Digital Sports Desk

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 21

January 21, 2024 by Terry Lyons

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Twenty and one. The Boston Celtics are no longer undefeated at home where 17 NBA Championship banners hang in the rafters of TD (Boston) Garden, high above a parquet floor that many of us remember from viewing on a Black and White television set when the Celtics were positioning nine of those 17 banners during the 1960s. Only the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers (once voted the NBA’s Greatest Team of All-Time) broke the streak for the full decade.

At the halfway mark of the NBA season, the Celtics are atop the league-wide ladder, and they’ll face the Houston Rockets who will be coming off a game against the Utah Jazz – a back-to-back the Rockets could live without. Boston’s 32-10 (.762) record was blemished when the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets earned a had-fought victory on the parquet and under Boston’s revered 17 banners.

Denver (29-14) is two games behind Midwest Division leader, the Minnesota Timberwolves, surprise leaders in the NBA’s Western Conference. At the Half, the West is full of surprises as the Los Angeles Clippers lead the Pacific and New Orleans Pelicans lead the Southwest Division.

If the NBA Playoffs were to start this weekend, Sacramento, Utah, Phoenix and the Los Angeles Lakers would all be competing as “Play-In” teams, ranked No. 7-10 out West. All four of those clubs were preseason favorites. In the East, the standings have proven-out as many predicted with the Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers leading the pack. Only the Cleveland Cavaliers, winners of a league-leading six straight as they faced the (18-23) Atlanta Hawks, can be considered a surprise contender.

The midyear layout of the NBA standings call-out one question at this point of the season: Why?

In the EAST:

BOSTON: The deepest and most talented of the NBA’s 30 teams. The Celtics boast a starting five who could all be considered NBA All-Stars. Jayson Tatum (27, 8 and 4) leads the team, but is backed-up by Jaylen Brown (23, 5 and 4), newly acquired center Kristaps Porzingis (19, 7 and 2) while the backcourt of Derrick White (16, 4 and 5) and Jrue Holiday (13, 6 and 5) round out the talented starters. Depth and defense remain plentiful and the Celtics’ main concern to to start the month of May healthy, especially at the center (“bigs”) position with Porzingis and 37-year old Al Horford needing to guard rivals such as Philly’s Joel Embiid and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.

MILWAUKEE AND PHILADELPHIA: There are no big surprises with the fact both Milwaukee (Central) and Philly (Four games behind the Celtics in the Atlantic) will all strive for the top spot and home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference Playoffs. If Boston holds on to the No. 1 spot, it will force a very difficult and physical Eastern Conference Semifinal match-up between the Bucks and 76ers.

Out WEST:

The West is much more complicated and volatile. Only 3.5 games separate the Timberewolves from the Clippers (No. 1-4) and the fact the Nuggets and Finals MVP Nicola Jovic are ranked third, poses potential Playoff match-up nightmares for every round. Add to the turmoil, the NBA’s first “In-Season Tournament” champion LA Lakers hover in the dangerous No. 10 slot, only a half game ahead of the Rockets.

Minnesota, Oklahoma City, Sacramento New Orleans, Dallas and Phoenix are all formidable opponents and will all meet one or the other in the early rounds come April and May.

Good luck predicting the Western Conference bracket.

MVP: The logical recipients of the 2023-24 NBA Most Valuable Player are (possible repeat) Joel Embiid (who has only played in 30 of the club’s 40 games thus far); Giannis Antetokounmpo; and Nikola Jovic.

Coach of the Year: The media always seeks out the underdog, rather than the league leader, so that bodes well for Minnesota’s Chis Finch or Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault ahead of Denver’s Michael Malone, Boston’s Joe Mazzulla or Philly’s Nick Nurse.

Rookie of the Year: With all the very well deserved hype and praise for San Antonio’s amazing center Victor Wembanyama (team-leading 19, 10 and 3.1 blocks), the midyear favorite for RofY is Chet Holmgren of Oklahoma City. Holmgren who is averaging 17 points and a team-leading 7.2 rebounds per game while averaging 30 minutes in all 41 of OKC’s games. The Thunder are 28-13 and in serious contention in the West while Wembanyama’s Spurs are in the West basement with only seven wins and 34 losses. With two viable candidates, usually the one on the winningest team gets the vote. Holmgren is also considered an elite defender.

Most Improved: Houston’s Alperen Sengun, who has raised his scoring averages from a rookie year of 2021-22 (9.6 ppg), to 2022-23 (14.8) to this season at (21.5), seems to be the most deserving candidate. That noted, sometimes voters go for players drafted in the NBA Lottery positions instead of someone like Sengun who was picked 16th and only played 20 minutes a game as a rookie.

Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey is considered the favorite for Most Improved, and again, he’s playing for a real contender. Since being drafted in R-1, No. 21 in 2020, Maxey has steadily increased his PT and scoring averages (8.0, 17.5, 20.3 and this season, 26.2 ppg).

Defense Wins Championships: If you are one to focus on defense rather than any offensive statistics or current place in the standings, the Minnesota Timberwolves (with Defensive Player of the Year favorite C Rudy Gobert) are the league-leaders. Minnesota has the league-leading defensive rating of 108.6. Here are the Top 10:

Minnesota 108.6
Boston 110.6
Cleveland 111.2
Orlando 111.5
Philadelphia 111.6
Oklahoma City 112.0
Houston 112.5
New Orleans 112.6
New York 112.8
Miami 113.0

BOLD PREDICTION: It’s January 21 and the Super Bowl has yet to be played, never mind the NBA All-Star Game. In the second half of the NBA regular season, a team’s fortunes can turn upside down with one season-ending injury to a key player. That can happen to any team, any night.

Forsaking any major injury to any NBA All-Star or key rotation player, there’s absolutely nothing going on in the Association that makes me think the Denver Nuggets can not repeat as NBA champions. Miracle worker, center and 2023 NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic is the best player in the game and Michael Malone just might be the best head coach in the NBA. The deep, experienced Nuggets roster – starters and reserves – can play with the best of ‘em. The Nuggets have a tremendous home-court advantage, even when they don’t have the extra home game in a seven game series. Playing at altitude in the Mile High City is worth a game. On Friday night, the Nuggets proved they could win at TD Boston Garden, albeit a slim 102-100 victory with Jamal Murray scoring 35 points while Jokic had a 34, 12 and nine performance against the defensive-minded Celtics.

No matter which team comes out of the East, they’ll have played a very demanding Eastern Conference Finals.

Yes, a Minnesota, Oklahoma City, LA Clippers, Sacramento or New Orleans are capable of upsetting the defending champions, but it’s not likely. Take Denver as your 2024 NBA Champion.

STRAT-O-MATIC: The folks at Strat-0-Matic frequently use their software to predict the results of “real-life” sports. Before the 2023-24 NBA season played a game, Strat-O-Matic predicted the Boston Celtics would take home the NBA’s Larry O’Brien Trophy as winners of the NBA Finals. The Celtics were tapped to finish with a 64-18 record, and they were named as winners over the Minnesota Timberwolves (nice pick, eh?).

The Strat-O-Matic technicians thought they’d give it another run at the NBA’s halfway mark, simulating the season thousands of times and guess what? The Celtics finished with the same record of 64-18 and advanced to the NBA Finals once again.

Let’s wait and see if the Strat-O-Matics have properly scouted Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

Pete Rose (l) and Bud Harrelson squared off behind second base, leading to a bench-clearing brawl between the Reds and Mets in Game 3 of the 1973 NLCS. (file photo).

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: On January 11th, the Harrelson family, the New York Mets and Major League Baseball lost one of the great players and ambassadors of the game of baseball in Derrel McKinley “Bud” Harrelson.

Harrelson died at the age of 79 as a result of the complications of Alzheimer’s disease of which he was diagnosed in 2018. Harrelson played shortstop for the Mets from (1965 to 1977) and later managed the club for a portion of the 1990 season. He was the only person to be on the roster for both the 1969 Mets World Championship (as a player) and the 1986 Mets World Championship club (as a coach). Harrelson coached and managed in both the major league and minor league levels, and, in 2000, he settled in as part owner and manager of the Long Island Ducks independent league team. Harrelson made Long Island his home, living in Hauppauge and East Northport.

The outpouring of love and appreciation of Harrelson by nearly all New Yorkers was evident in the week after his death, especially by his Long Island Ducks franchise.

There’s a personal story to be told about Buddy Harrelson and it stems from the tussle he had with Cincinnati Reds all-star Pete Rose in Game 3 of the 1973 National League Championship Series (NLCS).

It was some nine or ten years after that October ‘73 day, and my story took place on an off-day of the NBA Playoffs in Philadelphia. My Hall-of-Fame level boss, Brian, and I finished up our NBA duties for the afternoon and decided to catch a couple innings at the Vet. We walked directly across the street from The Spectrum, and bought two upper level tickets – HIGH – behind the plate – section 503, if I remember. We grabbed a cold beer and a hot dog and settled in alongside a rather sparse crowd.

Minutes later – beers yet to kick in – Pete Rose (playing for the Phillies) – gets up to bat and I stood up and just start screaming at the guy. Keep in mind at that time, there wasn’t any inkling of gambling controversies and he is the all-time hits leader for MLB.

“YOU SUCK Rose. YOU SUCK!”

“You should retire. You’re washed UP.”

Brian looked at me as though I was Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair). His jaw dropped and he had no idea what the hell I was doing, except being quite likely to provoke a fight with the CRAZY Phillies fans.

Rose grounded out, and I lit into Rose all over again. “You see, a weak ground-out, YOU BUM!

“ROSE – YOU SUCK”

All the Phillies fans moved a row or two away from us until the inning ended, and a brave soul walked over and said something like, “You two seem like nice guys,” in that GREAT South Jersey/Philadelphia accent.

“Why did you yell at Pete Rose like that? He’s one of the best players ever.”

I just dead-panned, “Well, this is the first time I’ve seen him since the fight with Buddy Harrelson and I thought I’d give him a piece of my mind.”

Rest in Peace, Bud.

Twenty and One

January 20, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jamal Murray scored a game-high 35 points and Nikola Jokic added 34 to help the Denver Nuggets hand the Boston Celtics their first home loss of the season with a 102-100 victory on Friday night.

Murray made 15 of 21 shots from the floor. He also had eight rebounds and five assists. Jokic finished with 12 rebounds and nine assists.

Jayson Tatum missed a 17-foot jump shot that would have tied the score with three seconds to play. Denver came up with the rebound and ran out the clock.

Boston entered the game 20-0 at home this season, and had won 27 straight home games dating back to last season.

Derrick White led the Celtics with 24 points. Tatum finished with 22 and Kristaps Porzingis had 21. Porzingis, who scored Boston’s first 11 points, was held to two points in the second half.

Al Horford had 10 rebounds for Boston, which had its three-game winning streak end.

The Celtics were 14-of-44 from beyond the 3-point arc. Jaylen Brown scored 13 points, but was 1-of-9 on 3-point attempts. Tatum was 1-of-8 on 3-pointers.

The Celtics went on a 7-0 run to take a 98-95 lead with 4:51 to play, but Denver took the lead for good on a Jokic basket that put the Nuggets in front 99-98 with 3:36 remaining.

Michael Porter Jr. finished with 13 points and eight rebounds and Aaron Gordon added 10 rebounds for Denver.

Boston led 32-31 after one quarter, built a 12-point lead in the second and had a 61-55 advantage at halftime. Porzingis, Murray and Jokic each scored 19 in the first half.

A Jokic 3-pointer put Denver in front 69-68 with seven minutes left in the third, but Boston responded with a 9-0 run to take a 77-69 lead. The Nuggets scored the final eight points in the third and trailed 82-81 entering the fourth. White scored 13 of Boston’s 21 points in the third.

–Field Level Media

Long-range Game Sinks Spurs

January 18, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jayson Tatum tossed in a team-high 24 points and the short-handed Boston Celtics made 18 of their 38 3-point attempts en route to a 117-98 victory over the visiting San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.

Jrue Holiday finished with 22 points and Jaylen Brown added 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Boston. Holiday made six of his seven shots from beyond the 3-point arc.

The Celtics played without starting center Kristaps Porzingis (right knee inflammation) and starting point guard Derrick White (left ankle sprain).

The victory improved Boston’s home record to 20-0. The Celtics are the only NBA team that hasn’t lost on its home court this season.

Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 27 points and five rebounds in 27 minutes. He shot 10 of 19 from the field and made 2 of 6 3-point attempts.

Wembanyama entered the game leading all NBA rookies in scoring (19.6 ppg), rebounding (10.3), blocks (league-best 3.2) and steals (1.14).

Devin Vassell scored 21 points for San Antonio, which received nine points and 10 assists from Tre Jones. The Spurs never led after the first quarter.

San Antonio shot 41.9 percent from the field (39 of 93) and 20.6 percent from 3-point territory (7 of 34).

The Celtics, who received 12 points off the bench from Payton Pritchard, outrebounded the Spurs 54-41. Boston hit 46.7 percent of its field-goal attempts (42 of 90).

The Celtics led 30-25 after one quarter and outscored the Spurs 40-20 in the second to take a 25-point halftime lead. Boston shot 60 percent from the field in the first half, when it made 13 of its 19 3-point attempts. The Celtics ended the half on a 12-2 run.

NOTES: Boston had a 30-point lead early in the third, but San Antonio shaved 14 points off of its deficit and trailed 94-78 entering the fourth. The Spurs failed to pull closer than 16 points in the final 12 minutes.

It was the second game between the teams this season. Boston won the first meeting 134-101 at San Antonio on Dec. 31.

–Field Level Media

It’s Midway Point for NBA

January 18, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The NBA has reached its midway point, with most teams having played half of their 82-game schedules — and we’re finding some betting trends and angles worth pursuing.

In our preseason guide, we tabbed Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault (then a +750 play) as a terrific value for NBA Coach of the Year futures. He’s now the favorite at a paltry +115 (odds per DraftKings, unless otherwise noted). Not a ton of value left in that market.

We pointed toward Tyrese Maxey as a prime play for the Most Improved Player award. He was +1100 at the time but now offers virtually no value as a -240 favorite.

So what kind of value in team and individual futures can we find now?

–EASTERN CONFERENCE FUTURES

The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks appear to be on course to collide in the conference finals.

Not much value in picking a conference champ, with the Celtics at +130 and the Bucks at +200.

The trade deadline is looming, however, so if you believe the Philadelphia 76ers (currently +500) or Miami Heat (+1400) are set to make a big splash and push their respective chips to the middle of the table, jump aboard.

The belief here, though, is that the Celtics are too good, and, should they stumble, the Bucks have too much offense to be stifled in the playoffs.

The best value bet here is to back the 2022-23 NBA MVP, Joel Embiid, to repeat. Earlier this week, he was out there as the fifth choice in this betting market at +800 (at BetMGM, behind Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo).

Embiid had seen his odds slip due to some missed games recently. New rules say the MVP must play in at least 65 games and the Sixers big man can’t miss more than seven more games the rest of the way.

Bet on Embiid to stay injury-free and he’s a legit threat, having made his point with a 26-point first half Monday against the Houston Rockets and a 41-point game Tuesday against Jokic and the Nuggets.

Immediately thereafter — unfortunately for value seekers — Embiid shot up to third, just behind Jokic and SGA.

Embiid retains some DraftKings value at +330 but he has sportsbooks concerned, as evidenced by BetMGM dropping him to +275.

As for the reigning NBA Finals MVP, Jokic, the regular-season MVP voters likely felt shamed by Jokic’s big playoff performance and — prior to the Embiid-Jokic matchup — were leaning hard at the Denver star. He was a +165 favorite at BetMGM but now is tied with Gilgeous-Alexander for the top spot at +250.

Keep an eye on the Sixers-Nuggets rematch Jan. 27 in Denver. And on Jokic, who could become the value play if Denver chases home court advantage down the stretch.

The door is open.

–Eastern Conference bonus bet

The Indiana Pacers, who remain on pace to set the NBA’s scoring mark at more than 125 points per game, are among the better first-half stories in the league.

But they’re being solved, little by little, and they fit nicely into a DraftKings market, the “To Participate in Play-in” option.

That means they can’t finish among the top six but also must not finish 11th or worse. They’ve hovered near the Nos. 6-7 spot for the past few weeks and played more at home, 21 to 19 over their first 40 games.

The -110 is a nice coin flip number, and we believe the Pacers aren’t quite good enough to reach the top six but will remain competitive enough to finish in the Nos. 7-10 range.

–WESTERN CONFERENCE FUTURES

More than any team in the West, the Los Angeles Lakers are providing the intrigue and narratives to keep podcasters and sports-talk humming for weeks.

At 20-21 entering Wednesday, the Lakers were on the wrong side of the “to make the playoffs” odds, sitting at +125 this week.

A closer look at the standings, coupled with L.A.’s strong showing Monday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, shows the hill isn’t too steep for an investment.

The Lakers might not finish among the top six, but let’s see what teams they would need to push aside in the play-in process to make the playoffs.

We like OKC, Minnesota, Phoenix, Denver, the L.A. Clippers and Sacramento Kings as the top six, leaving the Lakers to fight it out with Dallas, Utah, New Orleans and perhaps Houston or Golden State for the final two playoff spots to be earned during the play-in tournament.

The Lakers, clearly, will be active in the coming days. One key addition, a little luck and continued chemistry would help dispatch a potential play-in opponent or two.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been terrific — and have avoided injuries. Anyone think this team isn’t among the eight best teams in the West?

We’d bet that they will be among those top eight.

–Western Conference bonus bet

This is more a bet against the surging Clippers than anything else.

The James Harden trade and the health of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have led to L.A.’s push up the standings — but are Harden’s happiness and George/Leonard’s good health sustainable?

The Clippers are +425 to win the conference title and they have helped keep the defending champion Nuggets at a reasonable — and bettable — number.

Grab this deal — Jokic and his guys to make it back to the Finals — at +210 and enjoy Denver’s quest for a repeat.

–Field Level Media

Patriots: Time for Jerod Mayo Impact

January 17, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jerod Mayo plans to take the lessons he learned from his predecessor and make the Patriots his own.

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Mayo was introduced as head coach in New England on Wednesday, his first day in the seat previously occupied by six-time Super Bowl championship coach Bill Belichick.

“For me, I’m not trying to be Bill, I’m not trying to be Bill. I think that Bill is his own man, if you can’t tell by now, I’m even a little bit different up here,” said Mayo. “But what I will say is, the more I think about the lessons that I’ve taken from Bill, hard work works, right? Hard work works. And that’s what we’re all about.”

Mayo was drafted by the Patriots and worked as an assistant coach under Belichick. He has never played for or coached any other NFL team.

The Patriots were 4-13 and again finished outside of the playoff picture in the AFC, leading to a “mutual” parting between Belichick and owner Robert Kraft after 24 years and nine Super Bowl appearances.

Mayo, who won a Super Bowl with New England as an inside linebacker, joined the Patriots’ coaching staff in 2019. He was quickly promoted to head coach under terms of his contract that named him as the successor to Belichick.

He hinted at changes, some of which will align the Patriots with traditional NFL coaching staff structure to include official titles of defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator. There will be movement on the personnel side, too. The Patriots own the No. 3 pick in the 2024 draft.

Mayo was clear about what he’s looking for on his roster and sounds ready to tackle reshaping the offense

“First of all, just the energy, the passion, the leaders on the offensive side of the ball,” Mayo said. “I think you have to get that stuff in place, and honestly, as the season starts to roll, well this season when it ends, we start in the weight room. I think the weight room is one of the most important areas in the building to really evaluate the people you have on your team. And one thing we don’t want to do is have people who are complainers, or finger-pointing, or things like that.”

Belichick could continue coaching and interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons this week.

–Field Level Media

Raptors Trade Siakam to Pacers

January 17, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Pacers and Toronto Raptors are finalizing a deal that will send All-Star forward Pascal Siakam to Indiana in exchange for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round draft picks, multiple media reports noted on Wednesday.

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Two of the first rounders are 2024 picks — one of which is Indiana’s — and the third is 2026 from the Pacers, per ESPN. The other 2024 first-rounder is the lesser of a Utah/Houston/Oklahoma City pick, according to ESPN.

The New Orleans Pelicans, the third team in the deal, are sending Kira Lewis Jr. to the Raptors and a second-round pick to Indiana, according to reports.

Siakam’s agent Todd Ramasar confirmed the trade in comments to another media outlet.

“I’m excited that Pascal is getting a first class opportunity with the Pacers, being paired with Tyrese (Haliburton) and Myles (Turner) and being coached by a great coach in Rick Carlisle,” Ramasar told Andscape.

Siakam, 29, is in the final year of a four-year, $136.9 million contract. He’s set to hit free agency in 2024-25 barring an extension with the Pacers. ESPN reported that Siakam is eager to work out a new deal with the Pacers in the summer.

The two-time All-Star is averaging 22.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 39 starts this season. He’s shooting 52.2 percent from the floor. He has played all seven-plus seasons in Toronto. He averages 17.4 points for his career. He was selected No. 27 overall by the Raptors in the 2016 draft.

Brown, 27, was in his first season with the Pacers after winning a title with the Denver Nuggets last season. He’s averaging 12.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 33 games (all starts) this season. The Raptors will be his fourth team in six seasons in the league.

Nwora, 25, is averaging 5.2 points in 18 games (no starts) this season.

Lewis, 22, is averaging 2.9 points in 15 games (no starts) this season. The Pelicans selected him No. 13 overall in the 2020 draft.

–Field Level Media

GS Warriors Assistant Milojevic Dead, 46

January 17, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

SALT LAKE CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – (January 17, 2024) – Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic died Wednesday morning after suffering a medical emergency the night before. He was 46. The Warriors said Milojevic suffered a heart attack at a private team dinner on Tuesday. “We are absolutely devastated by Dejan Milojevic‘s sudden passing,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said in a statement issued January 17th.

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Milojevic was taken to a Utah hospital after suffering the episode at a team dinner, the Warriors confirmed early Wednesday, as media reported it was “a sudden and serious health issue” that struck Milojevic during dinner.

The Warriors were in Salt Lake City, Utah in advance of tonight’s game against the Jazz.

“The NBA mourns the sudden passing of Golden State assistant coach Dejan Milojević, a beloved colleague and dear friend to so many in the global basketball community,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “In addition to winning the 2022 NBA championship in his first season with the Warriors and mentoring some of the best players in the world, Dejan had a decorated international playing career and was a distinguished head coach in his native Serbia. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his wife, Natasa, their children, Nikola and Masa, and the Warriors organization during this tragic time.”

Milojevic, who played professionally overseas for 14 years, was named the Adriatic League Most Valuable Player three times (2004-06).

He was head coach of KK Buducnost in Montenegro (2021) and KK Mega Basket in Serbia (2012-20) before serving as an assistant on coach Steve Kerr’s staff in Golden State since 2021. He was a staff member on one of Golden State’s NBA championship teams.

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: The American Express

January 17, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

LaQUINTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The PGA Tour’s five-event “West Coast Swing” begins Thursday at The American Express in La Quinta, Calif.

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Contested across three courses, the AmEx has long been a staple of the tour schedule. The field includes 21 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, and our golf experts preview the event while providing their favorite prop picks and best bets to win this week.

THE AMERICAN EXPRESS
Location: La Quinta, Calif., Jan. 18-21
Host course: PGA West, Pete Dye Stadium Course (Par 72, 7,187 yards). Other courses: PGA West, Nicklaus Tournament Course; La Quinta Country Club
Purse: $8.4M (Winner: $1,512,000)
Reigning champion: Jon Rahm
FedEx Cup leader: Chris Kirk

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Sunday, 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Streaming: Thursday-Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
X (The platform formerly known as Twitter): @TheAmExGolf

PROP PICKS
– Jason Day to Beat Wyndham Clark (-110 at DraftKings): Clark has been tied to rumors of joining Rahm’s new LIV Golf team, and his mind might already be one foot out the door. After beating only one player at the Hero World Challenge, Clark finished T29 at the limited field The Sentry. Meanwhile Day followed a solo 11th in the Bahamas with a T10 at Kapalua and is a regular at the AmEx, where he finished T18 last year.

– Tom Kim to Finish Top 20 (+125 at BetMGM): After a T45 at The Sentry, Kim arrived early at the AmEx and was seeing playing a practice round at La Quinta on Sunday. He’s only two events removed from a win at The Shriners and The Sentry broke a streak of six consecutive top-20s. Kim also tied for sixth at the AmEx last year.

–Min Woo Lee Top Australian (+150 at DraftKings): Lee hasn’t teed it up since the first week of December, but he ended last season on a serious hot streak. That included two wins in his past five worldwide starts and a solo third at the Australian Open to close out his 2023. Now a full-time member of the PGA Tour, he is paired in this prop against Day (+200), Cam Davis (+300), Harrison Endycott (+1000) and Aaron Baddeley (+1200).

2024 Prop Picks Record: 3-3

BEST BETS
–Scottie Scheffler (+550 at BetMGM) makes his fifth consecutive start in the event. He finished solo third in 2020 and T11 last year. He is the book’s biggest liability, leading the field in the most total winning bets (12.6 percent) and money (31.3 percent) since opening at +650. Scheffler also leads the field at DraftKings with 9 percent of the money backing him at the same odds.
–Patrick Cantlay (+1000) has three top-10s in five previous event starts, and he carded a final round 61 while finishing second three years ago.
–Xander Schauffele (+1100) is coming off a T10 at The Sentry, and he tied for third at the AmEx last year. His odds have lengthened slightly from opening at +1000 at BetMGM.
–Sungae Im (+2000) hasn’t been among the most popular plays at BetMGM thus far, but he is second to Scheffler at DraftKings (+2200) with 8 percent of the money backing him to win. Im’s best event finish was a T11 two years ago, and he kicked off 2024 with a T5 at Kapalua.
–Justin Thomas (+2500) tees it up for the first time in 2024 after not qualifying for The Sentry. He is BetMGM’s third biggest liability as Thomas has been backed by 7.8 percent of the tickets since opening at +2200.
–Kim (+2500) finished T6 last year. He began 2024 with a T45 at The Sentry after closing out last year with a win at the Shriners and a T15 at the DP World Tour Championship.
–J.T. Poston (+2800) opened at +3300, but his odds have been driven down as the book’s second biggest liability, having drawn 6.8 percent of the tickets and 8.4 percent of the money.
–Chris Kirk (+4000) is one of 15 players making their third consecutive start to begin 2024. He backed up his win at The Sentry with a T18 last week.

NOTES
–This is one of only two PGA Tour events that uses a pro-am format (AT&T Pebble Beach) and one of only four that utilizes multiple courses.
–Rahm will not defend his title after signing with LIV Golf last month.
–Former U.S. Ryder Cup player Daniel Berger will make his first PGA Tour start since the 2022 U.S. Open as he returns from a back injury. Ranked No. 25 in the world at the time, Berger enters this week at No. 664. The four-time PGA Tour winner is exempt through 2024 via his win at the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
–Bill Haas, champion in 2010 and 2015, is making his 20th consecutive event start, the longest active streak in the field.
–Since the tournament went to a 72-hole format in 2012, Patrick Reed’s 28-under-par 260 in 2014 is the scoring record.

–Field Level Media

Big East: Seton Hall, Xavier Cruise

January 17, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

NEWARK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Seton Hall and Xavier gained homecourt victories in rivalry games on Tuesday. The Pirates took control late in the first and went on to post an 80-65 win. Xavier overcame Butler’s second-half rally to register an 85-71 victory.

At Prudential Center, Seton Hall and St. John’s were tied 24-24 with 4:33 left in the first half. The Pirates (13-5, 6-1 BIG EAST) scored the game’s next 28 points – 14 in the first half and the first 14 in the second half. Five Pirates reached double figures. Al-Amir Dawes scored a game-high 21 points. Dylan Addae-Wusu added 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. St. John’s (12-6, 4-3) competed without coach Rick Pitino, who missed the game due to illness. Daniss Jenkins led the Red Storm with 17 points.

At Cintas Center, after Butler had erased a 19-point deficit with the help of a 20-3 run, Xavier used a late spurt of its own to pick up an 85-71 victory. The Musketeers (9-8, 3-3) were led by Desmond Claude, who netted a career-high 26 points. Dayvion McKnight added 20 points. Butler (11-7, 2-5) got 22 points from Pierre Brooks and a season-high 21 from Posh Alexander.

Like Tuesday, Wednesday’s two-game schedule is a doubleheader on FS1. Connecticut, newly-anointed No. 1 in this week’s AP poll, hosts No. 18 Creighton at Gampel Pavilion at 7 p.m. ET. The Bluejays (13-4, 4-2) have won six of the seven meetings since the Huskies (13-4, 4-2) rejoined the BIG EAST with UConn’s only win coming in last year’s contest 69-60 at Gampel.

Providence visits DePaul at 9 p.m. Both teams are aiming to end four-game losing streaks. Devin Carter has been on a hot scoring run and leads the Friars (11-6, 2-4). In BIG EAST games, he ranks first in scoring with a 21.7 average. DePaul’s top scorer in league play is forward Da’Sean Nelson, who sports a 16.2 scoring mark.

Georgia Emerges as 2025 Favorite

January 15, 2024 by Terry Lyons

LAS VEGAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Georgia was only a spectator as Michigan beat Washington to win the 2023 CFP national title, but the Bulldogs are already favored to be back atop the college football world next season.

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The Bulldogs opened as +350 favorites at FanDuel and +450 at DraftKings to win the 2024 College Football Playoff, which will expand to 12 teams for the first time. The Bulldogs are favored ahead of SEC rival Alabama, with the Crimson Tide opening at +550 and +600, respectively.

The Bulldogs’ quest to win three consecutive titles was thwarted by the Tide in last month’s SEC championship. It was Alabama that went on to reach the CFP, losing 27-20 in overtime to Michigan in the semifinals. Georgia and Alabama have seen their 2024 rosters bolstered by the addition of transfers along with the top two recruiting classes in the country by 247Sports.

Ohio State, which landed one of the most coveted quarterbacks via the transfer portal in Will Howard, opened with the third-shortest odds at +800 at both books.

The Buckeyes are followed by the Texas Longhorns, who opened at +850 at FanDuel and +900 at DraftKings. The Longhorns’ furious rally against Washington in the other semifinal fell short in a 37-31 defeat.

Michigan is +1000 at both books, followed by Oregon at +1200 by FanDuel and +1000 by DraftKings.

Florida State, which controversially was left out of the CFP despite an undefeated season as the ACC champion, opened with the ninth-shortest odds at +1800 at both books.

Washington suffered a 34-13 defeat on Monday night, and the Huskies are +5000 longshots to win next season’s title as they prepare to join Michigan in the Big Ten.

2024-25 CFP Title Odds

Georgia (+450)
Alabama (+600)
Ohio State (+800)
Texas (+900)
Michigan (+1000)
Oregon (+1100)
LSU (+1400)
Ole Miss (+1600)
Florida State (+1800)
Clemson (+2000)
Penn State (+2000)
Notre Dame (+2500)
Southern California (+3000)
Oklahoma (+3500)
Texas A&M (+4000)
Tennessee (+4500)
Washington (+5000)
Utah (+5000)
Missouri (+6000)
Miami (FL) (+6000)
Arizona (+7000)
Kansas State (+7000)
Wisconsin (+10000)
Auburn (+10000)
Louisville (+10000)

Colorado, whose first season under coach Deion Sanders started off 3-0 before the Buffaloes stumbled to a 4-8 season, opened as +20000 longshots at DraftKings and +30000 at FanDuel.

–Field Level Media

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2024-25 CFP Title Odds