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In today’s newsletter…
1. Leading Off: Where the NBA stands going into the 2nd half
2. Game of the Day: Knicks look to show they’ll compete for East’s top seed
3. Scouting Report: Sixers’ Maxey has a good matchup tonight
4. Olympics: U.S. men and women both contending for hockey gold
5. Overtime: Chiefs use a salary cap maneuver with Mahomes for 4th straight offseason
1. Leading Off
The Thunder are still the clear favorites to win the NBA title as the second half of the season gets underway, but they don’t look quite as invincible as they did at the start of their title defense. Denver has moved up to +550 to win it all, and San Antonio — which has had Oklahoma City’s number so far this season — is now third at +1200 (the Thunder are +130).
The books can’t seem to separate the top teams in the East. The Pistons, Knicks, Celtics, and Cavaliers are all sitting at +1300 to win the championship. At FanDuel, the Knicks are a slight favorite to win the conference at +350, just ahead of the Pistons and Cavaliers (+360), with the Celtics close behind at +370.
Even with the Thunder drifting a bit in the title odds, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (-190) is still the heavy favorite to win regular-season MVP. Nikola Jokic is next at +300, followed by Cade Cunningham (+1400) and Luka Doncic (+2000).
At the bottom of the playoff race, oddsmakers seem to think the East play-in picture is mostly set. The Bucks are just 1.5 games behind the Hawks but are +500 to make it, while the Bulls (the same distance back) are +1400. The West feels even more settled, with the Grizzlies sitting 4.5 games behind the Los Angeles Clippers and all the way out at +8000.
With more teams openly tanking and the lottery as unpredictable as ever, finishing last is harder to do and doesn’t mean as much. The bigger question is who goes No. 1 in the draft. Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson is still a strong favorite at -290, with BYU’s AJ Dybantsa next at +370 and Duke’s Cameron Boozer at +850.
— Abe Rakov
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2. Game of the Day
East Favorites to Earn No. 1 Seed Face Off as 2nd Half of NBA Season Begins
Karl-Anthony Towns | William Liang-Imagn Images
After failing to reach a double-double in three of four games, Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns closed out the first half of the season with seven straight, averaging 17.4 points and 13.6 rebounds during the stretch.
Meanwhile, New York’s leading scorer, Jalen Brunson, headed into the break on a quieter note. He managed just eight points on 3-of-6 shooting in 30 minutes in a blowout win over the Philadelphia 76ers — his lowest scoring output in nearly a month. That came after he dropped 40 and 31 in his previous two games, so the dip looked more like a blip than a trend.
The last meeting between these teams wasn’t much of a contest. The Pistons rolled to a 118-80 win at home two weeks ago, though that result came with some pretty important context: Towns and OG Anunoby were both out for New York, while Detroit was without Jalen Duren.
Duren won’t be available this time, either. He’s serving the second game of a two-game suspension for his role in the fight during the Pistons’ matchup with the Hornets just before the break. That leaves Detroit a bit shorthanded inside again.
Pistons (40-13, 18-7 Away) vs. Knicks (35-20, 21-7 Home)
7:30pm on Prime Video
The Odds
Spread: DET (+4.5, -112), NYK (-4.5, -108)
59% of the money is with NYK but 53% of the bets are with DET
ATS | DET (road): 10-14-1, NYK (home): 14-14
Moneyline: DET +150, NYK -178
Total (222.5): Over -108, Under -112
DET: 22-31, NYK: 28-28
Head-to-Head
Pistons | Knicks | |
|---|---|---|
Streak | W3 | W1 |
Last 10 | 8-2 | 8-2 |
Points/Game | 117.2 | 118.0 |
Opp Points/Game | 109.3 | 111.9 |
Rebounds/Game | 45.6 | 46.3 |
Opp Rebounds/Game | 41.2 | 41.6 |
Assists/Game | 26.6 | 27.2 |
Players to Watch
DET G Cade Cunningham | Points: 24.5 (25.3 - 28, 33, 11, 30, 29), Reb: 5.5 (5.6 - 7, 9, 5, 8, 2), Ast: 8.5 (9.6 - 9, 7, 7, 8, 10)
DET F Duncan Robinson | Points: 11.5 (12.3 - 13, 18, 9, 21, 20), Reb: TBA (2.7 - 4, 3, 4, 1, 3), Ast: TBA (1.9 - 1, 4, 2, 2, 2)
NYK G Jalen Brunson | Points: 27.5 (27.0 - 8, 40, 31, 12, 42), Reb: 3.5 (3.3 - 4, 5, 3, 4, 8), Ast: 5.5 (6.1 - 4, 8, 8, 4, 9)
NYK C Karl-Anthony Towns | Points: 19.5 (19.8 - 21, 22, 11, 24, 19), Reb: 11.5 (11.9 - 11, 14, 10, 12, 15), Ast: TBA (2.9 - 5, 3, 1, 1, 3)
*Player stats are shown as: Today’s total (Season average - Last 5 games from most recent to oldest)
3. Scouting Report
Maxey Scored 44 Last Time Out Against Atlanta, Bane Faces Coldest Team in NBA
Tyrese Maxey | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
76ers G Tyrese Maxey (vs. Hawks)
Maxey went into the All Star break hot despite the 76ers losing three of four. He scored 32, 30 and 29 in his last three games, and in the one before that run he dished out 13 assists to go along with 26 points. When these teams played at the end of November, Maxey scored 44 points on 14-31 shooting with seven rebounds and nine assists in a double-overtime loss. Atlanta gave up an average of nearly 123 points in the six games leading up to the break.
Points: 28.5 (28.9 - 32, 30, 29, 26, 14), Reb: 3.5 (4.1 - 2, 1, 9, 0, 4), Ast: 6.5 (6.8 - 2, 4, 6, 13, 3)
ATL - L3 (5-5 L10) | Points Allowed: 118.6 (25th), Reb Allowed: 46.8 (26th), Ast Allowed: 27.3 (22nd)
Magic G Desmond Bane (at Kings)
Bane averaged 23.5 points over his last eight games before the break, and that included a seven-point showing in just 22 minutes in a blowout loss to Oklahoma City. In his past two contests he shot 19-28 (10-16 from three) and scored 31 and 25 points. The Kings needed a stop in play more than any other team in the NBA, as they’ve lost 14 straight and now have the worst record in the league. After four solid-for-them defensive performances in a row, Sacramento gave up 120+ in four of five to close out the first half of the season. And their two best players both had season-ending surgery yesterday.
Points: 21.5 (19.6 - 31, 25, 22, 23, 7), Reb: 4.5 (4.2 - 2, 3, 3, 3, 2), Ast: 3.5 (4.2 - 5, 1, 2, 4, 2)
SAC - L14 (0-10 L10) | Points Allowed: 120.6 (28th), Reb Allowed: 44.9 (20th), Ast Allowed: 27.5 (25th)
Pacers F Pascal Siakam (at Wizards)
They were just All Star “games,” but Siakam was in good form in Los Angeles — going 5-7 in 18 minutes, scoring 10 points in two matchups. He went for 30 points in his last outing before the break, an overtime win over the Knicks (his first time scoring at least 30 in nearly three weeks). Siakam went for just 11 on 4-12 shooting when he played Washington in mid-December, but dropped 24 and nine rebounds when the teams played two weeks prior. The Wizards gave up 138, 132 and 127 in their final games before the break, continuing their run of being one of the NBA’s worst defensive teams.
Points: 23.5 (23.7 - 30, 18, 19, 27, 25), Reb: 6.5 (6.7 - 6, 4, 6, 4, 6), Ast: 3.5 (3.9 - 4, 2, 4, 5, 1)
WAS - L3 (4-6 L10) | Points Allowed: 123.1 (29th), Reb Allowed: 47.8 (30th), Ast Allowed: 28.8 (29th)
*Player stats are shown as: Today’s total (Season average - Last 5 games from most recent to oldest)
4. Olympics
Team USA Men and Women Could Both Win in Hockey, American Speed Skater Stolz Aims for 4 Golds
Jordan Stolz | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Norway continues to lead the medal count at the Winter Olympics, with 33 total and 15 golds. Italy is next with 26 and nine — this year’s host nation had just two golds four years ago in Beijing (and 17 total, good for 13th) — while the United States is in third overall and in golds with 24 and seven.
Some of the biggest events are still to come, with Team USA in contention to win in both men’s and women’s hockey, the women’s figure skating final happening today, and American speed skater Jordan Stolz favored to win his final two events in his attempt to earn four gold medals in these Games.
Women’s Hockey Gold: Canada vs. USA
Spread | CAN (+1.5, +130), USA (-1.5, -162)
Moneyline | CAN +360, USA -480
Total (5.5) | Over +112, Under -138
Men’s Hockey Gold
Canada -125, USA +110, Finland +1700, Slovakia +3300
Women’s Singles Figure Skating Gold
Kaori Sakamoto (JPN) -115, Ami Nakai (JPN) +200, Alysa Liu (USA) +320, Adeliia Petrosian (AIN) +1600, Amber Glenn (USA) +3500
Men’s Freeski Halfpipe Gold
Finley Melville Ives (NZL) -210, Alex Ferreira (USA) +430, Nick Goepper (USA) +500, Hunter Hess (USA) +1300
Men’s Mass Start Speed Skating Gold
Jordan Stolz (USA) -125, Andrea Giovannini (ITA) +470, Jorrit Bergsma (NED) and Bart Swings (BEL) +700, Jae-Won Chung (KOR) and Metodej Jilek (CZE) +1100
Women’s Mass Start Speed Skating Gold
Marijke Groenewoud (NED) -115, Mia Manganello (USA) and Ivanie Blondin (CAN) +370, Valerie Maltais (CAN) and Francesca Lollobrigida (ITA) +800
5. Overtime
In the News
The Chiefs picked up a ton of cap space, restructuring quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ contract to convert a large portion to a signing bonus and free up nearly $44 million in flexibility, according to ESPN. But Kansas City started the offseason $57 million over the salary cap, meaning there’s more work to do on the financial front. Mahomes has worked with the Chiefs to restructure his contract for four straight years.
The definition of voluntary is under review in Baltimore. “We would expect them to be here and certainly it is voluntary,” new Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said. Baltimore is starting a new era after firing John Harbaugh after 18 years and replacing him with Jesse Minter. Doyle was the Bears offensive coordinator this past season, but head coach Ben Johnson called the plays.
Coincidence or not, college basketball coaches are publicly criticizing their teams a lot more now that the players are being paid, the Associated Press noted in a feature. Some examples: “We deserve to be on a 6 a.m. flight out of Lubbock, commercial,” Colorado men’s coach Tad Boyle said. “These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform. There will be very few of them in it next year,” said Kansas State men’s coach Jerome Tang, who has since been fired. “It’s probably the softest team I’ve had in years,” Texas women’s coach Vic Schaefer said.
The Super Bowl champions are for sale and are expected to go for a record $7-$10 billion (what’s a $3 billion difference between billionaires?). Jody Allen has been the controlling owner of the Seahawks since her brother Paul Allen died in 2018, but Paul Allen said both his teams (he also owned the Trail Blazers) should eventually be sold with the proceeds going to charity. The Commanders have the current record across all sports with a $6.05 billion sale to Josh Harris in 2023.
Sacramento has lost 14 straight and has the worst record on the NBA, but somehow things are getting worse. Both Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine had season-ending surgeries yesterday, Sabonis to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee and LaVine for a tendon in his right hand. Sabonis hasn’t played much this season, but averaged 15.8 points and 11.4 rebounds in 19 appearances (15 starts). LaVine had been leading the team in scoring with a 19.2 average, playing in 39 of 56 games.
What to Watch (times ET)
Thursday
8:20am: Olympics - Men’s Aerials Final on USA
1pm: Olympics - Women’s Figure Skating on NBC
1:10pm: Olympics - USA vs. Canada for Hockey Gold on USA
7:30pm: Pistons vs. Knicks on Prime Video
8pm: Olympics - Primetime in Milan on NBC
9pm: No. 7 LSU vs. No. 17 Ole Miss (WCBB) on ESPN
10pm: Celtics vs. Warriors on Prime Video
Friday
11:50am: Olympics - Men’s Semifinal Hockey on USA (2nd Semifinal at 3:10pm on NBC)
7pm: VCU vs. No. 18 Saint Louis (MCBB) on ESPN2
7:30pm: Mavericks vs. Timberwolves on ESPN
8pm: Olympics - Primetime in Milan on NBC (or Indiana vs. No. 7 Purdue (MCBB) on FOX)
10pm: Clippers vs. Lakers on ESPN
Saturday
9am: Olympics - Men’s and Women’s Mass Start Speed Skating on USA
1:05pm: Olympics - Men’s Curling Gold Medal on CNBC
2pm: Miami vs. No. 14 Virginia (MCBB) on ESPN2
2:40pm: Olympics - Men’s Hockey Bronze Medal on USA
3pm: No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 2 Houston (MCBB) on ABC
4:30pm: FC Cincinnati vs. Atlanta United on FOX
5pm: Magic vs. Suns on NBA TV
5:30pm: No. 5 UConn vs. Villanova (MCBB) on TNT
6:30pm: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 3 Duke (MCBB) on ESPN
8pm: Olympics - Primetime in Milan on NBC (or No. 10 Illinois vs. UCLA (MCBB) on FOX)
8:30pm: Rockets vs. Knicks on ABC
10:30pm: No. 6 Iowa State vs. No. 23 BYU (MCBB) on ESPN
Sun/day
8:10am: Olympics - Men’s Hockey Gold on NBC
11:30am: Tottenham vs. Arsenal on USA
12pm: No. 6 Michigan vs. No. 13 Iowa (WCBB) on FOX
1pm: Cavaliers vs. Thunder on ABC
2:30pm: Olympics - Closing Ceremony on NBC
3:30pm: Nuggets vs. Warriors on ABC
4pm: Iowa vs. No. 24 Wisconsin on FS1
6:30pm: Celtics vs. Lakers on NBC
9pm: Magic vs. Clippers on NBA TV
9:15pm: Seattle Sounders vs. Colorado Rapids on FS1
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