Daily tips for January 15

What’s on today

Apologies for the disruption to service yesterday, which was due to the combined meltdown of wireless service then a power blackout; as the heatwave continues today, sympathies with players facing another brutal session at Melbourne Park where the Australian Open tennis enters day 3; similarly, it’s going to be a bloody hot day for the midweek metro races; it’s a different story for our friends in North America, where there are four NBA and 11 NHL games booked for the day; stay cool/warm & GL punters!

Racing for January 15

Horse racing: Caulfield (Vic), Canterbury (NSW), Eagle Farm (Qld), Pinjarra (WA), Launceston (Tas). Harness racing: Charlton (Vic), Kilmore (Vic), Redcliffe (Qld), Tamworth (NSW). Greyhound racing: Albion Park (Qld), Ballarat (Vic), Bendigo (Vic), Bulli (NSW), Cannington (WA), Cranbourne (Vic), Richmond (NSW), Rockhampton (Qld), The Meadows (Vic).

A revised weather forecast has forced Racing Victoria to adjust the starting times for Wednesday’s Caulfield meeting. After the Bureau Of Meteorology has adjusted its prediction to a top temperature of 41 degrees today, Racing Victoria decided to bring forward the first race to 11am. The last race will be run at 2.45pm to avoid the hottest part of the day. All other meetings look set to proceed as planned despite the heatwave sweeping across the nation.

Confirmed bets

Caulfield R3 #12 Waldorf (E/W 1x3) 2nd ($1.70)

Caulfield R5 #2 Text’n Hurley (win) LOSE (3rd)

Caulfield R7 #9 Lord Of The Sky (win) 1st ($1.40)

Canterbury R1 #4 Pera Pera (win) LOSE (2nd)

Canterbury R3 #1 Fortunefivehundred (E/W) LOSE (U/P)

Leans

Caulfield R2 #8 Vintage Cognac (E/W) SCRATCHED

Caulfield R4 #7 Red Fella (E/W 1x3) 1st ($4.30/$1.80)

Caulfield R6 #15 Tycoon Express (E/W) LOSE (U/P)

Canterbury R4 #4 Fantastic Ballad (E/W) LOSE (U/P)

Canterbury R6 #11 More Than Brave (E/W 1x3) 1st ($2.70/$1.40)
Pinjarra R5 #10 Vengabus (win) SCRATCHED 

Launceston R7 #4 Mensa Magic (E/W 1x3)

Tennis (Australian Open) for January 15

2014 Australian Open day 3, the Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific, Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, January 15

Hot, damn hot, again – that will be the theme of day three at Melbourne Park as a four-day heatwave sweeps across south-eastern Australia. For the future markets, players who can spend as little time as possible on court are going to be at a massive advantage heading into week two. As was the case yesterday, it’s going to be players who can win the first set who’ll be well fancied to take out their respective matches – it’s a long way back from a set down when the on-court temperatures soars beyond the 50°C. The best description of the conditions came from Canadian Frank Dancevic (pictured) who collapsed during the second set of his match against Benoit Paire, lying unconscious on the court for a full minute. Dancevic said he was hallucinating before he fainted, and thought he saw a certain cartoon Beagle: “I was dizzy from the middle of the first set and then I saw Snoopy and I thought, ‘Wow Snoopy, that’s weird.’”

Another side-effect of the heat is the approach used by different players, with Aussie Matt Ebden admitting to tanking a set in his first round five-set win over Nicolas Mahut! The 67th-ranked Australian did well do erase past demons from the Melbourne major. He failed to qualify in 2007, 2008, and 2009, lost to Gael Monfils in the 2010 first round and Michael Russell in the 2011 first round, and he squandered two-set leads against both Kei Nishikori and Youzhny in 2012 and 2013, respectively. His second round opponent Vaske Pospisil went into this event with some serious question marks. The 30th-ranked Canadian did well to reach the Chennai semi-finals, but he eventually retired against Stanislas Wawrinka due to a back injury. He then withdrew from Sydney but looked much improved in a comprehensive straight-set beatdown of Sam Groth in the first round. Ebden will have the fans, but Pospisil’s one-two, serve-forehand punch should be the difference.

Confirmed bets

Vasek Pospisil -4 v Matt Ebden (one unit @ $1.87)

Tomas Berdych v Kenny De Schepper -30.5 (one unit @ $1.85) WIN (26)

Dmitry Tursunov WIN v Denis Istomin (one unit @ $1.70) LOSE

Serena Williams v Vesna Dolonc -15.5 (one unit @ $1.87) WIN (15)

Yanina Wickmayer v Alison Riske 2-0 (one unit @ $1.85) WIN 

Leans

Pablo Andujar v Jerzy Janowicz +36 $1.85 WIN (42)

Sam Querrey v Ernests Gulbis +40.5 $1.87 LOSE (27)

Fabio Fognini v Jarkko Nieminen WIN $2.10 LOSE

Jie Zheng v Madison Keys WIN 2-0 $1.85 LOSE

Samantha Stosur v Tsvetana Prionkova WIN $2.30 LOSE

Casey Dellacqua v Kirsten Flipkens WIN $1.52 LOSE

NHL for January 15

Calgary Flames (16-24-6, 38 points) @ Nashville Predators (19-21-7, 45 points), Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN, Wednesday, January 15, 12.10pm

The best way to approach a ‘bad team v bad team’ situation is to back a bad team to do something bad! Like, not score too many goals. Little has gone right for the Nashville Predators over the last month but the Calgary Flames are the one team that’s had it worse. The Predators look to avoid a seventh loss in eight games Tuesday night as they wrap up a five-game homestand against the punchless Flames, who have lost on their past four visits to Nashville. The Predators (19-21-7) are in the midst of their third skid of at least three games since December 17, a 3-7-4 stretch in which they’ve allowed 3.36 goals per game. Nashville fell to 1-2-1 on a homestand it hoped would allow it to start climbing back into playoff position with Sunday’s 4-0 loss to Minnesota. The Flames have allowed a total of 16 goals in losing their last four at Bridgestone Arena, and they’re just 1 for 16 on the power play in their last seven trips to the Music City.

The Flames (16-24-6) are the only team that’s recorded fewer points since December 17 than Nashville (a 3-9-1 stretch) but they picked up two Monday. Coming into Carolina having scored just six times while losing seven of eight, Calgary got goals from Mikael Backlund and Sean Monahan while Karri Ramo made 23 saves to record his first career shutout in a 2-0 victory. The Flames hadn’t recorded a shut-out since February 18, 2012, allowing at least one goal in 116 consecutive games. Backlund’s second-period goal came with the man advantage -- a rarity for the Flames, who had gone 2 for 27 (7.4 per cent) on the power play in their previous eight games. Calgary’s recent history in Nashville hasn't been very good. If either team finds itself trailing after two periods, don't count on a comeback. Calgary is 1-20-2 when down after 40 minutes, while Nashville is 0-20-2 – the only team in the league without a come-from-behind victory after the second intermission.

Confirmed bets

Phoenix Coyotes @ St Louis Blues -5.5 (one unit @ $2.08) WIN (1-2)

Colorado Avalanche @ Chicago Blackhawks +5.5 (one unit @ $1.91) LOSE (3-2)

Calgary Flames TT -2.5 @ Nashville Predators (one unit @ $1.68) WIN (2-4)
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Boston Bruins WIN NT (one unit @ $1.72) LOSE (4-1)

Leans

San Jose Sharks TT +2.5 $1.67 @ Washington Capitals LOSE (2-1)

Ottawa Senators @ Minnesota Wild -5.5 $1.70 WIN (3-0)

Tampa Bay Lightning @ New York Rangers WIN $1.60 LOSE (2-1)

Edmonton Oilers @ Dallas Stars WIN $1.70 WIN (3-5)

Philadelphia Flyers @ Buffalo Sabres -5 $2.00 LOSE (4-3)

New York Islanders @ Florida Panthers WIN $1.91 WIN (2-4)

New Jersey Devils @ Montreal Canadiens WIN $1.60 LOSE (4-1)

NBA for January 15

Sacramento Kings (13-22, 4-9 away) @ Indiana Pacers (29-7, 18-1 home), Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN, Wednesday, January 15, 11.10am

The defensive-minded Indiana Pacers have given opponents fits all season, and they proved especially stingy last time out. The last-place Sacramento Kings are on the verge of their longest winning streaks in three seasons thanks to an impressive display on both ends of the floor. Looking to continue their home dominance, the Pacers will aim to slow down the Kings here. NBA-leading Indiana (29-7) has limited teams to 40.9 per cent shooting and 87.9 points per game to rank first in the league in both categories. The Pacers were at their best in Friday’s 93-66 rout of Washington, giving up their fewest points since 2005 in improving to 18-1 at home. Indiana limited the Wizards to a season-low 32.1 per cent shooting, out-rebounded them 61-41 and held a 38-18 edge in the paint. Frank Vogel’s team have won seven straight at home by an average of 20.0 points. They have also won all four home games against the West this season by an average of 20.0 points. The Pacers have taken six of nine from Sacramento after winning both match-ups in 2012-13.

The Pacers now turn their attention to the Kings (13-22), who have averaged 116.7 points during a season-high three-game winning streak. Sacramento has also limited foes to an average of 94.0 points and 38.7 per cent shooting during its run, much lower than its season marks of 103.6 and 46.7. The Kings haven’t won four in a row since March 23-29, 2011. The Kings, set to hit the road for six straight in opposing arenas, are hoping to see their momentum carry over after blowing out Cleveland 124-80 on Sunday. Isaiah Thomas (pictured) had 26 points and Rudy Gay, averaging 24.7 while shooting 63.4 per cent during the winning streak, scored 20. DeMarcus Cousins added 16 and 11 rebounds in 30 minutes before receiving some well-deserved rest. Cousins, who has recorded a career-best 10 consecutive double-doubles, is averaging 18.2 points and 14.0 rebounds in five meetings against the Pacers. He’s been limited to 32.8 per cent shooting in the last three, though. There’s certainly value on the Kings at the line here, but I prefer to stick with the ‘under’ on a surprisingly high posted total.

Confirmed bet

Sacramento Kings @ Indiana Pacers -196 (one unit @ $1.91) LOSE (92-116)

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Memphis Grizzlies WIN $1.95 WIN (87-90)

Leans

New York Knicks @ Charlotte Bobcats -187.5 $1.91 LOSE (98-108)

Sacramento Kings +10.5 $1.91 @ Indiana Pacers LOSE (92-116)

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Los Angeles Lakers +204 $1.91 WIN (120-118)

• Selections are listed in three categories – 1) Suggested (likely bet but yet to be finalised); 2) Confirmed (locked in at the price listed); and 3) Leans (tips, but not recommended bets); all times quoted are Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT); prices with thanks to Centrebet (except where markets are not available), correct at time of publication – for most people gambling is an exciting and fun recreational pursuit. For others it can become a problem with devastating consequences for them, their families and friends. We want you to enjoy your gambling experience. We want you to stay in control of your gambling and not allow your gambling to control you.