Daily tips for January 12

What’s on today

The line-up for today kicks-off with seven EPL games and I’m going with Cardiff City to inflict more misery on West Ham; it’s week 2 of the NFL playoffs with the Saints heading to Seattle while New England hosts Indianapolis in the first two games of the weekend; it’s a quality card of NBA games with the Nets trip to Toronto attracting the most interest; NHL punters have a slate of nine games to consider – among the toughest in the visit of Boston to San Jose; look out for more Big Bash, A-League and racing tips throughout the day; GL punters!

NFL playoffs (late game) for January 12

AFC Divisional Playoff: Indianapolis Colts (11-5, 5-3 away) @ New England Patriots (12-4, 8-0 home), Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA, Sunday, January 12, 12.15pm

Andrew Luck’s first visit to New England resulted in the worst defeat of his two-year career – a 59-24 beating at the hands of the Patriots in his rookie season. Luck appeared on the way to absorbing a defeat of similar magnitude a week ago, but he rallied the Indianapolis Colts from a 28-point second-half deficit to a stunning 45-44 victory over Kansas City in the opening round of the playoffs. The improbable win earned Luck a second crack at Tom Brady and host New England what promises to be a wet and windy AFC Divisional Playoff. Luck has amassed 11 wins in the fourth quarter and overtime in his first two seasons (the most in the NFL during that span) but the Colts have to find a way to take down the most successful QB in post-season history. Brady (pictured) is 17-7 in the playoffs, which includes five trips to the Super Bowl and three championships, and guided New England to an 8-0 home record this season. Brady is working with a patchwork receiving corps and is missing favourite target TE Rob Gronkowski, who caught two touchdown passes against the Colts last season.

While Luck stole the headlines by leading five second-half touchdown drives and throwing for four TDs and a career-best 443 yards, second-year receiver T.Y. Hilton also had a coming-out party by hauling in 13 catches for 224 yards and a pair of scores in the second-biggest playoff comeback in league history. The onus will again be on the Luck-to-Hilton combination due to the absence of a consistent running game by Indianapolis. Another concern for the Colts is a defence that was shredded by a KC offence that was without Jamaal Charles. Multiple injuries to Gronkowski and the departure of Wes Welker to free agency has left New England scrambling to cobble together an effective passing attack – Brady’s 25 TD passes and 87.3 passer rating are his lowest since the 2006 season. Converted college QB Julian Edelman helped fill the void with 105 receptions and 1056 yards, but the Patriots have shown an increasing reliance on RB LeGarrette Blount, who rambled for 265 yards and four TDs in the last two games. The defence also suffered another blow with third-leading tackler Brandon Spikes was placed on injured reserve.

Confirmed bet

Indianapolis Colts +7.5 @ New England Patriots (one unit @ $1.77) LOSE (22-43)

Lean

Indianapolis Colts @ New England Patriots -51.5 $1.91 LOSE (22-43)

NHL for January 12

Columbus Blue Jackets (20-20-4, 44 points) @ Winnipeg Jets (19-22,5, 43 points), MTS Centre, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, Sunday, January 12, 11.10am

Sergei Bobrovsky (pictured) is the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, and his recent return is giving the Columbus Blue Jackets a lift. It would seem a wise decision to start Bobrovsky again here as the Blue Jackets head to Winnipeg seeking a seventh win in eight meetings against the Jets. Bobrovsky was superb last season, going 21-11-6 with a 2.00 goals-against average and four shutouts while Columbus missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker. He’s looked every bit like one of the best goaltenders in the league after missing 12 games with a groin injury. He made 40 saves before turning aside two shootout attempts in Monday’s 4-3 road win over the New York Rangers. Bobrovsky followed it up Friday with one of his best performances of the season, stopping 36 shots in a 3-0 home win over Carolina. With the Blue Jackets (20-20-4) winning three of four, they may decide to continue starting their hot goalie. Bobrovsky has a 1.31 GAA while winning four straight starts, dating back to before his injury.

Columbus fell 3-2 at home to Winnipeg on December 16, ending its six-game winning streak in the series. The Jets have matched a season high with four straight losses, and were outshot 33-14 in a 4-2 home loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday. It was their fewest shots since registering 12 in a loss at Washington as the Atlanta Thrashers on March 14, 2008. In the hopes of providing a spark, Claude Noel is expected to move Dustin Byfuglien from defence to forward. Tied with Bryan Little with a team-high 34 points, Byfuglien has made that change at other times in his career, including last season. The veteran has been a bright spot over the last four games, scoring three goals and assisting on two others. He’s also been very effective at MTS Centre, with two goals and four assists in five games. Of his 10 goals on the season, seven have been scored there. Pavelec has lost all four of his career meetings with the Blue Jackets despite a 2.29 GAA.

Confirmed bets

Tampa Bay Lightning @ Philadelphia Flyers +5.5 (one unit @ $2.05) WIN (6-3)

Columbus Blue Jackets WIN @ Winnipeg Jets (one unit @ $2.05) WIN (6-3)

Ottawa Senators @ Nashville Predators +5.5 (one unit @ $2.00) LOSE (2-1)

Pittsburgh Penguins WIN NT @ Calgary Flames (one unit @ $1.85) WIN (2-1)

Florida Panthers @ New Jersey Devils -5 (one unit @ $1.83) WIN (1-2)

Leans

Chicago Blackhawks @ Montreal Canadiens -5.5 $1.80 WIN (1-2)

Ottawa Senators WIN $1.95 @ Nashville Predators WIN (2-1)

Colorado Avalanche @ Minnesota Wild WIN $1.83 LOSE (4-2)

Anaheim Ducks WIN $1.83 @ Phoenix Coyotes WIN (5-3)

Detroit Red Wings @ Los Angeles Kings -1.5 $2.60 LOSE (3-1)

Boston Bruins WIN $2.22 @ San Jose Sharks WIN (1-0)

NBA for January 12

Brooklyn Nets (15-21, 5-12 away) @ Toronto Raptors (17-17, 7-8 home), Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada, Sunday, January 12, 11.10am

All five teams in the Atlantic Division started the season poorly, and still, with roughly 40 per cent of the season completed, none have winning records. But there’s life in the previously bereft division, led by the division-leading Toronto Raptors who host one of the other hard-charging teams in the Atlantic, the Brooklyn Nets. The Raptors (17-17) have won six of their past eight games overall, and four of five at home. Their improved play has coincided with the trade of small forward Rudy Gay and the elevation of Terrence Ross into the starting five. Since Gay was dealt and Ross moved into the line-up on December 10, Toronto is 10-5, with the second-year small forward averaging 13.1 points and shooting 46.1 per cent (41 of 89) from three-point range. Ross had 17 points in the team’s last game, a 112-91 victory over Detroit on Wednesday. Lowry led the way with 21 points, DeMar DeRozan had 19 and Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Nets (15-21) also enter this match-up with renewed confidence, having won a season-best five straight.

The most recent of the victories may be the team's most impressive this season, knocking off Miami 104-95 in double overtime on Friday. An improved defence has been the biggest key for Brooklyn, which is holding opponents to 90.8 points during the five-game run. The Nets allowed 102.4 points per game in the season’s first 31 contests. On Friday, the Nets held the Heat to 42.5 per cent from the field, Miami’s second-worst performance of the season. Besides outlasting the defending champions, Jason Kidd’s (pictured) team also ended Golden State’s 10-game win streak and beat Oklahoma City during its hot stretch. Needing 58 minutes to win on Friday may not bode well for the Nets, however. They are 1-5 in the second game of back-to-backs this season, and 0-3 in games following overtime contests. The Nets beat the Raptors for the fourth time in five meetings, 102-100 in Toronto on November 26 behind 24 points from Andray Blatche. Following the game against the Raptors, the Nets travel to London, where they will play Atlanta on Thursday, before returning to New York to play the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 20.

Confirmed bets

Brooklyn Nets @ Toronto Raptors -193 (one unit @ $1.91) WIN (80-96)

New York Knicks -5 @ Philadelphia 76ers (one unit @ $1.91) WIN (102-92)

Milwaukee Bucks @ Oklahoma City Thunder -13.5 (one unit @ $1.91) WIN (85-101)

Orlando Magic @ Denver Nuggets +201 (one unit @ $1.91) WIN (94-120)

Leans

Brooklyn Nets +9.5 $1.91 @ Toronto Raptors LOSE (80-96)

Houston Rockets @ Washington Wizards NO LEAN

Charlotte Bobcats +5 $1.91 @ Chicago Bulls LOSE (97-103)

Phoenix Suns @ Detroit Pistons +207 $1.91 WIN (108-110)

New Orleans Pelicans @ Dallas Mavericks -197.5 $1.91 LOSE (107-110)

Boston Celtics @ Portland Trail Blazers -12 $1.91 LOSE (104-112)

NFL playoffs (early game) for January 12

NFC Divisional Playoff: New Orleans Saints (11-5, 3-5 away) @ Seattle Seahawks (13-3, 7-2 home), CenturyLink Field, Seattle, WA, Sunday, January 12, 8.40am

New Orleans is coming off its first post-season road win in franchise history, but the degree of difficulty will rise dramatically when they visit the top-seeded Seattle Seahawks. It will be a rematch of a December 2 game in Seattle, where the Seahawks manhandled New Orleans 34-7 and held the Saints to their lowest total since October 2008. New Orleans' high-powered offence struggles away from home, managing only 36 points in three December road losses before pulling out a last-second 26-24 win at Philadelphia last week. Drew Brees, the only QB with three 5000-yard seasons, threw for 250 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions against the Eagles but now must contend with a defence that limited him to 147 yards and held the Saints to 188 total yards – the lowest total since Brees and head coach Sean Payton arrived in New Orleans in 2006. New Orleans overcame an injury to running back Pierre Thomas to churn out 185 rushing yards against Philadelphia (including 97 by former first-round pick Mark Ingram) while its defence held the NFL’s leading rusher, LeSean McCoy, to 77 yards on 21 carries.

Indeed, the Seahawks have embarrassed a number of opponents on their home field where they are 15-1 over the past two seasons. Its rabid fan base, known as the 12th Man, set a Guinness world record for crowd noise with a reading of 137.6 decibels in that thrashing of the Saints last month. The Seahawks are hoping to see the return of explosive wide receiver Percy Harvin, who has played in only one game since returning from off-season hip surgery. Seattle leveled off after steamrolling the Saints, losing at San Francisco and falling to Arizona for its first home defeat in two seasons before closing the campaign with a dominant defensive performance against St Louis. Wilson was being mentioned for league MVP honours at one point in the season but he stumbled down the stretch, averaging 171.3 yards passing and throwing for four touchdowns and three interceptions Marshawn Lynch rushed for 1257 yards and 12 touchdowns but he cracked 100 yards only once in the last eight games. The Seahawks led the league in fewest points (14.4) and yards (273.3) allowed per game.

Confirmed bet

New Orleans Saints @ Seattle Seahawks -44.5 (one unit @ $1.91) WIN (15-23)

Lean

New Orleans Saints +8 $1.95 @ Seattle Seahawks PUSH (15-23)

EPL for January 12

Cardiff City (4-6-10, 18 points) v West Ham United (3-6-11, 15 points), Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales, Sunday, January 12, 2am

Too often in this game, we try to think our way around the obvious. Indeed, I’ve read previews from several pundits and punters outlining why West Ham represent great value in the wake of their 5-0 and 6-0 losses to Nottingham Forest and Manchester City respectively. But rather than dwell on the negative, I favour the positive presence of a new manager in the Cardiff dugout to be the prevailing presence here. Former Manchester United favourite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (pictured) will be presiding over his first Premier League game having started his Cardiff stint in memorable fashion with a stunning FA Cup win at Newcastle. The ovation likely to be afforded Solskjaer will only serve to highlight the uneasiness that will greet his opposite number Sam Allardyce. However, the Bluebirds are far from safety with one win in seven while the Hammers are without a league win since November. A West Ham win would lift them above Cardiff on goal difference. West Ham were 2-0 winners in the reverse fixture on the opening day of the season and have won the last four league encounters without conceding a goal.

On the back of their phenomenal victory at St James’ Park, the momentum is sure to be with Cardiff and, bearing in mind West Ham’s continuing lengthy list of absentees, it could be another distinctly uncomfortable afternoon for Allardyce. Cardiff City could hand a debut to new signing Magnus Wolff Eikre after the Norway international signed from Dutch side Heerenveen. Craig Bellamy may also figure after two months out with knee and ankle trouble. Allardyce said he would make a “calculated” decision on whether to recall Andy Carroll after an eight-month absence with a foot injury. The stats don’t make great reading for the hosts – Cardiff have lost three of the past four matches (D1) in the league and their tally of 15 goals is the joint-second lowest in the division. They have also failed to score in 10, the joint most in the league. But thing aren’t much better for West Ham – they have only earned two points from their last seven league matches and have dropped more points from winning positions than any other Premier League team (14). Let’s stick with the obvious.

Confirmed bets

Cardiff City WIN v West Ham United (one unit @ $2.10) LOSE (0-2)

Everton -1 v Norwich City (one unit @ $1.91) WIN (2-0)

Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace +2.5 (one unit @ $1.70) LOSE (2-0)

Leans

Hull City v Chelsea (to nil) $2.40 WIN (0-2)

Fulham v Sunderland -2.5 $1.91 LOSE (1-4)

Southampton v West Bromwich Albion BTS $1.75 LOSE (1-0)

Manchester United v Swansea City (double chance) $2.35 LOSE (2-0)

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