Daily tips for January 17

What’s on today

Well Melbournians, we’re into the final day of this brutal four-day heatwave – also good news for players in the Australian Open where the extreme heat policy was finally enacted yesterday; my line-up for today includes NBA, NHL, day 5 in the Australian Open, A-League and racing, with my preview of the PGA Tour’s Humana Challenge already posted; BTW, there'll be no bet in the second one-day international between Australia and England at the Gabba – at $1.33, the Aussies are way too short; stay cool @ GL punters!



A-League (round 15) for January 17

Melbourne Heart (0-5-9, 5 points) v Newcastle United (5-4-5, 19 points), AAMI Park, Melbourne, Friday, January 17, 7.40pm

The Sydney Thunder ended their 19-game losing streak during the week so perhaps the Melbourne Heart can take some inspiration into one of tonight’s two A-League clashes as they aim to avoid a new competition record of 20 matches without a win. If they fail to beat the Jets, they will relieve the defunct New Zealand Knights of their unwanted winless record, and then have a claim to being the worst team in the competition's brief history. Heart have only scored once in their last four outings, with striker Michael Mifsud failing to fire and his fellow attackers equally goal-shy. Mate Dugandzic was culpable of a glaring miss in the 3-0 loss to Perth Glory last time out, an incident symptomatic of Heart's malaise in front of goal. The problem is compounded by the fact that the red and whites are far from watertight at the other end. It's also time for Harry Kewell, back from yet another injury, to deliver in the playmaker role earmarked for him by departed coach John Aloisi.

The Jets meanwhile fought out a respectable 1-1 draw at home to Melbourne Victory last week. Despite being without Andrew Hoole, Adam Taggart, Josh Brillante and Connor Chapman due to international duty, as well as missing Mitch Cooper and Scott Neville through long-term injury, Gary van Egmond will still be confident of claiming all three points against the rock-bottom Heart. Newcastle are sixth on the ladder, level on points with Sydney and just two ahead of a resurgent Adelaide. They need to make it through a tough patch in which they are missing their Australian under-22 contingent without dropping too many points if they want to maintain realistic finals hopes. Centre-back Kew Jaliens (pictured) will return from suspension for the trip to Melbourne, while new arrival Joel Griffiths can help cover for the loss of Nathan Burns back to South Korea. It might be a bizarre night at AAMI Park, with a cool change forecast to arrive during the game. The temperature will likely fall from the high 30s to low 20s by the final whistle!

Confirmed bets

Melbourne Heart v Newcastle United WIN (one unit @ $2.45)

Perth Glory v Brisbane Roar +2.5 (one unit @ $1.88)

Leans

Melbourne Heart v Newcastle United -1.5 $3.15

Perth Glory v Brisbane Roar WIN $1.95

Racing for January 17

Horse racing: Cranbourne (Vic), Gosford (NSW), Ipswich (Qld), Bathurst (NSW), Esperance (WA), Stawell (Vic – abandoned). Harness racing: Wagga (NSW), Albion Park (Qld), Launceston (Tas), Melton (Vic), Bathurst (NSW), Mount Gambier (SA), Gloucester Park (WA). Greyhound racing: Casino (NSW), Mount Gambier (SA), Hobart (Tas), The Gardens (NSW), Ipswich (Qld), Bendigo (Vic), Geelong (Vic), Angle Park (SA), Wentworth Park (NSW), Winnellie Park (NT), Mandurah (WA).

Thoughts are with folks in western Victoria, especially in and around The Grampians where bushfires are threatening several towns. The extreme heat has also resulted in the abandonment of today’s meeting in nearby Stawell. Stay cool and safe. Tonight’s meeting at Cranbourne is also under some doubt with the estimated arrival of the cool change drifting later into the evening. But after the farce of Wednesday’s meeting at Caulfield (pictured), I’m going to steer clear of Victorian races until the heatwave passes. The eight-race card was conducted with the rail out 14 metres in stinking hot conditions and jockeys steered their mounts well off the inside section and towards the outside rail in the straight with the surface firmer out wide. The rail will be back at the three-metre position for the meeting on Saturday week, which features the Blue Diamond Previews. Yet another sorry chapter in the presentation of metropolitan tracks – thankfully Caulfield is due to be resurfaced after this year’s Spring Carnival. It can’t come quick enough.

Confirmed bets

Gosford R2 #11 Streaky Bay (win) LOSE (U/P)

Gosford R5 #6 Pinewood (win) LOSE (U/P)

Ipswich R2 #4 Girls World 1st ($1.90)

Bathurst R2 #2 The Brown One (E/W 1x2) ABANDONED

Leans

Gosford R1 #1 Stone Age (E/W 1x4) 2nd ($1.30)

Gosford R3 #7 More Beautiful (E/W) 3rd ($4.00)

Ipswich R1 #8 Star Drop (win) 3rd (NTD)

Ipswich R8 #1 Pantalettes (win) LOSE (U/P)

Bathurst R3 #5 Hollywood Drive (E/W 1x2) ABANDONED

Bathurst R7 #8 Sunofwolf (E/W 1x2) ABANDONED

Tennis (Australian Open) for January 17

2014 Australian Open day 5, the Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific, Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, January 17

In a previous lifetime, I spent several weeks each summer in Las Vegas for work. I could never understand why 109°F was considered a normal day but once the mercury hit 110°F, all sorts of heat warnings were issued. Likewise, many tennis pros were left scratching their heads yesterday when Australian Open officials finally enacted the extreme heat policy – but only on some courts. The remainder, unhappily, played on. Bizarrely, the day finished with another weather delay when a thunderstorm swept across the city. More of the same lies ahead today with the maximum temperature likely to hit 44°C or a Vegas-esque 111°F! The card holds good value today, with my favourite bet of the day Jeremy Chardy to upset David Ferrer tonight.

Since splitting with coach and mentor Javier Piles, Ferrer has looked shaky and has dropped sets to Donald Young, Adrian Mannarino, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Alex Dolgopolov. The Frenchman is defending ranking points from his run to the quarter-finals 12 months ago when he took down Del Potro and when he’s in a confident mood, as he is right now, he can be very dangerous. The game total of +38 looks a worthy play along with Chardy SU at $3.30. Sam Stosur also faces a tough third round clash against an in-form Ana Ivanovic (pictured), and I expect this clash to go to three sets and cover the line of 21.5 games. The winner will almost certainly face Serena Williams in the next round.

Confirmed bets

Na Li v Lucie Safarova -19.5 (one unit @ $1.87) LOSE (29)
David Ferrer v Jeremy Chardy +38 (one unit @ $1.80) LOSE (29)

Ana Ivanovic v Sam Stosur +21.5 (one unit @ $1.80)

Eugenie Bouchard 2-0 v Lauren Davis (one unit @ $1.75) WIN (2-0)

Leans

David Ferrer v Jeremy Chardy WIN $3.30 LOSE

Tommy Robredo WIN $2.50 v Richard Gasquet

Jie Zheng WIN $2.25 v Casey Dellacqua LOSE

Fabio Fognini WIN $2.55 v San Querrey

NHL for January 17

Winnipeg Jets (20-23-5, 45 points) @ Calgary Flames (16-25-6, 38 points), Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB, Canada, Friday, January 17, 1.10pm

NHL owners are never averse to axing the odd coach during the season, with Winnipeg that latest to ride the merry-go-round. A day after Paul Maurice (pictured) replaced Claude Noel, Winnipeg (20-23-5) snapped a five-game losing streak with a 5-1 home win over Phoenix on Monday. It was the team's most lopsided victory in two months. Well, sometimes it works! Looking to build on that victory, the Jets have their sights set on the franchise’s first road win over a Calgary Flames team that hopes to avoid a club-record seventh straight home defeat. A no-nonsense approach and demanding style helped Maurice earn 460 wins with the Hartford/Carolina franchise and Toronto. The 46-year-old Maurice, who took the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup finals in 2002, spent last season coaching in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League. Though the Jets are in 12th place and 10 points out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, they hope to have begun a turnaround with Maurice after overcoming an early 1-0 deficit against the Coyotes and recording 38 shots.

The Jets hope to avoid a season-high fourth straight road loss and end the franchise’s all-time 0-6-0 drought in Calgary (16-25-6), where they have been outscored 26-11 and lost every game by at least two goals. The Flames, though, have been outscored 17-2 while suffering a club-record six straight regulation home losses. It’s the second time this season they’ve matched the franchise's single-season mark for consecutive home losses. Calgary has lost eight of 10 overall, managing 10 goals while being shut out five times. The Flames allowed three third-period goals in a 4-2 defeat at Nashville. Mikael Backlund scored for the third game in a row, but his teammates have just two in that span. Meanwhile Winnipeg defenseman Dustin Byfuglien has four goals and seven assists in his last 10 games. Byfuglien has five of each over his past nine match-ups with the Flames (including playoffs), and had one goal and one assist in a 5-4 shootout loss at Winnipeg on November 18. That was the teams’ only meeting this season and Calgary’s fourth straight win in the series.

Confirmed bets

San Jose Sharks @ Florida Panthers WIN (one unit @ $2.20) LOSE (3-0)

Winnipeg Jets WIN @ Calgary Flames (one unit @ $1.91) WIN (5-2)

Nashville Predators @ Philadelphia Flyers WIN (one unit @ $1.68) LOSE (4-3)
Detroit Red Wings @ New York Rangers WIN NT $2.05 WIN (0-1)New York Islanders @ Tampa Bay Lightning WIN (one unit @ $1.65) LOSE (2-1)
Grand salami -60.5 (one unit @ $1.91) WIN (52)

Leans

Montreal Canadiens @ Ottawa Senators WIN (one unit @ $1.77) LOSE (5-4)
Nashville Predators @ Philadelphia Flyers +5.5 $2.05 WIN (4-3)
Los Angeles Kings @ St Louis Blues -1.5 $3.15 LOSE (4-1)

Edmonton Oilers @ Minnesota Wild -5.5 $1.68 WIN (1-4)

Boston Bruins @ Dallas Stars WIN $1.91 LOSE (4-2)

New Jersey Devils @ Colorado Avalanche 1P -1.5 $1.68 WIN (0-1)

Vancouver Canucks WIN $2.05 @ Phoenix Coyotes LOSE (0-1)

NBA for January 17

New York Knicks (15-23, 8-11 away) @ Indiana Pacers (30-7, 19-1 home), Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN, Friday, January 17, 11.10am

There’s play scheduled either side of the Atlantic in the NBA today with the Nets playing the Hawks at the O2 Arena in London. Half a world away, I’ll be keeping a close eye on the Knicks visit to Indianapolis where the Pacers are defending an amazing 19-1 home record. Indiana Pacers forward Paul George scored 31 points in leading Indiana (30-7) to a 116-92 victory over Sacramento. That followed his lowest-scoring game of the season, an eight-point effort on 2-of-14 shooting in a 93-66 win against Washington on Friday. George has already shown he can fill it up against the Knicks (15-23). When the teams met on November 20 in New York, George scored 21 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, helping Indiana to a 103-96 win. In their second-round playoff series last season, which the Pacers won in six games, George averaged 19.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists. Indiana has the NBA’s best home record at 19-1, including wins in eight straight.

The Pacers have also won six in row against the Knicks in Indianapolis, including the playoffs. A victory won’t be easy, as New York enters riding its best stretch of the season, having won six of eight. Roy Hibbert, who ranks among the league leaders with 2.6 blocks per game, will be matched against center Tyson Chandler (pictured), who is close to full strength after missing four games in the past week because of bronchitis. Chandler returned Tuesday at Charlotte but played only 16 minutes in a 108-98 loss, scoring five points and grabbing four rebounds. Point guard Raymond Felton also was on the bench for the first match-up because of back and hip injuries, but he has been a key to the Knicks’ resurgence with averages of 13.2 points and 6.0 assists over the last five games. Felton missed 12 of the previous 13 contests due to injuries. Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony scored 30 points in November’s meeting after averaging 28.5 in last season's playoff series.

Confirmed bet

New York Knicks +10.5 @ Indiana Pacers (one unit @ $1.91) LOSE (89-117)

Leans

Brooklyn Nets +1.5 $1.91 WIN @ Atlanta Hawks +194 $1.91 WIN (127-110)

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Houston Rockets WIN $1.77 LOSE (104-92)

Golf (PGA Tour) for January 17-20

Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation, The Club at PGA West, La Quinta, CA, January 17-20

The Humana Challenge is the first event on the West Coast Swing and the first pro-am of the year. Formally the Bob Hope Classic staged over five rounds, Humana took over sponsorship of the event two years ago and it was reduced to the conventional four rounds. The event is staged over three fairly pedestrian resort-style courses in rotation over the first three days (PGA West Palmer Course, par 72, 6950 yards; PGA West Nicklaus Course, par 72, 6924 yards; La Quinta Country Club, par 72, 7060 yards) with the host Palmer Course staging the final round. With amateurs in attendance, the first three days are a bit slow but the pro-am aspect of the event finishes on Saturday and the professionals are left to fight for the title. This is where Joe Durant’s -36 in 2001 (the lowest score in PGA Tour history) and David Duval’s 59 in 1999, took place

Length off the tee is largely irrelevant judging by the last two winners (ranked 75th and 69th for driving distance) and Driving Accuracy looks slightly more important – the worst any of the past five winners have ranked is 36th but as it’s basically just a birdie-fest, the secret is to hit as many greens as possible and to sink plenty of birdies. The Sanderson Foods Championship has proved to be an excellent form guide. Three men – Chad Campbell, Bill Haas and DJ Trahan – have all won both tournaments and Scott Stallings really should have done. Phoenix Open form correlates fairly well too. Nobody makes much appeal at the head of the market but given the record of outsiders in this event in recent years, that's probably no bad thing.

The Abu Dhabi Championship is also being played this weekend with Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Luke Donald just a few of the big names teeing it up in the United Arab Emirates but the Humana Challenge still features a solid line-up:

• Brandt Snedeker finished T11 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, his first start since coming back from a knee injury. He took last week off which will help him here and he has had success in this event with a T8 in 2012 and a T10 in 2010.

• Gary Woodland took last week off following his T13 at the Hyundai. He had a strong finish to last season with a win at the Reno-Tahoe Open and then a T2 at The Barclays three weeks later. He lost in a playoff here in 2011 and is a birdie machine.

• Charles Howell III is coming off his fourth top ten of the season, the most on tour, after a T8 last week at the Sony. He lost in a playoff here last year and he has made the cut in all four starts since returning in 2010 after a couple years off.

• Ryan Palmer finished T8 last week, which he can ride into the Humana Challenge. He has three career wins, his last coming at the Sony Open in 2010. His T6 finish here was the best of his career. He opened last week with a 65.

• Jason Kokrak produced a career-best finish on tour when he absolutely needed to back in 2012. A tie for third in the Frys.com Open at CordeValle saw him secure his playing rights for 2013. He grew up playing the Nicklaus-designed Muirfield Village.

Confirmed bets

Brandt Snedeker E/W (one unit @ $6) LOSE (T58)

Charles Howell III E/W (one unit @ $8.50) LOSE (T58)

Jason Kokrak top 10 (one unit @ $4) LOSE (CUT)

Ryan Palmer top 10 (one unit @ $5) WIN (2nd)

Gary Woodland top 10 (0.5 units @ $7) LOSE (T38)

Brendon de Jonge top 10 (0.5 units @ $9) LOSE (T18)

Record: 2-6, 4.5 units bet, P/L -0.1 units

Note: E/W represents a win/top five finish

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