague. However, Atlanta needs more consistency from the supporting players on the offensive end. The team does have six players other than Schroder averaging in double digits but the team is averaging only 103.5 PPG (21st).

The pick: Despite their far different records, the 32-20 Timberwolves and the 14-35 Hawks have the same record against the opposite conference. Minnesota is 8-11 against the East and Atlanta is 8-11 against the West. Minnesota has the second-best home record in the NBA at 20-6 but the Timberwolves have lost six of their past seven on the road going into tonight's game in Atlanta. The Timberwolves defeated the Hawks 82-84 in Atlanta and 104-90 in Minnesota last season. Expect another low-scoring game, making the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: Friday's 78-point effort marked a season low for San Antonio, which went 3-of-24 from three-point range and was out-rebounded 56-39 in losing at home to the Philadelphia 76ers. It should come as no surprise that head coach Gregg Popovich wasn't too pleased with how his team performed in that 97-78 home loss. The Spurs have now dropped two of their last three in their own building, following a 14-game home winning streak. The Spurs will welcome the 15-33 Sacramento Kings to AT&T Center tonight. The Kings have the West's worst record and own just an 8-19 road mark but two of those wins have come in the team's most recent two games, part of a six-game road swing.

Sacramento: The Kings are giving longer looks to their younger players and were led by the likes of Buddy Hield and De'Aaron Fox while closing Thursday's 89-88 win at Miami on a 17-4 run. The game before, the Kings won 105-99 in Orlando. Sacramento is sitting veterans every game in an effort to get younger players more minutes, and point guard George Hill taking the night off Thursday meant more room for Fox. The rookie from Kentucky responded with 14 points in 30 minutes, including the deciding dunk with three seconds remaining. Buddy Hield scored 24 points for Sacramento against the Heat and ranks second on the team with 12.7 PPG, behind veteran PF Randolph (14.3 & 6.9). Fox is averaging 10.4 & 4.2 APG with center Willie Cauley-Stein averaging 12.4 & 6.8. However, Cauley-Stein suffered a bone bruise in his right knee in Thursday's win (revealed by a Friday MRI) and will sit out the next two games, before being be re-evaluated.

San Antonio: "Their defense got us out of everything," head coach Gregg Popovich told reporters after Friday's loss to Philly. "Our defense wasn't great. Their speed got us. We didn't get back in transition. So, I thought they did a great job. If I was a San Antonio fan tonight, I'd ask for my money back." Friday marked the opener of a five-game homestand for San Antonio, which still owns an NBA-best 20-4 mark at home. However, the Spurs are still missing superstar Kawhi Leonard, who was shut down nearly two weeks ago with a recurrence of quad tendinopathy and still does not have a timetable for a return. Add to Leonard's absence the fact that Rudy Gay (right heel bursitis) is out until late-Feb. and Manu Ginobili (right thigh contusion) is at best, day-to-day.

The pick: Coming off that embarrassing home loss to the Sixers, no way we won't see a much better effort here by the Spurs against the Kings, By the way, San Antonio has taken the last 12 in the series (not to mention 32 of the last 34 against Sacramento), including a 107-100 win at Sacramento back on Jan. 8. The fact that the Kings seem a little more loose these days worries me some, as does the fact that the Kings own a 6-2 ATS mark in last eight visits to the AT&T Center. With this low over/under number, I'm making the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Milwaukee Bucks are 2-0 since dismissing head coach Jason Kidd but both games were played at home against lower-rung teams like Phoenix (17-32) and Brooklyn (18-32). The 25-22 Bucks will be on the road on Sunday against the Bulls but while Chicago is just 18-31 overall, one has to note that after a 3-20 start, the Bulls have gone a playoff-worthy 15-11 in their last 26 games. That's despite coming into this contest on a three-game slide.

Milwaukee: All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (28.5-10.2-4.6) returned from a two-game absence on Friday and looked refreshed while collecting 41 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in 33 minutes. Shooting guard Khris Middleton, one of teh NBA's more underrated players who is averaging 20.4-5.2-4.2, pointed to joy as one of the reasons for the easy win. "That's what we're getting back to, just having fun," Middleton told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "We're playing for one another. When we're having fun and relaxed, but we play hard we're one of the best teams, I feel like. The last two nights we showed it. Granted, it wasn't against some of the best teams, but we feel like we can do that every night." The Bucks remain inside the Eastern Conference's playoff picture after winning back-to-back games under interim coach Joe Prunty, as they visit the United Center as the No. 8 seed but with a 3 1/2-game gap between them and the 9th-seeded Pistons.

Chicago: The Bulls are having some trouble finding a rhythm with starting PG Kris Dunn (13.7-4.6-6.4) out with a concussion and Zach LaVine working his way into the rotation off a severe knee injury. "Kris (is) obviously our best push guard and getting the ball down in a hurry and is our best player in our flow offense," Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters. "We're still adjusting without Kris, who obviously has been a big part of what we are doing here. We are trying to get Zach reintegrated into what we are doing as well. Some if it is moving parts, understanding where guys are on the floor." LaVine went 3-of-17 from the floor in Friday's loss and is shooting 38.2 percent through seven games, averaging 13.6 & 4.6. Big man Lauri Markkanen (1715.3 & 7.7) has been one of the league's best rookies and the return of Nikola Mirotic (17.1 & 6.4 in 24 games), has made the Bulls a competitive team.

The pick: Chicago has won the two previous games this season (both at Milwaukee in Dec.) by similar scores, 115-109 and 115-106. However, Chicago has struggled mightily without guard Kris Dunn, who remains out with concussion symptoms. The Bulls have lost three of four without Dunn and Milwaukee's Antetokounmpo, after missing the previous two games with right knee soreness, finished Friday's victory with 41 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks. He got an extended eight-game break by missing those two game and it seemingly provided him with the rest he needed, if results mean anything! Make Milwaukee an 8* play.

The set-up: The Purdue Boilermakers were pushed for 40 minutes for one of the few times in Big Ten play this past Thursday versus No. 25 Michigan, eventually coming away with their 11th consecutive conference win,. Purdue is 20-2 overall this season (including 9-0 in Big Ten play) and riding a 16-game winning streak. The Boilermakers may be ranked "only" No. 3 in the latest AP poll but the way the team is shooting from long-range and playing defense (see below), the Boilermakers can make a claim they have the best team in the country. Purdue will venture into Assembly Hall in Bloomington, In. on Sunday, to take on the 12-9 Indiana Hoosiers (5-4 in Big Ten play). The Hoosiers are perhaps the conference's most Jekyll-and-Hyde team when it comes to playing at home versus on the road, going 4-0 at Assembly Hall during league action but just 1-4 away from Bloomington.

Purdue: The Boilermakers enjoy a size advantage in just about every game with 7-2 Isaac Haas (14.1 & 5.30 and 7-3 Matt Haarms (5.8 & 3.8) patrolling the paint. Sophomore guard Carsen Edwards (17.0-3.8-3.1) leads the team in scoring, followed by 6-8 senior forward Vincent Edwards (15.6 & 7.3), who is scored a career-high 30 points against Michigan. Purdue averages 85.1 PPG (15th), while shooting 50.8% as team (11th). That includes the nation's second-best three-point percentage of 44.2. Purdue is holding opponents to 38.7% shooting (38.7), while allowing just 63.4 PPG (16th).

Indiana: The Hoosiers are coming off maybe their most disheartening road loss of the season, as despite shooting 56.8 percent, they committed 18 turnovers to allow Illinois to get its first conference win (1-8) in a 73-71 decision on Wednesday. The 6-8 Juwan Morgan, who is one of only two Big Ten players who rank inside the top-10 in the conference in scoring (16.0), rebounding (7.1) and field-goal percentage (59.8), is averaging 26.5 points on 22-of-32 shooting over his last two games. The second-leading scorer (and the only other Indiana player in double digits) is Robert Johnson (13.6) but he was held to eight points in Wednesday's loss, after averaging 16.4 PPG over his previous 10 outings.

The pick: Purdue and Virginia are the only Power-5 schools that remain undefeated in conference play. Could Purdue fall victim here to Indiana, which is a perfect 4-0 vs. Big Ten foes at home? Hoosiers head coach Archie Miller could sure use a 'marquee win" and this would sure qualify. All good things must come to an end. "Upset alert" today in Bloomington. Make Indiana a 10* play.

The set-up: The Nuggets have won back-to-back games to end a 2-6 slide to reach 25-23 on the season. After shooting below 50 percent in 10 straight games, the Nuggets hit 60 percent of their shot attempts in a 130-118 win over the New York Knicks on Thursday to improve to 2-1 on this current five-game homestand. The Nuggets welcome the Mavericks to the Pepsi Center tonight, a team they knocked off back on Jan. 16 right here. That loss was part of Dallas' recent 1-5 slide, which gives them a 16-33 mark. This visit to Denver begins a stretch in which Dallas plays eight of 11 on the road, where the Mavs have gone 6-16 on the season.

Dallas: The Mavs have no illusions of making the playoffs this year, as they are well on their way to a second consecutive losing season. Building for the future seems to be priority No. 1, so it seems likely that the Mavs will move some player(s) as the NBA trade deadline nears. One wouldn't think that would include Harrison Barnes, the team's leading scorer (18.4) and rebounder (6.8), or prized rookie PG Dennis Smith Jr. (14.8-3.1-3.9). The Mavs were once a good offensive team but that's no longer the case, as Dallas checks in averaging only 102.2 PPG, to rank 24th of 30 teams.

Denver: Veteran Wilson Chandler was moved to the bench and the shift seemed to spark the 30-year-old forward in Thursday's win. Chandler made 6-of-9 shots en route to 16 points in his best shooting effort since Jan. 3. The Nuggets' focus on a faster pace has led to two straight wins and a spot back in the Western Conference playoff picture. The Nuggets had fallen behind the LA Clippers after losing six of eight games but have now passed L.A. to sit in the eighth position. The Nuggets have recommitted to a high-octane offense and that offense clicked on all cylinders when it scored 130 points against the Knicks. Leading scorer Harris (17.2) scored 23 points and Trey Lyles (10.8 & 5.0) had 21 on 9-of-12 shooting to pace had to Denver. Center Nikola Jokic (16.2-10.3-5.1) had 29 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists in Denver's 105-102 home win on Jan. 16 over the Mavs. Jokic has carried a big load with PF Millsap (15.3 & 6.2) out until around late-Feb.

The pick: These teams have met twice so far this season, with the home team capturing both. Dallas nearly rallied to win that Jan. 16 game in Denver and the Nuggets are just 2-6-2 ATS in their last 10. It would not be surprising to see Dallas keep this close and to do that, it figures to be a lower scoring game than the over/under number indicates. That's my bet. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: Both Virginia Tech (14-6, 3-4 ACC) and Notre Dame ( (13-7, 3-4 ACC) have been in the top-25 at one point this season but that's not the case now, as the teams square off at the Joyce Center in South Bend. The Hokies had lost two straight games but beat No. 10 North Carolina on Monday, 80-69. As for Notre Dame, the Irish have lost their last four games, after a 67-58 loss at Clemson in their last outing.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies have a nice six-man rotation, with five players scoring in double digits The 6-6 Clarke just misses, but is a valuable contributor at 8.7 PPG & a team-high 6.9 RPG. Guard Hill (14.9) is the leading scorer and joined in double digits by PG Robinson (12.5 & 5.5 APG). The 6-10 Blackshear (13.5 & 6.5) is the team's best frontcourt player. Va. Tech shoots well, ranking third in the nation in field-goal percentage (51.8), second in the ACC in points per game at 85.4) (15th in the nation) and first in the ACC in three-point percentage at 39.7 (25th in the nation).

Notre Dame: Injuries continue to hurt Notre Dame, as guard Matt Farrell (15.7 & 5.3 APG) will join fellow starters Bonzie Colson (21.4 & 10.4) and D.J. Harvey (5.8) on the sidelines Saturday with an ankle bone bruise. The Fighting Irish continue to struggle offensively in wake of all the injuries, averaging just 61.6 PPG over their last five. The Irish will lean heavily on senior forward Martinas Geben (10.0 & 8.1) and sophomore guard T.J. Gibbs (14.9) to put up points on Saturday. Geben is one of five players averaging a double-double in ACC action (12.6 points, 10.9 rebounds), while Gibbs is sixth in the conference in three-point percentage (40.7) and seventh in assist/turnover ratio (2.21).

The pick: Virginia Tech may shoot well (see above) but the Hokies have turned the ball over 10 or more times in 15 of their 19 games this season (note: have 41 TOs in their last three games). Injuries have crippled Notre Dame but the Fighting Irish are still playing smart basketball, committing the fewest fouls in the NCAA at 13.2 per game. Make Notre Dame a 10* play.

The set-up: The 22nd-ranked Tennessee Volunteers (14-5) look to record a sixth win in seven games when they visit Hilton Coliseum on Saturday to take on the 11-8 Iowa State Cyclones as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Tennessee raced out to a 17-point halftime lead and then held on for a 67-62 home win against Vanderbilt in its last game. As for Iowa State, the Cyclones fell behind early and never recovered in a 73-57 loss at Texas on Monday.

Tennessee: Jordan Bowden broke out of a shooting slump Tuesday just in time to beat Vanderbilt. He scored 19 points and tied a career high with five three-pointers, after entering the night shooting 25 percent in conference games. Bowden (10.3) is one of four guards averaging between 6.3 and 10.3 PPG. However, the team's top-two producers are the 6-7 Williams (16.5 & 6.2) and 6-5 small forward Schofield (12.8 & 5.8). Tennessee leads the SEC in assists per game (14.6), ranks second in field-goal percentage (45.6) and third in scoring offense (76.5), scoring margin (plus-3.5) and free-throw percentage (77.3).

Iowa State: Nick Weiler-Babb and Lindell Wigginton finished with 15 points each, while Cameron Lard added a double-double (12 & 12) to go along with three blocks, in the Cyclones' loss vs. Texas. Wigginton a two-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honoree, is averaging 20.2 points and 3.6 three-pointers in the last five outings, as well as a team-leading 16.2 PPG on the season. Meanwhile, fellow freshman, the 6-9 Lard, is averaging 13.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.2 blocks in six career starts (12.1 & 7.3 on the season). Iowa State is one of four programs in the six major conferences to have two freshmen averaging at least 12 points (minimum 10 games played), joining California, Duke and Kentucky. Veteran guards Jackson (15.5) and Weiler-Babb (12.2-7.2-7.2) are also big-time contributors.

The pick: The Big 12/SEC Challenge features 11 games on Saturday between two of the top conferences in the nation. Data analyst Ken Pomeroy has the Big 12 ranked No. 1, and the SEC No. 4. It's hard to ignore that Iowa State has won its last five games against top-25 non-conference teams at Hilton Coliseum but the Cyclones have lost seven seniors from last year's team that reached the Sweet 16. Tennessee is worth an 8* play.

analysis coming

The set-up: It's a day filled with games from the Big 12/SEC Challenge and it starts at 12 noon ET when the 16-4 and 14th-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders visit Columbia, South Carolina to take on the 13-7 South Carolina Gamecocks. The Big 12 and SEC split their annual matchup last season, 5-5. That snapped the Big 12's three-year streak of winning the challenge. Oddly enough, the Big 12/SEC Challenge does not feature a top-25 matchup on the card (note: Kentucky at West Virginia is slotted in prime time but the Wildcats fell out of the top-25 on Monday after being ranked for 68 straight weeks. However, Trae Young and Oklahoma at Alabama and/or the Red Raiders versus the Gamecocks could steal the show before the Wildcats and Mountaineers tip off.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders fell at Oklahoma on Jan. 9, then dropped back-to-back road games to unranked Texas and Iowa State last week, before pulling out of the slide with a 75-70 home victory over Oklahoma State on Tuesday. Senior guard Keenan Evans was a combined 5-of-20 from the floor in the losses at Texas and Iowa State but he found his shooting stroke on Tuesday and scored 26 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Evans leads the Red Raiders in scoring at 17.1 PPG ((3.1 RPG & 3.4 APG). Joining him in double figures are a pair of 6-5 freshman guards, Jarrett Culver (10.9 & 4.2) and Zhaire Smith (10.1 & 4.6). Tech relies on its top-notch defense, holding opponents to 62.0 PPG (7th) on 39.3% shooting (16th).

South Carolina; The Gamecocks are fresh off a 77-72 victory on the road against No. 20 Florida and can add another "quality win" to their NCAA Tournament credentials. The South Carolina duo of 6-9 forward Chris Silva and guard Wesley Myers combined for 40 points in the win over Florida. The Gamecocks also nailed 11 of 21 three-pointers. Silva leads the team in scoring (14.7) and rebounding (8.0) with only guard Booker (11.1 & 3.2) joining him in double digits. All Frank Martin teams must play defense and this year's edition is no exception, allowing 65.8 PPG (38th).

The set-up: The Gamecocks will be facing their fourth consecutive ranked opponent and are looking to move to 3-1 in that span. South Carolina sandwiched wins over Kentucky and Florida around a home loss to Tennessee but note that the victory over the Gators on Wednesday gave the program its first road win over a ranked opponent in nearly two years. FAU senior transfer guard Frank Bookeis r now scoring in double digits most nights, taking some of the pressure off Silva. Meanwhile, Chris Beard's Texas Tech team has been slugging it out in the tough Big 12 and is beginning to show some wear and tear. This trip to Colonial Life Arena is likely an unwelcome one at this time of the season. Make South Carolina an 8* play.

The set-up: The Cleveland Cavaliers have never recovered from their 99-92 loss at Golden State on Christmas Day, entering tonight's game just 3-10 to fall to 27-19. The Cavs are now 6 1/2 games back of the top-seeded Celtics, five game back of the second-seeded Raptors and incredibly, only 3 1/2 games up on the eighth-seed 76ers (chew on that for awhile!). A team meeting and an airing of grievances hardly seems to have helped and the Cavs will welcome the 26-22 Indiana Pacers to Quicken Loans Arena looking to avenge three previous losses this season to the Pacers. Indiana has won seven of its last 10 after building a 38-point lead in the third quarter and cruising past the Phoenix Suns 116-101 on Wednesday.

Indiana: The Pacers added to Cleveland's misery by overcoming a 22-point deficit to down the Cavaliers 97-95 on Jan. 12, after winning the first two meetings, 124-107 at Cleveland and 106-102 at Indiana. Victor Oladipo was named to his first All-Star Game on Tuesday and celebrated with 21 points and nine assists in 33 minutes against the Suns. Oladipo is averaging 24.1-5.2-4.0 and scored 19 points in the Jan. 12 win while Lance Stephenson (8.6-5.6-3.0) collected 16 points and 11 rebounds in that one plus also played strong defense against Cleveland superstar LeBron James. The Pacers shoot very well (47.9% as team ranks 4th) but would surely like to get a little better point production, as they average 106.4 PPG (12th).

Cleveland: The Cavs held a team meeting on Monday that included coach Tyronn Lue and general manager Koby Altman and reportedly it got quite heated. However, nothing changed on the court as the team dropped a 114-102 decision at San Antonio on Tuesday. "When it gets tough, we've just got to stay together," Lue told reporters. "Some guys are frustrated because they missed shots. Some guys are frustrated because they can't get their rhythm. Some guys are frustrated when they get scored on. So, I think it's a combination of a lot of things. But for the most part, (we've) just got to stay together and continue to play the game." Lue signaled after Tuesday's loss that there would be changes coming to the lineup but LBJ (26.8-7.9-8.6) will naturally be expected to carry the load. The Cavs have struggled tremendously to make virtually anything work with Isaiah Thomas on the court, as in his eight games, he may be averaging 15.9 PPG but he's shooting just 39.1%, including 28.0% on threes. Lue plans to start Tristan Thompson (5.3 & 5.7) at center and slide Kevin Love (18.4 & 9.4) back to power forward, which means Jae Crowder (8.7 & 3.3) goes to the bench. Either way, the Cavs HAVE to find a way to improve a defense that is the league's second-worst, including THE worst over the team's last 15 past games.

The pick: The Cavs are a mind-numbing 12-33-1 ATS, which includes an unfathomable 3-18-1 at home.That said, in a 'TRIPLE-REVENGE" situation, I have to be on the Cavs. Make Cleveland a 10* play.

The set-up: The Detroit Mercy Titans are just 6-15 on the season (2-6 in Horizon League play) and will travel to the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio to take on the 15-6 Wright State Raiders, who are tied atop the Horizon League standings at 7-1 with Northern Kentucky.
Detroit: The Titans are coming off a 92-86 loss this past Saturday vs. Oakland. Detroit Mercy made a respectable comeback towards the end of the game but couldn’t overcome the 50-29 deficit they put themselves in at halftime. Detroit Mercy allowed Oakland to shoot 50.8% from the floor and 42.3% (11-26) from beyond the arc in the loss. That's been THE problem this season. Detroit averages 81.7 PPG (37th), led by 6-9 guard Chatman (17.9 & 8.9) plus fellow guards Allen (16.7 & 4.0) and Jackson (12.5-3.2-3.1) but allows opponents 87.3 PPG (348th) on 47.5% shooting (323rd).

Wright State: The Raiders score a more modest 71.4 PPG (250th) but play solid defense, allowing 66.5 PPG (48th). Wright State also has a nice trio of guards in Benzinger (14.8 & 4.8), Mitchell (11.1 & 7.1) and Hughes (9.6 & 3.2 APG) plus also has the 6-9 Love in the frontcourt, who is almost averaging a double-double on the season at 11.4 & 9.1. The Raiders had their eight-game winning streak snapped last Saturday, falling 66-61 at the Milwaukee Panthers. Wright State fell behind by 37-30 margin at halftime and although they took a 59-58 lead with less than five minutes to play, the Raiders couldn’t stay perfect in conference play after Milwaukee held Wright State scoreless for the final 3:18 of regulation.

The set-up; There can be doubt about which the better team is but the Raiders don't have the offensive 'punch' needed to be a dependable favorite. Wright State may be 9-1 at home and holding opponents to 57.6 PPG but the Raiders are also averaging only 64.8 PPG in their home games on the offensive end. Detroit has been held under 66 points just twice in its 21 games this season. Take the big points and make Detroit a 10* play.

The set-up: The Vancouver Canucks host the Buffalo Sabres. Vancouver Canucks matched a season high for goals in a 6-2 victory over Los Angeles on Tuesday but at 19-23-6 (44 points), they sit 13 points behind Colorado for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the 13-26-9 Buffalo Sabres may be vying for their first three-game winning streak of the season but the team's 35 points are only two more than NHL-worst Arizona. The Sabres own victories over Calgary 2-1 in overtime on Monday and over Edmonton 5-0 on Tuesday, in winning the first two of their three-game road trip. However, the Canucks have won four straight meetings with the Sabres, including 4-2 at Buffalo back on Oct. 20.

Buffalo: Jack Eichel (team highs of 20 goals and 49 points) had a goal and three assists Tuesday, giving him five and nine during a seven-game point streak. Sam Reinhart had a goal and two assists Tuesday for his third multi-point game of the season. However, Evander Kane (16 goals, 36 points) has been kept off the scoresheet for the last four games and has only one goal and one assist in 10 January contests.is Buffalo's current two-game run a mirage? Buffalo has two straight wins -- on back-to-back nights over Edmonton and Calgary -- for only the second time this season. The last time they've won twice in a row was back in October!

Vancouver: Head coach Travis Green inserted Bo Horvat on a line with Loui Eriksson and Thomas Vanek, and the trio produced three goals and five assists in Tuesday's 6-2 victory. "I thought putting Horvat with Loui and Vanek would give both of them a little bit of life, a little bit of energy,'' Green told reporters. "Both those guys know they are going to play a lot when they play with Bo and they are going to get offensive chances." Green also shifted Calder Trophy candidate Brock Boeser to the top line with Daniel and Henrik Sedin and he responded with two goals, giving him an NHL rookie-most 24 on the season. Boeser also leads the club with 43 points with Vanek (14 goals) second at 35, followed by Henrik (30 assists, 32 points) and Daniel (11 goals, 30 points).

The pick: Both teams come into tonight's game at Rogers Arena on the heels of one-sided wins in their previous games. The Sabres blanked the Edmonton Oilers 5-0 on Tuesday night, and the Canucks thrashed the Los Angeles Kings 6-2, deciding the issues in the first six minutes. These are not the kind of results that one usually expects from the Sabres and Canucks (see season marks above). However, Vancouver is just four games under .500 on the season, while Buffalo is 13 games under. The Sabres are the NHL's lowest scoring team (2.29 GPG) and rank 28th (of 31 teams) in goals allowed (3.38 per). No way I want this team in a third straight road game after having won the first two. Make Vancouver an 8* play.

analysis coming

The set-up: Third-ranked Purdue (19-2 / 8-0 Big Ten) puts its ranking and 15-game winning streak on the line when it hosts 17-5 Michigan (6-3 Big Ten), which is currently 25th in the latest AP poll. A win would move Purdue to 9-0 in the Big Ten for the first time in program history and give the Boilermakers a sweep of the season series with the Wolverines, following a 70-69 triumph in Ann Arbor on Jan. 9. The Wolverines just finished a stretch of eight games in 22 days with six wins but have reached the 70-point mark just once in their last five contests and will now face a Purdue squad that has held three straight opponents to 50 or fewer points.

Michigan: The Wolverines beat Rutgers 62-47 on Sunday, rebounding from a 72-52 loss at Nebraska. The 6-11 Moritz Wagner (14.3 & 7.1) led the way with 16 points to go along with six rebounds in the win against Rutgers, after being held to a season-low two points in the loss to the Cornhuskers. Two big guards, Matthews (14.6 & 5.2) and Abdur-Rahkman (10.5-4.0-3.2) join Moritz in double digits on the season. Abdur-Rahkman is ranked second nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (5.38). John Beilein teams always play excellent defense an this one is no different, Michigan ranks third in the Big Ten and 11th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 62.5 PPG.

Purdue: Speaking of defense, Purdue holds opponents to 62.2 PPG (9th) on 37.7% shooting (4th). That goes nicely with an offense averaging 84.8 PPG (19th) on 50.3% shooting (10th).The Edwards' boys (not related), Carsen and Vince, lead the way for Purdue. Guard Carsen averages 17.2-4.0-3.1 and the 6-8 Vince adds 14.9 & 7.8. The 7-2 Haas (13.1 & 5.2) and PG Mathias (12.7-4.0-4.6) round out the double digit scorers.

The pick: Purdue has won 10 consecutive Big Ten regular-season games dating back to last year and hopes to extend its home winning streak to 13 (9-0 this season) with a win here. However, Purdue has not beaten Michigan twice in one season since 2008 and narrowly edged Michigan 70-69 back on Jan. 9 in Ann Arbor, after taking the lead on free throw by Isaac Haas with four seconds remaining. The last three times Michigan has played as an underdog this season, the Wolverines won 59-52 at Texas (+ 5 1/2), lost 70-69 at home to Purdue (+ 1 1/2) and won 82-72 at Michigan St. (+ 9 1/2). This is too many points. Make Michigan a 10* play.

The set-up: The College of Charleston Cougars won their second straight game and improved to 14-6 (5-3 CAA) on the season after defeating the Hofstra Pride, this past Saturday, 76-70. The Cougars will travel to the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, De, to take on the Delaware Blue Hens this Thursday night in CAA play. The Blue Hens lost their second consecutive game this past Saturday 76-64 to Northeastern, falling to 11-10 (4-4 CAA) on the season.

College of Charleston: The Cougars fell behind by as many as 18 points in the first half against Hofstra, but tied the game at 54-all midway through the second half, before pulling ahead and winning by six points. Joe Chealey led the way for the Cougars with 33 points. He leads the team in scoring (18.4-4.6-3.2) and is joined by two other excellent scorers. They are fellow guard Grant Riller (16.3) and the 6-7 Jarrell Brantley (16.1 & 5.9). The Cougars are a solid defensive team, holding opponents to 66.6 PPG (52nd).

Delaware: The Blue Hens took a 31-28 halftime lead against the Huskies but struggled to stop Northeastern in the second half, as the Huskies took a 60-49 lead with 6:31 left in regulation. Delaware is a perimeter-oriented team, led by guards Daly (17.1 & 5.9), Allen (14.1), Anderson (13.7 & 4.9) and Mosley (10.8-4.6-3.2). However, Anderson has been lost for the season to a knee injury. Delaware's lone frontcourt player of note is the 6-9 Carter (9.9 & 8.7) but he's scored exactly two points each, in the team's back-to-back losses.
The pick: Charleston has struggled away from home (0-3 in CAA road games) but Delaware has struggled on both ends of the court for most of the season. The loss of Anderson's 13.7 points and 4.9 rebounds sure doesn't help. Make Delaware an 8* play.

The set-up: Bruce Pearl entered his fourth season at Auburn off an 18-14 year, following season of just 15 and 11 wins, However, the Tigers did return all five starters. Still, no one predicted Auburn to be 17-2 (5-1 SEC) as the month of January nears its end. Missouri entered the current season off an 8-24 year (2-16 in SEC), after winning just nine and 10 games the previous two season. However, new head coach Cuonzo Martin had four starters returning plus boasted five-star recruits like the 6-10 Michael Porter Jr. and his 6-11 brother, Jontay Porter. However, Michael Porter's season ended after one game with a season-ending back injury. Still, Missouri is 13-6 (3-3 in SEC), giving the team more wins than in any of the past three season.

Auburn: The Tigers had their 14-game win streak snapped with a 76-71 loss at Alabama a week ago Wednesday but rebounded for a 79-65 home win over Georgia on Saturday. Auburn likes to push the pace with its trio of talented guards, Bryce Brown (16.4), Mustapha Heron (15.0 & 5.1) and Jared Harper (12.5 & 5.2 APG). Getting out in transition likely will be key against Missouri’s height advantage, as Auburn doesn’t start anyone taller than 6-7 and 6-3 SF Desean Murray (10.8 & 7.3) is the team’s top rebounder. However, despite an undersized frontcourt which features the 6-7 McLemore (7.9 & 5.8) and the 6-8 Okeke (7.5 & 5.7) coming off the bench, Auburn has outrebounded 14 of its 19 opponents. As for scoring points, the Tigers are averaging a healthy 85.3 PPG (15th).

Missouri: Without Michael Porter, Missouri has been balanced at the offensive end, with six player chipping in between 7.4 and 15.2 PPG. Graduate transfer guard Kassius Robertson (15.2) and 6-7 senior forward Jordan Barnett (14.5 & 6.2) are the only ones averaging in double digits. However, the Tigers have excellent frontcourt depth with 6-10 freshmen Jeremiah Tilmon (8.7 & 4.4) and 6-11 Jontay Porter (8.2 & 6.7) making an impact at both ends of the floor. Their emergence has pushed the 6-7 Kevin Puryear (9.4 & 4.8) to a reserve role. However, he could be a major factor having averaged 16.8 points and 8.9 rebounds in four career meetings with Auburn.

The pick: Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl is a little worried, as Auburn is 145th in the nation in three-point field goal defense and Missouri features three players -- Jordan Barnett, Kassius Robertson and Jordan Geist -- who all shoot better than 40 percent from behind the arc. Missouri is allowing 65.6 PPG (36th) and has held nine straight opponents under their season scoring average, while keeping its six SEC opponents an average of 14.8 points below their season averages. The Tigers are 9-1 SU at home, with their lone loss coming 77-75 to Florida in a game decided at the buzzer. Make Missouri a 10* play.

The set-up: The Toronto Maple Leafs lost 4-2 to Colorado on Monday and have now lost eight of 11 (3-4-4) to fall to 26-18-5 on the season. However, while Toronto has lost five of six (1-2-3), the Maple Leafs have the luxury of playing in a weak division (Atlantic) and with 57 points, hold a double-digit point cushion for third place. Chicago started the calendar year by winning three of four while scoring 21 goals. However, that was short-lived, as the Blackhawks enter the final contest of a six-game homestand in a 1-4-0 swoon, having scored just SIX goals in five games! The skidding Blackhawks are 22-19-6 and with 50 points, are in last place in the Central Division.

Toronto: The Maple Leafs have looked like a top-notch team at times this season but they have struggled as of late. Toronto has only one win in its past six contests (1-2-3), which prompted head coach Mike Babcock to shuffle some of his scoring lines during Tuesday's practice. He split up longtime linemates Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov, but said it was only for the next two away from home. "I’m looking to have more balance and more attack, especially on the road when I don’t have last change," said Babcock, who dropped Komarov to the fourth line and replaced him with Mitch Marner on the second unit. Kasperi Kapanen was recalled from Toronto of the American Hockey League and skated on Komarov's line. Toronto is led in scoring by Auston Matthews, who has 36 points (21 goals, 15 assists) in 39 games. James van Riemsdyk ranks second on the team with 19 goals, and Marleau is third with 16 goals.

Chicago: The Blackhawks certainly weren't lacking for chances in Monday's 2-0 loss to Tampa Bay (NHL's top team with points), launching 40 shots on goal and failing on six power plays to fall to 0-for-16 with the extra skater on the homestand. "It has to be better, myself included. Myself especially," defenseman Duncan Keith, who along with captain Jonathan Toews did not practice Tuesday because of a maintenance day, told reporters. "We’ve had games this year where we’ve played great against top-notch teams," star forward Patrick Kane told reporters. "So we know it’s in here. We know we can be confident, given some of the games we’ve had in the past." Chicago will try to snap a three-game losing streak tonight, a stretch in which the team has been outscored 13-3.

The pick: Chicago has switched between Jeff Glass and Anton Forsberg with No. 1 netminder Corey Crawford sidelined by an upper-body injury. Crawford will miss his 13th consecutive game but is making progress and could return to the ice soon, according to the team. Glass is 3-3-1 with a 3.17 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage this season and is expected to get the nod (he never has faced Toronto). The Maple Leafs likely will counter with veteran goaltender Frederik Andersen, who has posted a 23-14-4 record with a 2.69 GAA and .920 save percentage this season. This is the second and final meeting of the regular season between these clubs, as back on Oct. 9 in Toronto, the Maple Leafs outlasted the Blackhawks 4-3 in overtime. However, Toronto will be looking for its first win in Chicago in nearly 15 years. Current form may say under but both of these teams have the 'weapons' to score and I'm making the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Toronto Raptors begin a stretch in which they will play 10 of 13 in Air Canada Centre on Friday against Utah. The Raptors are 17-3 at home and 31-14 overall, just 1 1/2 games back of the Celtics for the East's best record. They hope to head back to Toronto on a winning note, as they visit Philips Arena to take on the 14-32 Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. However, the Raptors are off a 115-109 loss at Minnesota on Saturday, the team's fourth loss in seven games following having won 17 of 20. The Hawks' 14 wins are tied with the Magic and Kings for the fewest in the NBA but Atlanta is on its best run of the season with four victories in its last six games.

Toronto: Saturday's loss at Minnesota wasted a phenomenal effort fby Kyle Lowry, who posted a season-high 40 points in 34 turnover-free minutes, as the team as a whole faded in the second night of a back-to-back. "We've got to come out with a little bit more energy on the back-to-back, but it's no excuse," Lowry told reporters. However, Lowry's effort was great news for Toronto, in his fourth game back after sitting out three games with a back injury. The backcourt duo of Lowry (17.0-6.0-6.7) and DeRozan (25.0-4.2-5.0) 'drive the show' for Toronto, complemented by the frontcourt duo of PF Ibaka (13.6 & 6.0) and center Valanciunas (11.1 & 8.1).

Atlanta: Taurean Prince (12.4 & 5.2) had 17 points, as 12 different Atlanta players got into the scoring column in the win over the Jazz. The victory gives the Hawks a 7-7 mark after a 7-25 start. "We've got to keep it going," Prince told reporters after matching his scoring total from the previous four games combined. PG Schroder is averaging 22.2 points and seven assists through the first five games of the homestand (Atlanta is 3-2) and 20.0 PPG on teh season, along with a team-leading 6.6 APG. 6-10 Wake Forest rookie John Collins looks to be "a keeper," averaging 10.6 & 6.9 in about 22 minutes per game.

The pick: Toronto has won its first two games against Atlanta this season by an average of 23.5 points and has had three days off since losing at Minnesota (Sat.) in a back-to-back situation. Atlanta is just 4-10 at home against Eastern Conference opponents and I don't see them having much luck staying with the Raptors, who rank third in the NBA in averaging 111.3 PPG, trailing only the Warriors and Rockets. Make Toronto a 10* play!

The set-up: The Detroit Pistons watched Spencer Dinwiddie bury a last-second shot in Sunday's 101-100 loss to the Nets, falling to just 13-8 at home this season. The Pistons have now lost five in a row, a streak that has seen them fall below .500 at 22-23 and out of the top-eight in the Eastern Conference. Detroit began a stretch in which the Pistons would play 13 of 15 at home by falling to the Washington Wizards 122-112 on Friday, then lost to the Nets and now welcome the 19-29 Utah Jazz to Little Caesars Arena. The Jazz looked good in a solid home win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday but began their stretch of seven of eight on the road with a 104-90 setback at lowly Atlanta on Monday.

Utah: The Jazz will play their only home game over the next 2 1/2 weeks against defending champion Golden State and had averaged 120 points in the three games prior to Monday, when they were just awful against the Hawks. No Utah starter managed more than Donovan Mitchell's 13 points against the Hawks. Mitchell (19.2-3.4-3.4), who is arguably the NBA's top rookie so far, pointed to effort as the issue. "There were times where we kind of looked like we didn't want to play, myself included," Mitchell said, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. "That's not us. That's not our identity. I think we just gotta come out with more life and more energy. I think if we play like we played here, there will be a lot of nights like this." SG Rodney Hood (16.7) has been a consistent scorer along with Mitchell plus it's good news that center Rudy Gobert (12.0 & 9.7) has gotten back on the court these last three games. The rim-protecting big man recently missed 15 games with a sprained left knee, a stretch that was preceded by an 11-game absence in mid-to-late November

Detroit: "There's nothing big. There's nothing glaring," Pistons forward Anthony Tolliver told the team's website after the 101-100 loss to the Nets. "It's little things that add up over the course of 48 minutes that loses these games. We just need to clean up those little things and if we do that, we'll put ourselves in position to win every night." I'm not so sure Tolliver is right. After all, Detroit is 3-9 since starting point guard Reggie Jackson (14.6 & 5.5 APG) went down with an ankle injury. The team is struggling on the offensive end without him around to start the pick-and-roll and drive the paint. Small forward Tobias Harris (18.1) leads the team in scoring but is shooting just 37.7 percent from the floor over the last five games, including 5-of-26 from three-point range. Center Andre Drummond (14.3 & 15.0) is a double-double 'machine' but Detroit averages just 102.3 PPG (25th).

The pick: The Pistons seemed like a team on the rise during the early going (14-6 through their first 20 games) but since New Year's Day, they have played like a team bound for the lottery. Detroit has dropped eight of its last 10 games and enters Wednesday on a five-game losing streak. The bottom line is, the Pistons haven't been the same team since starting PG Reggie Jackson suffered a Grade 3 ankle sprain in late December. As for the Jazz, they were 13-11 early in December but have fallen to 19-28 after Monday's loss in Atlanta. More bad news for Utah is that Rodney Hood (the team's second-leading scorer) is expected to miss his third consecutive game with a lower leg injury, hurting an offense already averaging only 101.6 PPG (26th). Both teams play excellent defense, as Detroit allows 102.2 PPG (6th) and Utah 102.5 PPG (7th), leading me to make the Under an 8* play. 

The set-up: The Bluejays are 15-5 (5-3 in Big East) but are hoping history doesn't repeat itself. Just about a year ago, Creighton was 18-1 but struggled to maintain a .500 record the rest of the way when it lost Maurice Watson Jr. for the season due to a mid-season ACL tear. Creighton just found out that the 6-9 Martin Krampelj (11.9 & 8.1) has suffered a similar fate to Watson. Watson's torn ACL contributed to its 7-9 finish in 2016-17. The Bluejays visit St. John's while adjusting to life without Krampelj to play the Red Storm. St. John's is 10-10 on the season but 0-8 in Big East play.

Creighton: “Obviously, we’re adjusting to life without Martin. We had some lineups out there that we haven’t had out there all year long. It’s going to take a little time for us to adjust to that," Bluejays head coach Greg McDermott told the Omaha World-Herald. Guards Foster (19.3) and Thomas (14.0 & 4.0 lead one of the nation's top-scoring teams, as Creighton averages 81,4 PPG (6th) on 50.4% shooting (10th). With Krampelj out, McDermott will rely more heavily on a group of five players contributing between 5.4 and 9.4 PPG. Leading that group are the 6-10 Hegner (9.4 & 2.8) plus 6-7 gaurd Harrell (8.0), who is now the team's top rebounder at 7.0 RPG with Krampelj done for the season.

St. John's: Chris Mullins' third season back at his alma mater is not going well considering the team's 0-8 start in league play. Yes, the Red Storm are the only Big East team winless in league play but each of their last four losses - and six of their eight setbacks in league play - have been by seven points or fewer. One of those defeats came on Jan. 3, when the Bluejays overcame a 10-point second-half deficit to edge St. John's 78-71 in Omaha. PG Shamorie Ponds (20.7-5.4-4.9) is coming off 33 points, six rebounds, eight assists and three steals Saturday versus Georgetown for his second 30-point effort in three games. Fellow sophomore guard Justin Simon managed only eight points against the Hoyas after scoring a career-high 28 three days earlier versus Xavier, but he is still averaging 11.6 & 7.4 on the season. A pair of 6-7 players, Ahmed (11.7 & 4.7) and Clark (11.6 & 4.0) round out the team's double digit scorers, as guard LoVett (14.9) was lost to a season-ending knee injury after just seven games.

The pick:The Red Storm play a lot of tight games but they still can't 'buy' a win.There are not enough points here to take, as I expect St. John's to fall short yet again, against a good-shooting and high-scoring Creighton team (see above) that also ranks third in Division I in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.68) and second in defensive rebounds per game (30.6). Make Creighton a 10* play.

The set-up: The Cleveland Cavaliers season has been spiraling in the wrong direction ever since the team's 99-92 Christmas Day loss in Oakland to the Warriors. That defeat was the beginning of a 3-9 run in which the latest loss came this past Saturday in a 148-124 home loss to OKC. Cleveland has lost by margins of 34, 28 and 24 over the past six games and the defensive effort against Oklahoma City was just atrocious, as the Thunder scored at least 33 points in every quarter. The 27-18 Cavs (now six games back of the Celtics and only four games ahead of the No. 8-seeded 76ers) will travel to San Antonio in an attempt to "right the ship" but the problem is that the 30-18 Spurs own the best home record in the NBA at 19-3, despite dropping a 94-86 decision to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday;

Cleveland "It's embarrassing. It's not acceptable," PG Isaiah Thomas told reporters after the loss to OKC. "We can only go up from here, that's the only positive about that. We've got to really look in the mirror, look at ourselves and get some pride."LBJ (26.8-7.8-8.7) continues to post superlative numbers but he is more interested in figuring out his team's porous play. Speculation regarding the status of coach Tyronn Lue has arisen and that deeply concerns James, who doesn't see Lue as the problem but stopped short of giving his coach an endorsement. "I don't know what's going to happen with our team," James told reporters. "I have no idea what conversations have been going on." Kevin Love (18.6 & 9.4) played just three minutes due to an undisclosed illness in the OKC and while he's is expected to play here, he's also been the center of some recent controversy.

San Antonio: Sunday's loss to the Pacers snapped a 14-game home winning streak for the Spurs, as they committed 20 turnovers. "It happens a little too much with our team," center Pau Gasol told reporters afterward. "We get a little bit out of whack. We don't execute, we're a little sloppy at times and we pay the price." The Spurs have not played up to their reputation this season, as Kawhi Leonard has played in just nine games due to a quadriceps injury that is reportedly causing issues between Leonard and the organization. Coach Gregg Popovich decided to shake things up on Sunday by moving veteran point guard Tony Parker (12 points and five assists in 20 minutes on Sunday) to the bench and starting Dejounte Murray, who had eight points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes.

The pick: In recent seasons, a game between the Cavs and Spurs would have been one of the marquee contests of the NBA calendar but the 2017-18 season is different. Both teams are in third place in their respective conferences and because of injuries for San Antonio and a dead-legged and greying roster for Cleveland, the Cavs and Spurs are not currently in the discussion as teams that can win the league championship. The Cavs are a mess and while the Spurs won both of last season's meetings, including a 103-74 home romp, the team's Sunday home loss to the Pacers shows that these are not your father's Spurs. How low can the Cavs go? I say they snap out of it right here against a team also struggling with distractions. Make Cleveland a 10* play.

The set-up: The two-time defending Stanley Cup champs are just 25-21-3 (53 points) on the season and currently on the outside-looking-in of a four team battle for the East's two wild card spots. The good news is two-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Matt Murray rejoined the Penguins for practice on Monday, marking the first time that he has done so since the death of his father. Murray could be back between the pipes on Tuesday as the Penguins begin a four-game homestand against the Metropolitan Division-rival Carolina Hurricanes, who are 21-18-8 and whose 50 points leaves them chasing Pittsburgh and the other three wild card contenders.

Carolina: The Hurricanes have won both previous meetings this season with the Penguins, including a dominating 4-0 win back on Jan. 4 in Pittsburgh. However, Carolina is just 2-5 since that victory, including a 5-1 loss Sunday against Vegas at home. "We need some better play out of some guys," Carolina head coach Bill Peters said. "Some guys might be a little bit too comfortable, there's no question about that. Frustration is a good word, an accurate word, for our team right now, but it's something that we've got to overcome. Winning consistently hurts. It hurts. There is a price to be paid. There is a physical price you have to pay to win." Carolina has scored just 26 goals en route to dropping seven of its last 10.

Pittsburgh: While the Hurricanes have struggled since winning in Pittsburgh on Jan. 4, the Penguins used that loss as a slap in the face to go on a four-game winning streak. They are 5-2 since that night. "You've got to give yourself a chance to win games," said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who enters the game one goal shy of 400 for his career. Crosby extended both his assist and point streak to seven games (three goals, 12 assists) by setting up Conor Sheary's goal 3:18 into Saturday's contest. Prior to that scoring outburst, Crosby was limited to just one assist in four games - with zero points resulting in the pair of contests versus Carolina. Fellow former Hart Trophy recipient Evgeni Malkin has also come up empty in two games against the Hurricanes, although he has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in his last seven outings.

The pick: I have to like Pittsburgh here in a "double-revenge" situation and with a chance to gain some separation from Carolina with a win (conversely, the Hurricanes would close within one point of Pittsburgh if it wins). Murray getting back between the pipes would be a bonus but I'm on the Pens, either way. Make Pittsburgh an 8* play.

The set-up: The Kansas Jayhawks are back up to No. 5 in the latest AP poll and will travel to the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma with a 16-3 overall record, including 6-1 in the Big 12 (no other school is better than 5-3). The Oklahoma Sooners went from a Final 4 team in the 2015-16 season (29 wins) to 11-20 last season but with four starters back this year plus the addition of standout freshman Trae Young, Lon Kruger has the Sooners back on the national stage. The Sooners are currently 14-4 (4-3 in Big 12) and ranked 12th but that's after being ranked 4th in the nation before losing twice this past week.

Kansas: The Jayhawks have won 13 straight regular season Big 12 titles and are two games up in the loss column as the end of January nears. Bill Self may have lost the recruiting battle over Young to Kruger but the Jayhawks come in with an offense averaging 84.2 PPG (23rd) on 50.2% shooting (13th). PG Graham (18.1-3.6-7.3) leads a perimeter-oriented starting-five which consists of four guards and center 7-0 Udoka Azubuike (14.5 & 7.7). Joining Graham are Mykhailiuk (16.8 & 3.8), Vick (14.1) and Newman (11.3). Graham makes the Jayhawks go offensively, both in scoring himself and creating for his teammates, but he's also Kansas' best defender and figures to draw the assignment of slowing Young most of the game

Oklahoma: Young averages 30.5 PPG but also 9.7 APG, leading Oklahmoa to an average of 91.6 PPG (2nd). Only two other Sooners reach double digits, guard James (11.9) and the 6-9 Manek (11.1 & 5.1) but the real problem for Oklahoma is a defense allowing 81.6 PPG, which ranks 335th. The Sooners raced to a 12-1 start but are coming off back-to-back losses, the most recent being an overtime loss at Oklahoma State, despite Young scoring 48 points.

The pick: Yes, the Sooners are unbeaten at home this season and own a 13-game home winning streak but this team just doesn't play much defense, makes way too many turnovers (Young has 12 himself in a loss to Kansas St.) and the team often falls in love with attempting too many threes, often taking bad shots. Kansas' "pedigree" wins the day here, just like at West Va. on Jan. 15. Make the Jayhawks an 8* play.

The set-up: The 26-20 Washington Wizards will visit Dallas and it's the midpoint of a five-game road trip for the Wizards. Washington dropped a 133-109 decision at Charlotte to begin the trip and was similarly terrible on defense while falling behind 29-19 after the first quarter in Detroit on Friday, before earning a 122-112 win that snapped a two-game skid The Wizards currently sit fifth in the Eastern Conference. The Mavericks endured a slow start in their last game as well but didn't have enough to overcome the deficit after falling behind 33-20 in the first quarter at Portland. Dallas was down by as many of 18 points in the first half at Portland, before getting within five in the second of a 117-108 loss. The Mavericks just didn't have enough down the stretch. "The first half, I thought it was bad," head coach Rick Carlisle said. "I thought the second half was very good. But you've got to play both halves, so we've got to get a better start."

Washington: The Wizards' turnaround was sparked by reserve forward Kelly Oubre Jr. who not only played his customary strong defense in the win but continued a recent scoring binge by pouring in 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting in 31 minutes. Oubre is averaging 19.5 points over the last four games and is 14-of-23 from three-point range in that span. He's now averaging 12.2 PPG, third-highest on the team. Washington scored 45 in the third period at Detroit, with 26 points coming from Bradley Beal and John Wall, to take a 17-point lead into the fourth quarter. SG Beal (23.8-4.3-3.7) leads Washington in scoring and PG Wall (19.5-3.6-9.3) is second.

Dallas: In losses to the LA Lakers, Denver and, most recently, at Portland on Saturday, the Mavs have found themselves down big early, only to fight back in the second half. The final scores have been relatively close, which only leads to extra frustration. "We're coming out too sluggish, too lackadaisical and too nonchalant," point guard Dennis Smith Jr. told reporters after the 117-108 setback. "Whatever word you want to use, we don't have the right disposition to start games out." Smith (14.7-3.9-4.5) is one of the NBA's top rookies this season, while Harrison Barnes (18.5 PPG) is again leading the Mavs in scoring and this season, he's also the team's top rebounder at 6.7 per game. However, Dallas does not score on a consistent basis (102.2 PPG ranks 23rd) and that's reflected in the team's 15-31 record (only the 13-32 Kings are worse in the West).

The pick: Oddly enough, Dallas has pretty much owned Washington as of late. The Mavericks swept the season series in 2016-17, the sixth sweep in seven years. The Mavs will go for another season sweep here, as Dallas earned a 113-99 win at Washington back on Nov. 7, behind 31 points from Harrison Barnes. That said, the Wizards are the significantly better team in this game and with this pointspread, a win almost guarantees a cover. Mavs are just 9-15 SU at home and I'll make Washington a 10* play.

The set-up: The Philadelphia 76ers stumbled into Christmas on a five-game losing streak and nine losses in their previous 10 games. However, they won 105-98 in MSG over the Knicks on Christmas Day and that victory has sparked an 8-2 run that has the Sixers at 22-20. That leaves them 7th in the East, and while they are just 1 1/2 games inside the playoff cut line, they are also withing just 3 1/2 games of the third-seeded Cavs! Philly will visit the 16-29 Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, a team which finds itself seven games out of the West's final playoff spot. The Grizzlies have struggled quite a bit since PG Conley has been sidelined but had won three straight before dropping a 111-104 decision in New Orleans on Saturday.

Philadelphia: "(Coach Brett Brown) mentioned that we could jump to sixth (in the Eastern Conference) if we won," guard Ben Simmons told reporters after Saturday's 116-94 rout of the Bucks. "Obviously, it was a big game, and we did a really good job of closing it out." All-Star Joel Embiid has led the way during Philly's current three-game run by averaging 29.7 points and 12 rebounds. Embiid is averaging 24.0 & 10.9 on the season and Simmons checks in at 16.6-8.0-7.2. With JJ Redick (17.3) already out with a leg injury and fellow guard Jerryd Bayless (8.3) unavailable Saturday due to a sore wrist, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot made the most of a rare start with 16 points. "It was a big opportunity for me to show up and step up," Luwawu-Cabarrot told reporters. T.J. McConnell (7.8 & 4.8 APG) continues to step up in the backcourt as well and he has scored in double figures in four straight games for the first time this season.

Memphis: The Grizzlies started Saturday's game without guards Andrew Harrison (shoulder) and Mario Chalmers (shoulder) plus lost starting forward JaMychal Green () to an ankle injury after he had grabbed 16 rebounds in only 24 minutes. A 16-point deficit after one quarter also made for a rough night.It's really been a tough yera for Memphis with Zach Randi=olph leaving via free agency and Conley sidelined. The two bright spots have been center Marc Gasol (18.1 & 8.5) and Tyreke Evans, who has reestablished himself as a quality player. He averaging 19.4-5.2-4.9 but he's playing on a one-year, $3.3 million contract (a steal) but the Grizzlies will not have the cap space to re-sign him next summer. Talk about "one & done!"

The pick: Memphis is 2-12 against Eastern Conference opponents, compared to 14-17 versus the West. However, Memphis has won nine straight from Philadelphia, dating to December 2012, with the 76ers having averaged just 89.4 points in their last five matchups with the Grizzlies. Considering Memphis averages just 99.5 PPG on teh season (29th of 30 teams), the Under is an 8* play.

The set-up: The 25-17-5 Minnesota Wild will conclude a four-game homestand Monday with hopes of extending their point streak to six contests when they host the 15-20-9 Ottawa Senators. Minnesota is 2-0-1 on its current stretch at Xcel Energy Center, after improving to 3-0-2 in its last five overall with Saturday's 5-2 triumph over Tampa Bay. Meanwhile, Ottawa looks to avoid a third straight loss after dropping a 4-3 home decision to Toronto on Saturday. Neither team is currently inside the playoff cut line, although the Wild's 55 points have them tied with the Avs and Kings for the West's final spot, with Colorado currently owning the tiebreaker. As for the Senators, their 39 points leave them 15th of 16 teams in the East, 14 points out of playoff consideration.

Ottawa: The Senators have lost three of four and have drifting out of the playoff picture. Reports surfaced this week that general manager Pierre Dorion is meeting privately with players in anticipation that the Senators will be sellers at the trade deadline, although head coach Guy Boucher would not elaborate on those conversations. "What we do inside is not something I talk about outside," Boucher said after Saturday's 4-3 home loss to Toronto. "Whether we talk to a few guys or whether we decide to ... that's internal stuff."
Boucher gave his players a day off practice on Sunday before the trip to Minnesota, not because he wanted to but because the Senators are such a mess of injuries that he wanted them to have as much rest as possible. Mark Stone notched a pair of assists in the 4-3 set backon Saturday to increase his team-leading total to 44 points, with 10 (three goals) coming in his last six contests.

Minnesota: Marcus Foligno ended a lengthy goal-scoring drought for the Wild in the win over the Lightning, tallying for the first time since Nov. 2, which halted a 33-game string of futility. Zach Parise recorded his first goal since returning from offseason back surgery on Saturday, giving him two points in eight contests this campaign. Veteran center Matt Cullen notched an assist versus the Lightning to end his six-game point drought and reach 700 for his career.

The pick: The Wild are unbeaten in regulation in their last eight at home (6-0-2) and have earned at least one point in 16 of their last 17 home games (13-1-3). However, I'm taking a shot with the Senators in this one, taking the 1 1/2 goals and making Ottawa an 8* play.

The set-up: Maryland is 15-6 on the season but just 4-4 in Big Ten play as the Terps get set to visit Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana to take on the 11-8 Indiana Hoosiers (4-3 in Big Ten). The Terrapins had lost three of four games before beating Minnesota 77-66 at home in their last outing. As for the Hoosiers, they saw their three-game winning streak come to end Friday night, losing 85-57 at No. 9 Michigan State.

Maryland: The Terps are led by the guard duo of Cowan (16.3-4.7-4.9) and Huerter (14.1-5.3-3.5). They are the only two double digit scorers on a Maryland team averaging 76.7 PPG (112th). A 'killer' was the loss of 6-7 sophomore Jackson for the season, after he was averaging 9.8 & 8.1 through 11 games. Huerter’s 19 points led the way vs. Minnesota, as four of the five Terrapin starters scored at least 13 points. Cowan added a career-high of 10 assists. 6-10 forward Bruno Fernando (9.8 & 6.0) and Huerter (5.3 RPG) have taken charge as the team’s rebounding leaders, after Justin Jackson suffered that season-ending shoulder injury in early December.

Indiana: The Hoosiers shot just 33.9 percent from the floor in Friday's loss at Michigan State plus got outrebounded 45-27 by the host Spartans in suffering its most lopsided loss of the season. Understandably, head coach Archie Miller wants his team looking ahead, not back. “We have an opportunity (though) on Monday at home,” Indiana coach Miller said in his post-game radio interview. “That’s what our guys have to be locked in on.” like Maryland, Indiana has just two dopuble digit scorers, the 6-7 Morgan (14.8 & 7.2) and guard Johnson (14.0 & 4.4).

The pick: Indiana is riding a four-game home win streak and is 9-3 SU overall this season in Bloomington, while the Terrapins are 1-4 in true road games and have dropped three straight. However, Maryland has won three of the five meetings with Indiana, including a 75-72 home win a season ago, since joining the Big Ten. Indiana has scored just 66 and 57 points in its last two games and I'm making Maryland a 10* play.

The set-up: The Anaheim Ducks are 8-3-1 in their last 12 contests, after taking the first two of a five-game homestand, including Friday’s 2-1 triumph against local rival, the Los Angeles Kings. The Ducks are now 22-16-9 and with 53 points, are making a push for a playoff position (five teams are in a crowded field between 50 and 58 points). They hope to knock off one of their chief competitors tonight, when they host the 25-14-6 San Jose Sharks (56 points) in a key Pacific Division battle (Sharks are 2nd in the division, guaranteeing them one of the three playoff spots). The Ducks are 8-4-5 against division rivals in 2017-18 and have split a pair of shootout decisions against the Sharks but San Jose is even better against fellow Pacific teams, going 11-2-3.

San Jose: Reigning Norris Trophy winner Brent Burns continued to improve his season totals with a pair of assists in Saturday]s 2-1 win over Pittsburgh, giving him 12 of his team-leading 37 points in the last nine games. Veteran Joe Thornton had his four-game goal-scoring streak snapped against Pittsburgh but is second on the team with 33 points - one more than both Logan Couture and captain Joe Pavelski, who set up two tallies on Saturday. Tomas Hertl delivered his 13th goal in the latest victory, giving him at least a point in three straight contests. Backup Aaron Dell (11-3-2) may make his second straight start for the Sharks on Sunday with Martin Jones considered day-to-day due to what the club is calling a “minor lower-body injury.” Hard to think that's a negative though, as Dell owns a better GAA (2.18 to 2.68) and SP (.928 to .910) than Jones on the season.

Anaheim: Ondrej Kase recorded an assist in Friday’s 2-1 victory for his sixth point in his last four contests, pushing his season total to 21. All-Star Rickard Rakell leads the team in goals (16) and points (33) while captain Ryan Getzlaf has collected 22 assists in just 23 games during a season interrupted by injuries. John Gibson (16-13-5, 2.59 GAA & .923 SP) has won each of his last three starts, allowing six goals on 82 shots, and is 2-0-2 lifetime against the Sharks. The Ducks are three spots, but only two points, out of the second wild card spot coming into Sunday's game. After scoring Friday's game-winner, Ryan Kesler noted, "In the position we're in, we're on the outside looking in right now. We're in a mode that every game counts, and these divisional games, they're obviously extra-special."

The pick: It was Kesler's third goal in his 10th game of the campaign, following off-season hip surgery. His return is big. The Ducks have taken three of four points from the Sharks this season, which could be key to their playoff aspirations. In fact, the Ducks have earned at least one point in 10 consecutive games against the Sharks (7-0-3). Make Anaheim an 8* play.

The 30-17 San Antonio Spurs will welcome the road-weary Indiana Pacers (24-22) to the AT&T Center on Sunday night. The Spurs come into the game on the heels of an 86-83 loss at Toronto on Friday that gave them a 5-6 record in their past 11 games. Nine of those games came on the road and the Spurs went 3-6 away from home during that stretch.
The Pacers come into the contest at the end of a five-game road trip. Indiana averaged 114.5 PPG in winning at Phoenix and Utah in the first two stops of the trip but shot a combined 38.8 percent from the floor against the Blazers and Lakers in a back-to-back situation (Thursday & Friday), scoring just 86 points in each contest.

Indiana: Indiana was just brutal in going 2-of-25 from beyond the arc in Friday's loss at LA, after going 7-of-26 from three-point range at Portland on Thursday. Leading scorer Victor Oladipo was a combined 2-of-14 in the last two losses, after connecting on 7-of-12 from beyond the arc in the first two stops (both wins) on the trip. The Pacers are shooting percent from the floor on the season (47.8% which ranks 4th) and have shot less than 40 percent from the floor only four times this season, but that includes the last two games. Oladipo led the Pacers with 25 points against the Lakers and Domantas Sabonis finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Oladipo (24.3-5.3-4.0) and Sabonis (12.4 & 8.5) were the two players acquired from OKC in the Paul George trade and they've been terrific. Forward Myles Turner (13.9 & 6.5) missed his sixth straight game with a shoulder injury and forward Lance Stephenson didn't suit up against the Lakers because he was sick. It remains to be seen whether either will play Sunday. Sephenson (8.6 & 5.5) isn't having much luck on the road trip and is averaging four points so far, after going 1-of-18 from the floor over the last two contests, so maybe it's better if he doesn't play.

San Antonio: The Spurs know all about players sitting out due to injury. The team announced Saturday evening that forwards Rudy Gay (right heel bursitis) and Kawhi Leonard (return from injury management) are out for the game against Indiana and that reserve guard Manu Ginobili (right thigh contusion) is questionable. San Antonio has been asking power forward LaMarcus Aldridge to carry the load but he struggled to 6-of-25 from the floor in Friday's 86-83 loss to the Raptors. Aldridge is averaging 22.6 points on 48.9 percent shooting for the season and still led the Spurs in scoring with 17 points at Toronto. Aldridge notched his 19th double-double of the season with his 17 points and 14 rebounds (8.6 RPG on the season), as the game marked the 36th time Aldridge has led the team in points, the most games a player has led his squad in points in the league.

The pick: San Antonio is 19-2 at home (15-5-1 ATS), the best record in the NBA. The Spurs have won 14 straight home games, also a league-leading mark this season. The Spurs are averaging 107 points on 48.2 percent shooting in 21 home games but watch those numbers drop to 96 points and 43.3 percent shooting on the road. So, the fact that the Spurs will now play seven of their next eight games at home, has to be good news. As for the Pacers, the news is "not so good!" Make the Spurs a 10* play..

The set-up: The Minnesota Vikings were 8-8 in 2016 and the Philadelphia Eagles went 7-9. However, each went 13-3 during the 2017 season and after both escaped with wins last weekend, the two will meet in the NFC championship game this Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field (note: The Eagles won the tie break over the Vikings based on best win percentage in common games). Minnesota earned a stunning last-second comeback 29-24 victory over the Saints to reach this game (do I really need to recap it?), while the Eagles benefited from a late defensive stand to fend off Atlanta, 15-10. From the "you can't make this stuff up" department, we have the following. Nick Foles was traded from Philly to the Rams for Sam Bradford, who was later traded to Minnesota, where he started in ahead of Case Keenum before he got hurt. Now Foles is back in Philly and will lead the Eagles in the NFC Championship game, where he will face the Vikings, whose two QBs are Keenum (now the starter) and Bradford (injured).

Minnesota: Case Keenum entered this season with a 9-15 record as a starting QB but has thrived as Minnesota's starter in 2017, after Bradford was lost to an injury. He threw for career-high 3,547 yards 22 touchdowns and seven INTs for a 98.3 QB rating. He then threw for 318 yards against the Saints with his only TD pass coming on that game's final play. It will be forever known as the "Minneapolis Miracle," a 61-yard scoring pass to Stefon Diggs which gave the Vikings a 29-24 triumph over the Saints. Diggs overcame a slow start to finish with six catches for 137 yards and a TD against the Saints, giving him 28 receptions and four scores in his last five games. Fellow WR Adam Thielen (team-leading 91 catches for 1,276 yards) finished with six receptions versus New Orleans. The Vikings running game was solid this season (122.3 YPG ranked 7th) but was held to just 95 yards vs. the Saints. However, Latavius Murray rushed for a touchdown last week to increase his total to 22 since 2016 (including playoff games). Minnesota's defense could not stop the Saints in the second half (after shutting them out in the first half) but on the season ranked No. 1 in the NFL in both scoring D (15.8 PPG) and total D (275.9 YPG).

Philadelphia; Nick Foles has endured an uneven ride while filling in for the injured Carson Wentz. He repalced an injured Wentz against teh Giants and completed 24 of 38 with four TD passes but then was a combined 23 of 49 for 202 yards (one TD / two INTs) in Weeks 16 & 17). He hadn't given Philly's fickle fans much to cheer about in leading the Eagles to just 16 points in their last nine quarters of the regular season. However, he completed 23-of-30 passes for 246 yards in the 15-10 win over the Falcons. He's backed by a solid running game that averaged 132.3 YPG on the ground during the regular season, 3rd-best in the NFL. Jay Ajayi stumbled out of the blocks with a fumble on his first carry last week before finishing with 54 yards rushing and 44 receiving on three catches. He has become Philadelphia's top option out of the backfield following an in-season trade with Miami, although LeGarrette Blount (team-high 776 yards in the regular season) scored the only Philly TD vs. the Falcons. Like Minnesota, Philly owns an excellent defense. It ranked 4th in scoring (18.4 PPG) and total D (306.5 YPG) during the regular season and held Matt Ryan and the Falcons scoreless in the second half of last weekend's win and to just 10 points for the game on just 281 yards.

The pick: Minnesota is hoping to snap a string of five straight losses in the NFC championship game and advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since Super Bowl XI (note: The Vikings are 0-4 all-time in Super Bowls). Philadelphia lost its last NFC title game appearance against Arizona in the 2008 season but it did win the last time it hosted the contest (27-10 win over Atlanta, in the 2004 season). Philly fans should be buoyed by the fact that home team has won the last EIGHT conference championship games (AFC and NFC the last four years!). One last thing I picked up from ESPN Stats. The last five NFL teams that won playoff games with a walk-off TD lost their next game, by an average of 23 points! Make Philly an 8* play.

The set-up: No one is surprised that the Pats are once again in the AFC championship game or that they are the AFC's No. 1 seed. After all, this mark the 12th AFC title game in the Belichick/Brady era (seventh at home), including the team's SEVENTH straight appearance in an AFC title game. The Pats are 7-4 SU but just 6-5 ATS in this duos previous 11 appearances, including 5-1 SU and 3-3 ATS the six played here in Foxboro. The same thing can't be said for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who when from last (3-13) in the AFC South in 2016 to first (10-6) in 2017 and then has beaten the Bills (10-3) and Steelers (45-42) to advance to the franchise's third-ever AFC title game (previous appearances came in 1996 and 1999). However, Bill Belichick dismissed the idea that the been-there-won-that factor gives his team a huge edge. "I don’t think experience has anything to do with that," Belichick, who has guided New England to seven Super Bowls - winning five - since 2001, told reporters. "It is what happens Sunday, not what happened last year, two years ago, five years ago, 15 years ago, 1996 or whatever it is. Those games don’t make any difference, with all due respect."

Jacksonville: The Jags played what many people called an "unwatchable" game in edging the Bills 10-3 in the wild card round but are brimming with confidence in the wake of last week's 45-42 win at No. 2 seed Pittsburgh. Jacksonville featured the league's top-ranked rushing attack in the regular season (159.5 YPG on 4.6 YPC) led by rookie Leonard Fournette (1,40 yards and nine rushing TDs), who ran for 109 yards and three TDs last week. QB Blake Bortles was close to being benched in the preseason but with no other real options, the Jags stuck with him. He was nothing special this season but did cut down on his mistakes in leading the team to a 10-4 record but he then rasied concerns by throwing five INTs in the season's final two games. However, while he's completed just 53.1 percent of his passes in the two playoff wins, he has not committed a turnover. The Jaguars' D has been excellent all season, surrendering a league-low 169.9 YPG passing while ranking second in sacks (55) and interceptions (21). Overall, the defense ranked second in total D (286.1 YPG) and scoring D (16.8 PPG).

New England: That Jacksonville D will be tested by Brady, who had another remarkable season (4,577 passing yards with 32 TDs and just eight INTs for a 102.8 QB rating). The Pats led the NFL in total offense (394.2 YPG) and scored the second-most points at 28.6 PPG. Brady owns the most postseason wins (26) in history and added to his playoff legacy last week, passing for more than 300 yards (337) for the 13th time and surpassing Joe Montana with his 10th three-touchdown performance. RB Dion Lewis (896 yards on 5.0 YPC in the regular season) has rushed for at least 60 yards in seven of his last eight games and added a season-high nine catches last week. Four New England players have at least 56 catches with TE Rob Gronkowski toppomh the list with 69 receptions (15.7 YPC) and eight TDs. He has 34 receptions and four TDs over his last four contests. The New England finsihed teh season allowing 18.5 PPG but it allwed 32.0 PPG through its first four games, before allowing only just 14.0 PPG over ist last 12. The Pats then held the Titans to just 14 points and 267 yards last weekend.

The pick: The Patriots are 6-1 in AFC title games at home(5-1 under Belichick/Brady) and have won 10 of their 11 all-time meetings with Jacksonville.However, as everyone knows, the status of Brady's right hand is an unknown factor. He may be just fine but then again...Either way, this Jacksonville defense gives the Jags a "punchers chance," as the three teams that beat the Pats this season were able to rush Brady, force mistakes and prevent the offense from getting in a groove. The Jags are certainly capable of doing just that. Jacksonville led the NFL with seven defensive TDs during the regular season and added another score versus Pittsburgh. The Jags' pass D held opposing QBs to a league-low 56.8 completion percentage and a league-low QB rating of 68.5. I'm taking the big points and making the Jags a 10* play.

The set-up: With Rick Pitino being forced out before the season began (I'm assuming all know the story), the Cardinals' 14-4 (4-1 in ACC) record has to be considered pretty good. Louisville will welcome the surprising 13-6 Boston College Eagles (3-3 in ACC) to the KFC Yum!. BC entered this season having won less than 10 games in three of its previous four seasons (9-23 last year and a high of 13 wins in that span), so one can see why I called the Eagles "surprising."

Boston College: Even with an up-and-coming backcourt of Jerome Robinson and Ky Bowman, little was expected this season from a Boston College, a team which had won a total of two conference games in two years and no more than four in any of the previous four seasons. Boston College was chosen to finish 14th in the 15-team ACC in the preseason. However, with junior Robinson leading the way with 18.2 PPG and 6-1 sophomore Bowman averaging 16.4 PPG plus 7.1 RPG and a team-leading 5.1 APG, the duo is changing the perception of the Eagles.: Robinson has been a roll since the start of conference action, scoring a league-best 23.3 points per game while shooting 55.6 percent from the floor (fourth in the ACC) and 52.6 percent from 3-point range (second). Meanwhile, Bowman is the only player in the country to rank among the top-10 in scoring and assists plus the top-15 in rebounding.BC has kept it going despite losing the 6-8 Hawkins (12.4 & 9.1) to a season-ending knee injurie after just eight games. 6-8 forward Steffon Mitchell (7.2 & 7.9) has emerged as an inside force over the last four games, averaging 12.8 points and 8.5 boards, and he is poised to become the sixth freshman to lead the team in rebounding since 1972-73. Then there is the 6-11 Popovic, who has delivered a solid season at 9.4 & 5.9.

Louisville: The Cardinals were projected to finish fifth in the ACC in the preseason poll as Rick Pitino was fired in October, with relatively raw assistant David Padgett tnamed as interim head coach. Louisville enters this contest having won three in a row after outlasting Notre Dame on the road 82-78 in double overtime on Tuesday. Quentin Snider (13.1 & 4.2 APG) is coming off one of the finest games of his career, as he matched a personal best with 22 points and dished out a season-high seven assists. 6-10 junior forward Ray Spalding (11.7 & 9.2) posted his fourth double-double in the last seven games on Tuesday, finishing with a career-high 23 points and 12 rebounds. The team's leading-scorer is the 6-7 Deng Adel (15.7 & 4.6), who has reached double figures in 20 of his last 21 outings dating back to last season (he scored nine in the one game he came up short in).

The pick: BC is clearly on an upward surge but the Eagles are still looking to find a way to earn a conference win away from Conte Forum, which they have not done in 19 tries since defeating Virginia Tech on March 2, 2015. Also, I can't ignore that only four of the Eagles' defeats during their road conference losing streak have been decided by single digits. However, BC is 8-3 SU since the beginning of December, going 6-3 ATS, In that stretch, BC has beaten Duke as a 15-point home dog, lost at UVa as a 15 1/2-point dog, covered a as a home dog vs. Clemson and in its last outing, beat FSU as a a 3 1/2-point home dog. Upset alert! Make the Eagles an 8* play.

The set-up: The Arizona State Sun Devils were the last undefeated team in NCAA Division I, when the team stood at 12-0 in games played through Dec. 29. However, ASU's Pac 12 opener was at in-state rival Arizona on Dec. 30th and the Wildcats beat them, 84-78. Now, six games into conference play, ASU is 2-4 in the Pac 12 and 14-4, overall. Once ranked as high as No. 3 in the country just last month, the now 16th-ranked Sun Devils suddenly find themselves just battling to keep pace in the Pac-12 race, where they are tied for 9th with Oregon. Is it good news that ASU will travel to Berkeley Saturday night to face 7-12 Cal (1-5 in Pac 12), as the Bears have dropped five straight games by a combined 97 points?

Arizona State: Senior guard Tra Holder was a key part of the team’s 12-0 start but his recent slump continued Wednesday when he missed 10 of his first 11 shots and finished with nine points in an 86-77 loss at Stanford. Holder still leads the team in scoring at 19.3 PPG but he's shot 23.9 percent and averaged 9.5 points over his last four contests. The Sun Devils allowed 46 points in the paint against Stanford and will need an improved effort against Cal big men Marcus Lee and Kingsley Okoroh.6-8 freshman forward Romello White (12.5 & 7.8) ended a mini-slump against the Cardinal, finishing with a team-high 19 points but the Sun Devils again struggled from three-point range after thriving from there during non-conference play. Holder is surrounded by two seniors, Evans (17.1-3.7-4.3) and Justice (14.1) on the perimeter, plus freshman guard Martin (10.0) has also contributed regularly. However, as noted, ASU has had trouble guarding players inside since league play began.

Cal: The Bears are a young and rebuilding team. They were over-matched Thursday against No. 17 Arizona, which cruised to a 79-58 victory behind 20 points and 11 rebounds from star freshman Deandre Ayton. Cal boasts a promising freshman of its own in 6-7 forward Justice Sueing (13.9 & 5.9), who is averaging 19.2 points in Pac-12 play and registered 19 points and nine rebounds against the Wildcats. First-year coach Wyking Jones is also bullish on freshman guard Darius McNeill, who ranks fourth on the team in scoring at 11.8 PPG and teams with the veteran Coleman (17.2 PPG) in the backcourt. As noted in the ASU paragraph, the duo of 6-11 Lee (11.8 & 7.5) and the 7-1 Okoroh (5.9 & 5.0) are more than capable of exploiting ASU's "inside woes."

The pick: California won three of its last four non-conference games and opened league play by overcoming a 17-point deficit in the final 10 minutes to beat Stanford 77-74. However, the Bears have since lost five straight contests by an average of 19.4 PPG. In fact, the Bears have had their three lowest-scoring games of the season in their last three outings. That sounds bad (an it is) but ASU has also somewhat unraveled and Cal has won four in a row against Arizona State. Make the Bears an 8* play.

The set-up: The Portland Trail Blazers are looking to make it a clean sweep of a three-game homestand when they host Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. In fact, 24-21 Portland will be going for its sixth straight home victory against the 15-30 Mavs, who are battling to stay out of the Western Conference 'basement,' currently occupied by the 13-32 Sacramento Kings.

Dallas: The Mavs enter having lost five of seven but are still getting big performances from rookie PG Dennis Smith Jr., who led the way with 25 points on 11-of-18 shooting and five assists on Tuesday in the team's 105-102 loss at Denver. It marked the third time in the last four games that the NC State product scored 20 or more points, raising his season scoring average to 14.5 (3.1 RPG and 3.9 APG). Fellow young PG Yogi Ferrell (10.2-3.5-2.4) is enjoying a hot stretch as well, averaging 15.3 points on 53.5 percent shooting over the last four contests. SF Harrison Barnes leads the team in scoring (18.7) and rebounding (6.7) and while Nowitzki (12.2 & 5.5) is no longer an All Star, he's a dependable player.

Portland: The Blazers watched a 20-point lead evaporate, before holding on for a 118-111 triumph over Phoenix on Tuesday. They then had a much better showing late on Thursday, holding the Indiana Pacers to 12 points in the fourth quarter to earn a 100-86 victory. "We just made plays when we needed to in the fourth quarter," Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts told reporters. "In the fourth quarter, it was good to see just the lead kind of expand without having very many mistakes." Portland will challenge Smith and Ferrell with its star guard tandem of Damian Lillard (25.0-4.8-6.5) and CJ McCollum (21.5-4.0-3.3). However, Portland is at its best when center Jusuf Nurkic (14.5 & 8.0) is producing. Nurkic delivered 19 points and 17 rebounds in Thursday's win and averages 15.2 points and 8.7 boards in wins while posting 13.7 and 7.3 in losses.

The pick: The road team won each of the four meetings last season, with Dallas winning the two in Portland by a total of five points. However, Dallas is just 6-15 SU on the road this season while Portland's current five-game home winning streak is its longest of the season. This "more than reasonable" pointspread makes the Blazers a 10* play.

The set-up: The 23-20-4 New York Islanders now find themselves three points out of playoff position (50points) after losing two straight and seven of the past 10 contests. They begin a three-game road trip Saturday night in Chicago against 22-17-6 Blackhawks. The Islanders have been ravaged by injuries of late and are last in the league in goals-against per game (3.66), after being outscored 9-3 in losses to New Jersey and Boston in their last two. The Blackhawks have been off since a demoralizing 4-0 loss to Detroit back on Jan. 14 and continue to miss All-Star goalie Corey Crawford (upper-body), who remains out an indefinite period. Chicago is 5-3-1 over its last nine games and still has three contests remaining on its six-game homestand.

NY Islanders: “You need to work in this league, every shift,” New York head coach Doug Weight told reporters after the 5-2 loss to Boston on Thursday. “The teams that have 60, 55 points, they’re working hard nine out of 10 shifts. We’re 7½ right now and it’s costing us.” The Islanders also face Arizona and Vegas on their trip and are 10-13-1 on the road as they visit Chicago. Second-leading scorer Josh Bailey (51 points) returned from a four-game injury absence Thursday to notch an assist but fellow top-six forward Andrew Ladd (upper-body) is not expected back this weekend. Captain John Tavares (55 points) recorded his 25th goal Thursday, moving within one of team-leader Anders Lee (26 goals & 41 points), and right wing Jordan Eberle (15 goals & 37 points) also scored to give him eight points in the past five games. Center Mathew Barzal easily leads all NHL rookies in points with 48 and boasts three goals along with eight assists in his past five contests.

Chicago: Leading scorer Patrick Kane (18 goals), who is three points shy of 800 in his career, and captain Jonathan Toews (14 goals and 31 points) have yet to hit the scoresheet on the homestand for the Blackhawks, whose 50 points leaves them last in the Central Division (Chicago's 109 points topped the Central last season). Forward Nick Schmaltz (12 goals and 32 points) has picked up a lot of the slack offensively over the last 10 games with six goals and six assists during that stretch. Schmaltz is second on the team behind Kane's 45 points. Jeff Glass, a 32-year-old first-year player, is 3-2-1 3.18 GAA & .910 SP) and fellow goalie Anton Forsberg (3-6-3, 2.92 GAA & .911 SP) allowed five goals in his last three games (2-1-0) to keep Chicago afloat with Crawford on the shelf.

The pick: Chicago is 0-for-9 with the man advantage over the first three games of its current homestand but has also killed all 17 power plays over the last six contests. No reason to think Chicago will score much off its league-mandated break, even against New York's leaky defense. In fact, New York's Jaroslav Halak is expected to make his 29th start of the season in this one and he boasts a 7-1-3 record with a 2.06 GAA and a .930 save percentage in 12 career meetings against Chicago. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The West Virginia Mountaineers lost their season-opener 88-65 to Texas&M but then ripped off 15 straight wins, rising to No. 2 in the AP poll (highest since the Jerry West era). However, the Mountaineers have lost their edge by giving away two late-game leads in losses at Texas Tech (732-71) and home to Kansas (71-66). "We probably weren't comfortable being No. 2 in the country," head coach Bob Huggins said. "Our preparation wasn't what it needed to be." Now 15-3 (4-2 in Big 12) and ranked No. 6, West Virginia will welcome 12-6 Texas (3-3 Big 12) to Morgantown on Saturday afternoon. The Longhorns are coming off a 67-58 upset of No. 8 Texas Tech this past Wednesday but represent the only unranked opponent in a five-game stretch for West Virginia.

Texas: The Longhorns feature a one-and-done prospect in the 6-11 Mohamed Bamba. He protects the rim with a 7-foot-9 wingspan that would rank as the longest in the NBA right now. He is second in the nation at 4.53 blocks per game and is also the only Big 12 player averaging a double-double at 11.9 points and 10.5 rebounds. He has four double-doubles in six conference games, after going for 15 and 11 Wednesday night during the upset of Texas Tech. That game saw the return of guard Kerwin Roach from a broken hand, who was cleared right before tip-off. Roach (10.8) had missed two games but scored 20 points after not having practiced for a week. The 6-9 Dylan Osetkowski leads the Longhorns with 14.9 points and 7.7 rebounds and junior Eric Davis Jr. (8.8) has been key for the Longhorns off the bench, averaging 13.8 points in 30.0 minutes in league play.
Despite losing guard Andrew Jones (13.5) to leukemia treatment for the season, the Longhorns are in the mid-40s in the RPI, one of the tools the NCAA selection committee uses to pick at-large teams into the NCAA Tournament. Shaka Smart's team is also one of the nation's better defensive teams, allowing 65.4 PPG (38th) on 39.6% shooting (23rd).

West Virginia: The Mountaineers will look to snap a two-game skid, one which is even more frustrating because it's coincided with 6-8 junior Esa Ahmad returning from an academic suspension. He's averaged 16.5 PPG and 5.5 RPG in his two games back, BOTH West Va. losses. He's joins a talented group led by PG Carter (16.7-5.2-6.3), who also averages 3.4 steals per game. Fellow guard Miles (13.0-3.2-3.7) is another double digit score plus the 6-8 West (11.9 & 5.5) and the 6-8 Konate (9.3 & 7.8) will welcome the help up front that Ahmad will provide. Carter is the only player in the country averaging more than 16 points, six assists and three steals, helping the Mountaineers to lead the the Big 12 in turnover margin (plus-7.3).

The pick: West Virginia won all three meetings last year, including in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament (63-53) but as noted often, the pointspread is the "great equalizer." Texas head coach Shaka Smart has covered five straight in this series, including all three meetings a year ago. Take the points and make Texas a 10* play.

The set-up: After 72 years in the MVC, Wichita State upgraded to the AAC (American Athletic Conference) this season and Saturday afternoon will take on conference rival Houston. The Shockers are 15-3 (5-1 AAC) and the Cougars 14-4 (4-2 in AAC), with Wichita Sttae already owning a win over the Cougars this season, 81-63 on Jan. 4 in Wichita. The No. 7 Shockers saw their seven-game winning snapped with an 83-78 loss to SMU, a defeat that also snapped the school's 27-game home winning streak at Koch Arena.
Wichita State hasn't visited Houston since 1960 and enters as one of six teams in the nation undefeated in true road games this season, joining Saint Mary's (6-0), Kansas (4-0), Ohio State (4-0), Purdue (4-0) and LSU (3-0). The Shockers are 5-0 in true road games this season and hope to extend their true road winning streak to 12 games, which would match a school record. Houston is no pushover, owning the the American Athletic Conference's leading scorer in senior guard Rob Gray (19.4 PPG), as well as a perfect 8-0 home mark this season at H&PE Arena.

Wichita State: Sophomore guard Landry Shamet leads the AAC with 5.3 assists per game and owns the AAC's top assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.63 plus scores a team-high 16.1 PPG, having recorded his first two career double-doubles in his last three games (he had 18 points in the Shockers' 18-point home win over the Cougars). He also shoots 54.6 percent from the floor (including 52 percent from three-point range), in leading a team which averages 84.6 PPG (21st) on 49.4% shooting (22nd). The 6-8 Morris (12.1 & 4,4) joins guard Frankamp (11.8) and the 6-9 Willis (11.2 & 6.4) in double figures. The Shockers own depth galore, with junior forward Markis McDuffie (8.0 & 4.3) now slowly rounding into form after missing the first 11 games of the season with a stress fracture in his left foot. He's one of six players adding between 5.0 and 8.0 PPG, a group which includes the team's leading rebounder, the 6-7 Kelly (5.1 & 7.2).

Houston. Gray is an excellent floor leader, who also averages 3.0 RPG and 4.0 APG. Fellow guard Corey Davis (12.0) and 6-6 forward Devin Davis (10.7 & 6.3) join him in double digits while reserve guards Brooks (9.4) and Van Beck (8.4) add scoring punch off the bench. Houston is the only team to out-rebound the Shockers this season but the Cougars still lost by 18 points, as Gray was held to just 13 points with the Cougars scoring a season-low 63 points. Like the Shockers, the Cougars found themselves in a close game against a hot opponent their last time out. Houston took a late three-point lead against Tulane this past Wednesday in New Orleans but couldn't hold on and dropped an 81-72 conference game.

The pick: Wichita State trails Cincinnati by one game in the AAC standings, while Houston and Memphis are one game back of the Shockers. Wichita State responded to its last loss, 91-83 to Oklahoma on Dec. 16, by winning its next seven games and hasn't dropped consecutive conference games since 2012-13 (note: those were MVC contests). McDuffie's return is good news (he led last year's 31-win team in scoring at 11.5 PPG and rebounding at 5.7 RPG) and I hardly expect another four-point effort from him here (like vs. SMU). Wichita State had little trouble Housotn in early January (led 53-32 at the half) and I'll lay the small number here. Make Wichita State an 8* play.

The set-up: The Utah Jazz put together a six-game winning streak to reach 13-11 at the end of play on Dec. 4 but have since won just five of 20 games to fall to 18-26. However, after Wednesday's 120-105 win at Sacramento, the Jazz have a chance for consecutive wins for the first time in over a month when they host the New York Knicks on Friday. The Kicks are coming off a 105-99 loss at Memphis on Wednesday that dropped them to 5-16 on the road for the season and to 20-25 overall, after losing 11 of their last 14 games.

NY Knicks: New York rallied from an 18-point deficit in the third quarter at Memphis to make it interesting but the Grizzlies held on, despite playing without three starters. New York head coach Jeff Hornacek indicated he wants more from his first five. "We're all frustrated," Porzingis told reporters. "We all want to win. We just need to understand in our minds what are the things we need to do throughout the game to be able to be in position to win late in the game. Not have all that pressure late in the game, and that's when we start playing and we turn it up. We need to have that early on and then we'll be fine." Porzingis (23.6 & 6.9) has at least 21 points in five of his last six games and is averaging 3.3 blocks and 2.5 steals over the last four outings. PG Frank Ntilikina, the Knicks' top choice in last year's draft, has gone scoreless in three of his last five games, shooting a combined 0-for-11 in those three contests (he's averaging just P5.4 PG and 3.6 APG). Porous defense has been a major obstacle for New York in turning things around. The Knicks have held just two opponents under 100 points over their last 14 games (winning just three) and they rank 20th among NBA teams with a 108.2 defensive rating in January.

Utah: Rookie guard Donovan Mitchell was 14-for-19 in a 34-point performance in teh win over teh Kings and is averaging over 25 points over an eight-game stretch (19.7 PPG on the season). Mitchell has shot 50 percent or better in each of the last three contests and is adding a highlight-reel play or two seemingly every night. Mitchell is an electrifying talent but has some work to do on the defensive end before he can be included with the league's elite players. "He played very well tonight," coach Quin Snyder told the media Wednesday. "There were a number of things on the defensive end that he's going to hear about. He's gotta keep getting better in every aspect of the game. That's what he wants to do." Rodney Hood (2nd-leading scorer at 16.7 PPG), who had 30 points in a loss at New York earlier this season, added 25 points while shooting 9-for-16 in the win over the Kings.

The pick: The Knicks were talking playoff at 17-14 but they are just 3-11 since. Their road woes are well-documented (see above) and while te heazz are also just 5-15 their last 20, they are getting some good news. Center Rudy Gobert (11.6 & 9.6), who sustained a sprained PCL in his left knee and bone bruise in his tibia while missing 15 games (Jazz are 4-11), is expected to return to action against the Knicks on Friday! Make Utah a 10* play.

The set-up: The 10-9 Illinois Fighting Illini will take on the 9-10 Wisconsin Badgers Friday night at the Kohl Center in Madison. Illinois could use a win here to snap a four-game losing streak and also pick up the team's first conference win, after opening Big Ten play at 0-6. Illinois' poor start is rather surprising, considering the fact that Brad Underwood led the Fighting Illini to a 20-15 season last year, his first at Champaign (the Illini had won just 15 games the season before). Meanwhile, the Badgers' sub-.500 start is 'earth shaking' for Madison fans, as is the team's 2-4 Big Ten record. Wisconsin entered this season having played in 17 straight NCAA tournaments (tied for the fourth-longest active streak with Gonzaga) and its 13 NCAA tourney wins were tied for 2nd-most (with Kentucky), over the last four seasons.

Illinois; Freshman guard Trent Frazier (11.0 & 2.6 APG) has scored 46 total in his last two outings and is averaging 16.8 points while shooting 44.9 percent from behind the arc over the last nine games. Despite not playing more than 23 minutes in any of his last four contests due to foul trouble, 6-7 forward Leron Black has not seen any kind of decline in his team-high scoring (14.4 points) and rebounding (5.7) averages. Guard Aaron Jordan (9.8 PPG) has not been as fortunate, as he was held scoreless for the second time in three games Monday and reached double figures only once in his last seven outings The 6-10 Finke (10.6 & 5.6) is now Illinois' only other double digit scorer.

Wisconsin: The Badgers lost four starters from last year's Sweet 16 team (27 wins) but the 6-10 Ethan Happ was a Preseason All-American. Despite feeling the pressure of carrying the injury-plagued Badgers on offense, he is the only major-conference player averaging at least 16 points (16.7), eight rebounds (8.4) and three assists (3.6) this season.
Guard Brad Davison continues to play through a shoulder injury and ranks second on the team in scoring (11.7), as he attempts to become only the fourth Wisconsin freshman in the last 20 years to average at least 10 points. Sophomore guard Brevin Pritzl (8.7) is coming off a miserable offensive performance (seven points on 2-for-11 from the field), but he averaged 13 points in the four games prior. The Badgers have always relied on defense and this year's team is good (65.6 PPG allowed ranks 41st) but not great. Surely, "not great enough," when the Badgers are scoring only 68.1 PPG, which ranks 309th!

The pick: It's become obvious that Wisconsin's NCAA streak will end here in 2018 but remember that Wisconsin has won 11 straight meetings against Illinois, including six in a row at teh Kohl Center. It's been quite some time since Wisconsin was this small of a home favorite over Illinois (the schools met just once last season and Wisconsin was a 7 1/2-point favorite at Illinois), so lay it. Make Wisconsin a 10* play.

The set-up: The Montreal Canadiens attempt to halt their five-game road losing streak when they visit the Washington Capitals on Friday. Montreal is coming off a 4-1 loss at Boston on Wednesday and has scored a total of just four goals during their five-game road losing skid. Montreal is just 18-21-6 on the season and the team's 42 points so far is huge disappointment after the team went 47-26-9 last season with its 103 points winning the Atlantic Division. The Caps are looking to bounce back quickly after falling 4-3 in overtime at New Jersey on Thursday. Washington is 28-14-4 on the season and its 60 points leads the Metropolitan Division.

Montreal: Montreal's offense needs a jolt, as the Canadiens' 2.53 GPG ranks 29th of 312 NHL teams. Jakub Jerabek recorded the lone tally (his first in the NHL) 31 seconds into the game at Boston but it was all downhill from there in a 4-1 loss. "Tonight we just laid an egg. Not good enough," head coach Claude Julien told NHL.com. "So obviously it's a disappointing loss for us, especially in the situation we're in. But we didn't play well, as simple as that. You hope you can bounce back next game and resemble more the team you did in the last four or five (games)." Logan Shaw hopes to make his debut for the team on Friday, as he was a healthy scratch in the loss to the Bruins after being claimed off waivers from Anaheim two days earlier. "I'll work every shift I'm out there and do my best to help this team win," the 25-year-old right wing, who notched two goals and six assists in 42 games with the Ducks this season, told Montreal's website after joining the club. Center Alex Galchenyuk has a team-high of just 26 points (11 goals).

Washington: Brett Connolly scored twice in the OT loss at New Jersey, giving him three goals in his last two contests and 12 on the season to climb into third place on the club. Captain Alex Ovechkin leads the Capitals with 49 points (28 goals). He has registered five goals and seven assists over his last eight games but has been kept off the scoresheet in two of the past three. Evgeny Kuznetsov notched an assist against the Devils, giving him three points over his last four contests after recording just one in his previous six games. He ranks second on the team in goals (13), assists (29) and points (42).

The pick: Washington's likely Friday starter will be backup goalie Philipp Grubauer. He is 4-0-2 with a 1.33 GAA and .957 save percentage in his last seven appearances but Washington is 18-6-0 at home, where the Caps average 3.21 GPG. \I'm making the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The 6-11 Loyola Marymount Lions will travel to Provo, Utah to take on the 15-4 BYU Cougars at the Marriott Center. The Lions come in having lost nine of their last 11 and have opened 1-5 in WCC play. BYU enters on a roll, having won 10 of its last 12, with both losses coming in league play (74-64 in OT to St. Mary's and 67-66 at Pacific), where the Cougars are 4-2.

Loyola-Marymount: The Lions went 15-15 last season, following years of 11, 13, 8 and 14 wins the previous four years. Reaching 15 wins again this season may be a stretch, as the team's 74.0 PPG average is not enough when the Lions are allowing 77.5 PPG (290th) on 48.5% shooting (334th). PG Batemon (17.4-4.5-5.1) is a quality player and is surrounded by two solid small forwards, freshman Eli Scott (13.1 & 7.1) and senior Steven Haney (12.6).

BYU. Dave Rose took over as BYU's head coach for the 2005-06 season and began his 13th season on the bench having led the Cougars to 12 straight 20-plus win seasons, while taking BYU to either the NCAA (eight) or NIT (four) tourney each year. At 15-4, his streak of 20-win seasons and a postseason tourney is all but a 'lock.' The 6-8 Childs (17.9 & 9.10 will be the best big man on the court plus guards Bryant (17.7 & 6.3) and Haws (11.1-3.1-3.9) are a quality combo. The Cougars have typically been known as a high-scoring team but while BYU is shooting 49.1% (29th) from the floor, the Cougars are averaging a modest (for them), 75.6 PPG (144th).

The pick: However, as noted above, Marymount is a really poor defensive team and BYU has topped 80 points in each of the last nine meetings between the two schools, including scoring 81, 85 and 89 in sweeping all three meetings last season. Lay it and make BYU an 8* play.

The set-up: The top-two teams in the league come together for a mid-season matchup on Thursday night when the 29-11-3 Vegas Golden Knights (61 points) visit the 31-10-3 Tampa Bay Lightning (65 points). This marks the Lightning's only home game in a span of 27 days, as they come out of the league-mandated five-day break. Tampa Bay has not played since Jan. 11, when it suffered a 5-1 setback against Calgary and lost All-Star defenseman Victor Hedman for three-to-six weeks with a lower-body injury. The Lightning will play four contests away from home before the All-Star Game on Jan. 28 and then go back out on the road for the next four. The Golden Knights hope to sweep the season series after defenseman Shea Theodore’s power-play goal - their fourth with the man advantage in the contest - with 2.3 seconds to go gave them a 4-3 victory over the Lightning on Dec. 19. However, Vegas comes in having having dropped two games in a row for the first time since losing three straight between Nov. 28-Dec. 1.

Vegas: The Golden Knights suffered a 3-2 overtime loss at Edmonton on Saturday and then lost 1-0 Tuesday at Nashville. “You can’t dwell on it,” Golden Knights forward Alex Tuch told reporters after his team outshot the Predators 43-27. “We’ve got to move on. We’ve got a tough game Thursday against the best team in the league.” Vegas is the third-highest scoring team in the league (3.33 GPG) but all of a sudden has managed just four goals in its last three games (is 0-for-14 on the power play over the past five!). However, center William Karlsson continues to produce with three goals in four contests and eight in 10. Karlsson leads the team with 23 goals and has 37 points, four behind team leader and former Lightning forward Jonathan Marchessault (16 goals and 41 points). Forward Tomas Nosek (upper-body) left Tuesday’s game and returned to Vegas for evaluation while defenseman Jason Garrison, acquired from Tampa Bay last June, was recalled Wednesday.

Tampa Bay: The Lightning still have six more points than anyone in the Eastern Conference, despite enjoying the week off. Head coach Jon Cooper reshuffled his defense pairs with Hedman out, as Slater Koekkoek appears to have moved into the top-six while partnering with Anton Stralman at practice Wednesday. Braydon Coburn was also paired with Jake Dotchin at practice and rookie Mikhail Sergachev with Daniel Girardi, who is expected to return after missing two games when he was stuck in the neck with a slap shot in Detroit. Right wing Nikita Kucherov leads the NHL with 60 points (27 G & 33 A), as well as the NHL's top-scoring offense (3.61 GPG). Tampa Bay also ranks third in goals allowed (2.50 per), which is a nice 'daily double!'

The pick: Vegas not only enters this game having lost consecutive games of any kind for the first time since Nov. 28-30 but the typically high-scoring Golden Knights have also scored just four goals in the past three games, after getting shut out in Nashville on Tuesday. A contest in Amelie Arena with the Lightning (playing on home ice for the only time in a 27-day span!), who are 17-4-1 at home this season while averaging 3.73 goals, is NOT the way to 'get well!' Make Tampa Bay an 8* play.

The set-up: The Columbus Blue Jackets lost their final two games prior to their NHL-mandated bye. That's worse than it sounds because the defeats came at the hands of two of the NHL's worst teams, Vancouver and Buffalo. Columbus (25-18-3) and its injury-depleted lineup will return from its five-day hiatus to hosts the 26-17-3 Dallas Stars on Thursday night. Dallas will play its third-game of a four-game road trip . The Star opened the trip with a 3-2 overtime win at Boston on Monday night and followed it up 24 hours later by beating Detroit 4-2 to improve to 6-2-0 in the team's last eight games.

Dallas: Veteran center Jason Spezza was mired in a 14-game goalless drought before he was scratched for Monday's loss but he responded to the benching by scoring twice on the power play against the Red Wings on Tuesday. Defenseman John Klingberg had two assists Tuesday to give him 12 points during a career-high eight-game point streak. He's the first Stars defenseman with a streak that long since Sergei Zubov in 2006 and has been selected to play in the NHL All-Star Game later this month. Klingberg leads all defensemen in points by a wide margin with 43 in 46 games.

Columbus: The Blue Jackets started the 2018 calendar year with a 2-1 win at Dallas -- their fourth straight win in the series -- but they lost 3-1 at Buffalo (2nd-fewest points in the NHL), before being beaten 5-2 by visiting Vancouver entering the bye. "It'll leave a bad taste in the guys' mouths for sure," Columbus captain Nick Foligno said after the loss to the Canucks. "But ... we can get away, recharge and know that we have a chance here to get some energy for a big push in February, March and April." Columbus' depth took a hit when Sonny Milano went on injured reserve Tuesday. He is expected to miss six to eight weeks, prompting the Blue Jackets to claim veteran forward Jussi Jokinen off waivers from Los Angeles. The team is already missing defenseman Ryan Murray plus forwards Cam Atkinson and Brandon Dubinsky,

The pick: Columbus should be highly motivated to get back on the ice after entering its bye off those back-to-back losses. The Blue Jackets have been a good home team this season, going 15-8-0 and Dallas comes in allowing 3.13 GPG on the road. Having won four straight over the Stars should give the Blue Jackets even more confidence. Make Columbus a 10* play.

The set-up: The Cleveland Cavaliers lost 99-92 on Christmas Day in Oakland to the Warriors and it sparked a downward spiral. The Cavs lost again to the Warriors this past Monday (MLK Day) 118-108 and are now losers of four straight and eight of their last 10 games to fall seven games behind the East's No. 1 seed (Boston) and even four games back of Toronto for the No. 2 seed. Trade rumors are already beginning, as the Cavaliers try to put their internal squabbles behind and snap their slide when they host the Orlando Magic on Thursday. Cleveland's last win came at Orlando came back on Jan. 6, 131-127 and was part of a seven-game slide for the Magic that ended with a 108-102 win over Minnesota just this past Tuesday. The 13-31 Magic are tied with the Sacramento Kings for the NBA's worst record.

Orlando: The Magic were able to snap their losing streak on Tuesday thanks to a career-high 32 points from Evan Fournier (18.0) and a strong effort in the middle from Bismack Biyombo (5.5 & 5.9) and Khem Birch (2.5 & 1.9), who combined for 22 points and 26 rebounds. Birch was playing in just his eighth career NBA game, "We have good players and when you look at the roster, you don't (think), 'Oh, they should only have 13 wins," Fournier told reporters. "The reality (of the record) is different, but when we play like this -- we play hard, with enthusiasm and with a purpose, it makes a huge difference. We have to keep playing like this. We have about 40 games left, and we have to try and fight. Just try and compete." That sounds good but the Magic have lost 27 of their last 32 games and even in a rare moment of glory for the Magic, reserve guard Arron Afflalo threw a punch at Minnesota's Nemanja Bjelica and is facing likely discipline from the NBA.

Cleveland: That said, the Cavs are a mess, considering their DNA and string of three consecutive Finals trips. Anonymous leaks to the media have several players on the team doubting that the roster as currently constructed can solve some of the issues that plague Cleveland, especially on the defensive end. The Cavaliers are 28th in the NBA in defensive rating entering play on Wednesday and allowed at least 118 points in four of their last five games while trying to work 5-9 point guard Isaiah Thomas into the scheme. Thomas is struggling at both ends of the floor through his first five games with his new team and is shooting 36.1 percent from the floor, including 23.3 percent from three-point range. Thomas played a season-high 32 minutes in Monday's 118-108 loss to the Golden State Warriors but needed 21 shots to reach 19 points. Cleveland ranks 25th in both points allowed (108.7 per) and shooting percentage (47.2%). "This is a difficult year for our team," said LeBron James, who scored 33 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists in the last game against the Magic. "Seems like I say that every year, but this one has been even more challenging. But with everybody who has been out and coming back in and the rotations and things of that nature, it's been very challenging on our team. But we have to figure it out."

The pick: Sure, the Magic own the worst record in the NBA and have lost 18 of their last 19 to the Cavs. However, the one win was this season, when Orlando came to Cleveland and rolled to a 114-93 triumph on Oct. 21. When the Cavs came to Amway Center in Orlando on Jan. 6, the Magic pushed the Cavs all the way, scoring 40 points in fourth quarter, almost erasing an 18-point deficit before Cleveland held on to win by just four. The Cavs' 3-16-1 ATS home record speaks for itself. Make Orlando a 10* play.

The set-up: Either the NY Knicks or the Memphis Grizzlies will walk away from tonight's game off back-to-back wins. That's a bigger deal than it sounds, as both teams have endured lengthy stretches this season without consecutive wins. The Knicks haven't had a winning streak since a four-gamer from Dec. 10-16, while the Grizzlies are without a winning streak since October. The Knicks have been awful on the road this season at 5-15, although they are 3-3 in its last six road games after a 2-13 start away from home. For Memphis, the loss of PG Conley has been a huge blow but they have been more competitive lately, recovering from a 2-19 stretch (from Nov. 11-Dec. 21) to win five of their last nine games.

NY Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis (23.7 & 6.9) had 26 points and nine rebounds, while Michael Beasley (12.5 & 5.1) finished with 23 and 10, as the Knicks won 119-104 Monday in Brooklyn against the Nets. Beasley paced a group of reserves that combined for 70 points while shooting 54.5 percent in the win. Running the show for that group was rookie guard Frank Ntilikina, who recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 assists while chipping in seven rebounds, two blocked shots and a steal. "Frank's an amazing player," Beasley told reporters. "He has to learn what pace he wants to go. But as soon as he figures it out, Frank will be an easy triple-double guy. Easy triple-double." Maybe Beasley knows what he's talking about but a check of the stat sheet reveals that Ntilikina is averaging 5.6-2.4-3.5, which is not quite Russell Westbrook-like!

Memphis: The Grizzlies recorded 24 assists and had their second-best scoring total in Monday's 123-114 win over the Lakers, as they eight different players scoring in double figures. "We shared the ball. We moved it," center Marc Gasol told reporters. "We were moving our bodies. The ball was moving faster. We have been working on that in practice. Obviously, in the fourth quarter, we got a little more static. We had a lead and our defense was pretty good throughout three quarters so we were able to mess up a little bit in the fourth." However, on a regular basis (since the loss of Conley), only Gasol (18.4-8.6-4.0) and swingman Evans (19.6-5.1-4.8) have produced regularly for Memphis, which is averaging just 99.1 PPG (29th of 30 teams). JaMychal Green (10.0 & 6.8) is the only other Memphis player in double figures (just barely) and he's been limited to 27 games due to injuries.

The pick: The Grizzlies have rebounded from one of the worst stretches in franchise history (losing 19 of 21) with five wins in their last 10 games. However, they have followed their last nine wins with losses. Can (will?) that change here? I see the Knicks playing the perfect foil.They are 5-15 on the road and since winning at Cleveland in October, their only road success has come at Brooklyn twice, and at New Orleans and Dallas. Memphis should be confident, as the Knicks haven't won at Memphis since March of 2011, with the Grizzlies six straight home wins over the Knicks in that span coming by an average of 11.5 PPG. Make Memphis an 8* play.

The set-up: The Miami Heat had their seven-game winning streak snapped with a 119-111 loss Monday at Chicago. Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra was peeved with his team's perimeter defense. "They lit us up," Spoelstra said after the Bulls hit 16 three-pointers, the second-highest total for a Heat opponent this season. The 25-18 Heat will look to start another winning streak when they visit Milwaukee's Bradley Center to take on the 23-20 Bucks. Milwaukee shot a season-low 31.6 percent at Miami on Sunday in a 97-79 loss but bounced back Monday with a 104-9 win on Monday at Washington.

Miami: Even with the loss at Chicago, Miami's current 14-5 run has been impressive. A big part of its current surge has been the play of Tyler Johnson, who averaged 15.9 points in December. However, he left Monday's loss with an ankle injury and is doubtful for this one. Fellow guard Goran Dragic (Miami's leading scorer at 17.3 PPG) is on a season-high run of four straight games with at least 20 points and backup Wayne Ellington (10.8) hit that mark while making five three-pointers in the loss to Chicago. Center Whiteside (13.8 & 11.6) is back healthy (knee), having played in the last 10 games (Miami is 8-2).

Milwaukee: The Bucks' MVP candidate, Giannis Antetokounmpo, finished with 27 points and a career-high 20 rebounds in Monday's win at Washington and is now averaging on the season. Antetokounmpo ranks second in the NBA in scoring, ninth in rebounding and in the top-20 in both steals (1.54) and blocks (1.24). "He was all over the floor tonight," teammate Eric Bledsoe told reporters after the Washington win. "That's the things we need from him night in and night out." Bledsoe chipped in 23 points - his best output in seven games - and recorded four steals for the fourth time this month. Bledsoe is averaging 17.9-3.9-4.2 in his 33 games with Milwaukee, teaming in the backcourt with last year's ROY, Brogdon (13.4-3.3-3.4). SF Middleton (19.9-5.0-4.2) is the last part of Milwaukee's 'Core Four," and may be one of the NBA's least appreciated players.

The pick: Miami's problems at the SG position began earlier this season when Dion Waiters (14.3 PPG) suffered a sprained ankle that required season-ending surgery. Johnson has moved into the role and thrived before issues with his neck and shoulder popped up last week. Now, it's his ankle. Miami struggles offensively with "all hands on deck," averaging a modest 101.1 PPG (27th). I expect the Heat to have a big problem here vs. a highly-motivated Milwaukee team looking to avenge Sunday's 97-79 loss in Miami. Make Milwaukee an 8* play.

The set-up: Shaka Smart's Texas team is coming off an ugly 11-22 season, his second in Austin. However, Texas has already matched last year's win total with an 11-6 record, including 2-3 in Big 12 play. Chris Beard made a huge splash in his first year as a Division I head coach at Arkansas-Little Rock, going 30-5 and leading the Trojans into the second round of the NCAAs. He used that season a springboard to get the Texas Tech job but his first season in Lubbock was a disappointment, as the Red Raiders went 18-14 overall but only 6-12 in the Big 12. He's corrected that so far in the 2017-18 season, entering 15-2 (4-1 in Big 12), with a team ranked No. 8 in the current AP poll. Both teams come into this contest having suffered key injuries. The Longhorns are without Kerwin Roach (hand) and Andrew Jones (leukemia) while Texas Tech recently announced senior Zach Smith has a broken foot and might miss the rest of the season.

Texas Tech: Smith was averaging 10.4 & 4.6 and outside of leading scorer Evans (17.5), was Tech's lone double digit scorer. However, Chris Beard's team owns quality depth, as eight others are contributing between 4.7 and 9.9 PPG, while all eight are playing 15-plus minutes per game. The Red Raiders lead the Big 12 in scoring defense (66 points per game in Big 12 play) and rebounding margin (plus-7.6). Overall, Tech is holding all opponents to 60.8 PPG (5th) on 37.8% shooting (6th). The Red Raiders allow league opponents to shoot 41.8 percent while forcing 13.6 turnovers.

Texas: Junior guard Kerwin Roach II (10.1-3.6-3.0) is out with an injured left hand and sophomore guard Andrew Jones (13.5) is at home in Irving getting treated for leukemia. However, Texas owns a surprisingly productive bench to help them stay afloat in the stacked Big 12 Conference race.Eric Davis Jr. (8.8 points) is averaging 20 points on 60 percent shooting off the bench in the two games since Jones' diagnosis was announced. Freshman Matt Coleman is averaging 12.2 points and 7.2 assists in league play and freshmen Jase Febres (6.8 points in league play) and Jericho Sims (4.2 points in league play) are continue to get more playing time. Then there is the Texas frontcourt duo of 6-9 junior Dylan Osetkowski (15.1 & 7.8) and 6-11 freshman Mohamed Bamba (11.8 & 10.4 plus 4.4 blocks per game). Like Texas Tech, Texas can play defense, allowing 65.8 PPG (43rd) on 39.6% shooting (26th).

The pick: Texas hasn't lost back-to-back games since falling to then-No. 1 Duke and then-No. 17 Gonzaga - both in overtime- at the PK80 Tournament in November. What's more, the Longhorns have won 21 consecutive games against Texas Tech in Austin entering this contest. The last Texas Tech win in Austin came during the 1995-96 season when both schools were in the Southwest Conference. Home dog barks loudly in this one. Make Texas a 10* play.

The set-up: The Boston Bruins followed up Saturday's 4-3 shootout win in Montreal with a 3-2 overtime loss to visiting Dallas on Monday afternoon, extending the team's point streak to 13 games (9-0-4) since its last regulation loss back on Dec. 14. The 24-10-8 Bruins have gone more than a month since dropping back-to-back games and they have not lost in regulation in that same span. The Bruins' 56 points have them sitting in second-place in the Atlantic Division and Boston looks to stay 'hot,' as it gets set to host the 18-20-6 Montreal Canadiens, tonight. It marks the second matchup in five days between the teams (Boston won a shootout Saturday in Montreal) and a third tussle is looming at the Bell Centre this coming Saturday.

Monteal: The Canadiens have just 42 points so far, a huge disappointment after the team went 47-26-9 last season, with its 103 points winning the Atlantic Division. The Canadiens have earned points in four in a row (2-0-2) after wrapping up a five-game homestand with a 5-4 overtime loss to the New York Islanders 5-4, but the reality is, they are in 14th place in the Eastern Conference. Max Pacioretty has been mired in a season-long goal-scoring slump, managing one tally in a 22-game span. However, Montreal's captain has come alive in 2018 with goals in four consecutive games to boost his season total to 12. Montreal is nine points behind the second wild card spot, with five teams between the Habs and that final spot. What's more, the injuries are piling up. Phillip Danault was felled by a Zdeno Chara slap shot Saturday night and is out with a concussion, and Andrew Shaw has been lost indefinitely with a lower-body injury. The club claimed Logan Shaw off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks and he will join the team in Boston.

Boston: "It's not easy to get a point in this league," Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron said after Monday's 3-2 OT loss vs. Dallas. "So you take the points. And the character we've shown, that's a positive." Rookie Jake DeBrusk had a goal and an assist and converted in the shootout against Montreal on Saturday, but he was among three players to miss Tuesday's practice. DeBrusk and defenseman Kevan Miller were "under the weather" but are expected to play Wednesday, head coach Bruce Cassidy said, while Noel Acciari is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. "I suspect that he would play tomorrow, but we’ll have a better idea on (Wednesday) morning,” Cassidy said of Acciari.

The pick: Montreal head coach Claude Julien returns to Boston for the first time since he was fired by the Bruins last February. However, he faces a Boston team that is 9-0-3 in its last 12 and 18-3-4 in its last 25. Boton goalie Tuukka Rask has never had much success against Montreal (8-15-3 with a 2.52 goals-against average and .914 save percentage) but he's been 'on fire' as of late, entering on a 12-0-2 run. Meanwhile, Montreal's Carey Price is just 2-4-2 in his last eight starts. After going 37-20-5 (2.23 GAA & .923 SP) last season, he's 13-14-4 (2.95 GAA & .908 SP) this season. Let's make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Denver Nuggets have hit a rough patch, losing four of their last five to fall to 22-21. That leaves them tied with the LA Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers, as those three teams battle for the final two Western Conference playoff spots. The good news is that the trio ifsfive games ahead of the closest challenger. Denver will welcome the Dallas Mavericks to Pepsi Center Tuesday night, a team which has spent most of the first half of the season as one of the worst teams in the NBA. The Mavericks suffered a 107-101 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, losing for the fourth time in their last six while falling to 15-29.

Dallas: The Mavericks are facing tough decisions as the trading deadline looms. They can stand pat or be sellers next month and look to the future, which will soon not include Dirk Nowitzki. He is in the twilight of his illustrious career. "Dirk's really one of the most amazing athletes I've ever seen or been around," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told reporters last week. "To perform like this at the advanced age of 39 in the NBA is just unbelievable." He is averaging 12.3 PPG and 5.5 RPG in his his 19th season but has become a complimentary player to younger players like rookie PG Dennis Smith Jr. and Harrison Barnes. Barnes again leads Dallas in scoring (18.7) and also leads in rebounding (6.7), while Smith is a legitimate ROY candidate, averaging 14.3-3.9-4.5. Dallas at 18.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. he scored 23 points in the loss to the Lakers and has eight straight double-digit outings, including three of at least 20 points. Smith, the ninth overall pick in the draft, frustrated No. 2 pick Lonzo Ball on Saturday by limiting him to nine points on 4-of-13 shooting.

Denver:The Nuggets' four losses during this latest five-game stretch have come by an average of 15.8 points and head coach Michael Malone is trying to keep the squad's spirits intact. "Every team experiences the ups and downs," Malone told reporters. "The most important thing for us is how do we handle it and how do we react? Don't become too emotional. Don't become over-reactive and (proclaim) 'the sky is falling' and panic." Denver's defense had no answers for slowing down San Antonio in Saturday's 112-80 setback, as the Spurs made 14-of-27 three-pointers and scored 30 or more points in two separate quarters. Center Nikola Jokic scored 23 points and nine rebounds in the loss, narrowly missing his 15th double-double of the campaign. He's been Denver's MVP (15.8 & 10.1) with PF Millsap (15.3 & 6.2) sidelined, although the Nuggets have sure liked the play of guards Harris (16.9), Murray (15.6) and Barton (14.4-4.8-4.0).

The pick: The Nuggets have won seven of their last nine home games against the Mavericks and will surely remember losing 122-105 at Dallas back on Dec. 4. Let me note that Dallas has allowed 100 points or more in each of its last six losses and that Denver is 15-5 SU at home where the Nuggets average 109.7 PPG. Make Denver a 10* play.

Arizona: “I think we did a lot of good things (Saturday),” Arizona center Derek Stepan told reporters. “The majority of plays out there, we did the right thing. We were closer to that 60-minute hockey game we strive to play.” Stepan recorded a goal and an assist in the contest to give him eight points in as many games and 28 for the season, placing him second on the team behind rookie Clayton Keller (34). Keller, who also has scored a team-best 14 goals, has notched an assist in each of his last two games while Christian Fischer has registered four in his last three contests. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the team’s representative for the All-Star Game later this month, snapped a 17-game goal-scoring drought Saturday with his seventh of the season to go along with 13 assists. Josh Archibald has recorded two of his three goals in the last two games while the recently acquired Richard Panik posted an assist Saturday in his second contest with the team.

The set-up: Injuries and illness have plagued John Calipari's Kentucky team all season. The Wildcats have been making do lately with only seven scholarship players. PG Quade Green (10.4 & 3.4 APG) has missed the last two games with a lower back injury and 6-10 forward Tai Wynyard has missed three straight with the flu and back issues. They join freshmen Jarred Vanderbilt and Jemarl Baker, who have yet to play because of preseason injuries. Still, Kentucky is 14-4 (4-1 in SEC) and ranked 18th in the latest AP poll, as the Wildcats travel to Columbia, South Carolina to visit the Gamecocks. South Carolina was a surprise Final Four team last season (26 wins) but lost Thornwell (21.4 & 7.1), Dozier (13.9 & 4.8) and Notice (10.2) off that squad. The Gamecocks check in here at just 11-6, including 2-3 in SEC play.

Kentucky: With Green and Wynyard out, Kentucky's options were limited in the Wildcats' 74-67 Saturday win at Vanderbilt. Kentucky head coach John Calipari used only seven players in that one with three of his starters logging at least 38 minutes. "These guys should be happy," Calipari told reporters. "They got tired. ... But you ask these guys, 'Would you rather play half a game or play every minute?' What do you think they're going to say? 'I'll be good. I'll play every minute.'" As is almost always the case, Calipari's team is loaded with freshman. The 6-9 Knox (14.2 & 5.5) is the leading scorer, followed by two guards, Diallo (13.8 & 4.5) and Gilgeous-Alexander (12.4-3.7-4.4). The 6-7 Washington is another solid freshman, averaging 11.0 & 5.2.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks had lost four of six before slipping past 64-57 Georgia this past Saturday thanks to Frank Booker's 17 points. South Carolina somehow won despite shooting a season-low 27.1 percent with the team's five forwards combining to go 6-of-32 from the field. Leading scorer, the 6-9 Chris Silva (14.2 & 7.9) just missed his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and nine boards versus the Bulldogs.Booker (10.9) is the only other South Carolina player scoring in double digits. Frank Martin teams are known for their defense and the Gamecocks rank 33rd, while allowing 65.1 PPG.

The pick: Kentucky will be looking to conclude a daunting, but successful early Southeastern Conference schedule, when it plays its fourth road game in five outings tonight at South Carolina. The Wildcats aren't scoring like usual (78.3 PPG ranks 91st) but they are shooting well (48.8% ranks 32nd). Defensively, Kentucky allows 69.6 PPG (not bad) and just 41.0% shooting (65th). Calipari used only six players most of the time when his UMass team reached the 1996 Final Four and he says he raached out toJohn Wooden back in 2010, when was still alive. I called him and said, 'Will you watch my team? We're not an execution team. Do you have any ideas?'" Calipari remembered. "Coach Wooden said, 'you play too many guys.' He said, 'I know why you do because kids will transfer.' But we played five guys and they earned their space. I'd play a sixth guy if I needed to. They earned it in practice.'" My point is, Calipari can coach with a 'short' or a 'long' bench! Make the Wildcats a 10* play, as they beat South Carolina by 16 in the only matchup last season.