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NFL playoffs (NFC Championship) for January 20
NFC Championship Game: San Francisco 49ers (12-4, 6-2
away) @ Seattle Seahawks (13-3, 7-1 home), CenturyLink Field, Seattle, WA,
Monday, January 20, 10.30am
NFL playoffs (AFC Championship) for January 20
AFC Championship Game: New England Patriots (12-4, 4-4
away) @ Denver Broncos (13-3, 7-1 home), Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver,
CO, Monday, January 20, 7am
New England rode a punishing running game led by
LeGarrette Blount and Stevan Ridley, who combined for 218 yards and six
touchdowns in last week’s win over the Colts. The 250-pound Blount has been a
monster down the stretch with 431 yards and eight scores in his last three
games, including a sledgehammer 166-yard, four-TD performance a week ago. New
England’s defence, which allowed an average of 21.1 points during the regular
season, registered four interceptions and three sacks against Colts QB Andrew
Luck last week. Manning orchestrated the top offensive season in league
history, throwing for 55 touchdowns and an NFL-record 5477 yards as Denver
became the first team to surpass 600 points. The Broncos are the first team in
history to have five players score 10 TDs, including wideouts Demaryius Thomas,
Eric Decker, ex-Patriot Wes Welker and TE Julius Thomas, who missed the first
match-up with New England but had six catches for 76 yards in last week's 24-17
win over San Diego. The ‘sharp’ opinion is that the Pats will keep it close,
but I love the Broncos to cover the 4.5 on offer.
Confirmed bet
EPL for January 19-20
Swansea City v Tottenham Hotspur +2.5 (one unit @
$1.91) WIN (1-3)
Chelsea (2-1) v Manchester United $8.00 LOSE (3-1)
Tennis (Australian Open) for January 19
Flavia Pennetta WIN v Angelique Kerber (one unit @
$1.80) WIN
Tomas Berdych v Kevin Anderson -37.5 (one unit @
$1.80) WIN (25)
Leans
Na Li v Ekaterina Makorova +20.5 $1.83 LOSE (14)
Stan Wawrinka 3-1 v Tommy Robredo $3.50 LOSE (3-0)
Eugenie Bouchard 2-0 v Casey Dellacqua $2.00 LOSE
Los Angeles Kings (29-14-5, 63 points) @ Detroit Red
Wings (20-17-10, 50 points), Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI, Sunday, January 19, 11.10am
The Detroit Red Wings haven’t scored a goal since their late outburst in Los Angeles last weekend. The Kings haven’t needed much scoring since that defeat but got plenty in the opener to their road trip. Los Angeles seeks a third consecutive win in this rematch with the Red Wings, who try to avoid suffering three straight regular-season shutouts for the first time in franchise history. Detroit (20-17-10) beat Los Angeles 3-1 last Saturday in the middle of a five-game trip, scoring twice in the final eight minutes with Tomas Tatar netting the game-winner. Not helping the Red Wings’ scoring woes is a lower-body injury to star forward Pavel Datsyuk (pictured). Detroit’s leading goal scorer and the newly named captain for the Russian Olympic team sat out the entire road trip. Daniel Alfredsson has been dealing with a troublesome back and Joakim Andersson was out on Thursday because of an upper-body injury. While it's unclear when Datsyuk, Alfredsson or Andersson will return, Darren Helm (groin), Stephen Weiss (sports hernia) and Johan Franzen (concussion) are out with long-term ailments.
The Kings (29-14-5) will try to take advantage of a
short-handed Detroit team to win for the fifth time in seven games. Like the
Red Wings with Howard, Los Angeles has gotten some strong goaltending recently
from a player on the U.S. Olympic roster. Jonathan Quick has a 1.32 GAA in six
games after missing nearly two months with a groin injury. Since losing to
Detroit, he defeated Vancouver 1-0 on Monday and helped Los Angeles snap a
five-game road losing streak with a 4-1 victory over St. Louis on Thursday. The
start of a five-game trip saw the Kings’ offence get back on track with three
goals in the third period, including Trevor Lewis’ first two of the season. He
had one point in his first 38 games this season. Los Angeles has lost four
straight in Detroit as Quick has posted a 4.17 GAA. He’s lost six of seven overall
against the Red Wings with a 3.62 GAA. Howard is 3-1-0 with a 1.51 GAA in his
last four meetings with Los Angeles.
Confirmed bets
Columbus Blue Jackets WIN @ Buffalo Sabres (one unit @ $1.87) WIN (4-3)
New York Rangers @ Ottawa Senators -5.5 (one unit @ $1.80) WIN (4-1)
Edmonton Oilers @ Winnipeg Jets WIN (one unit @ $1.66) WIN (2-3)
Los Angeles Kings WIN @ Detroit Red Wings (one unit @ $1.77) LOSE (2-3)
Leans
Edmonton Oilers @ Winnipeg Jets +5.5 $1.70 LOSE (2-3)
New York Islanders @ Philadelphia Flyers WIN $1.68 WIN (4-6)
Montreal Canadiens @ Toronto Maple Leafs WIN $1.91 WIN (3-5)
Florida Panthers WIN $2.15 @ Carolina Hurricanes LOSE (2-3)
Los Angeles Kings @ Detroit Red Wings -5 $1.77 PUSH (2-3)
Anaheim Ducks @ St Louis Blues +5.5 $2.00 LOSE (2-3)
Colorado Avalanche WIN $1.91 @ Nashville Predators WIN (5-4)
New Jersey Devils @ Phoenix Coyotes -5 $2.00 PUSH (2-3)
Dallas Stars @ Minnesota Wild NO LEAN
NBA for January 19
Milwaukee Bucks (7-31, 4-16 away) @ Houston Rockets (26-15,
15-6 home), Toyota Center, Houston, TX, Sunday, January 19, 12.10pm
The Houston Rockets put together a terrific first
half against one of the NBA's best teams before falling apart in record-setting
fashion down the stretch. They’re not likely to run into trouble against the
league’s worst club. Houston looks to get back on track when it hosts the
Milwaukee Bucks, who again try for their first win in 2014. The Rockets (26-15)
scored a season-high 73 points over the first two quarters and took a 14-point
lead into halftime against Oklahoma City before coming undone in Thursday’s
104-92 loss. Houston shot 19.4 per cent and was outscored 45-19 over the final
24 minutes, setting an NBA record for the largest scoring differential between
two halves. The Rockets shot 40.2 per cent for the game, dropping to 0-7 when
they’re below 42.0 per cent. James Harden, averaging a team-leading 24.4
points, was held to 16 for the second time in three games while going 6 of 16
from the field. Harden is averaging 25.7 points while shooting 51.0 per cent in
three career starts versus Milwaukee.
The Rockets have to like their chances of regrouping
against Milwaukee (7-31), which has dropped 15 of 17, including all seven games
this month by an average of 14.0 points. None of the Bucks’ wins have come
against teams with winning records. While the Bucks have taken three of five
from Houston there has been significant roster turnover. However, Ersan
Ilyasova played a big role in a 110-107 win at Houston on February 27, posting
20 points and 10 rebounds. Averaging a league-low 91.3 points, Milwaukee was
held to under 80 for the eighth time in Wednesday’s 82-77 loss to Memphis.
Brandon Knight had 27 points but Ilyasova scored just four on 2-of-11 shooting.
The Bucks had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds, but center Larry
Sanders missed his only three-point attempt of the season after the Grizzlies
forced the ball out of Knight’s hands. The Bucks are 5-4 when Knight scores at
least 19 points compared to 0-21 when he doesn’t. I fancy the Rockets to
respond in emphatic fashion here.
Confirmed bets
Milwaukee Bucks @ Houston Rockets -13.5 (one unit @
$1.91) LOSE (104-114)
Philadelphia 76ers @ Chicago Bulls -8 (one unit @ $1.91) WIN (78-103)
Los Angeles Clippers @ Indiana Pacers -198 (one unit @ $1.91) PUSH (92-106)
Detroit Pistons @ Washington Wizards -6 $1.91 LOSE (104-98)
EPL for January 18-19
Serena Williams v Ana Ivanovic +18.5 $1.83 WIN (28)
NHL for January 19
The Detroit Red Wings haven’t scored a goal since their late outburst in Los Angeles last weekend. The Kings haven’t needed much scoring since that defeat but got plenty in the opener to their road trip. Los Angeles seeks a third consecutive win in this rematch with the Red Wings, who try to avoid suffering three straight regular-season shutouts for the first time in franchise history. Detroit (20-17-10) beat Los Angeles 3-1 last Saturday in the middle of a five-game trip, scoring twice in the final eight minutes with Tomas Tatar netting the game-winner. Not helping the Red Wings’ scoring woes is a lower-body injury to star forward Pavel Datsyuk (pictured). Detroit’s leading goal scorer and the newly named captain for the Russian Olympic team sat out the entire road trip. Daniel Alfredsson has been dealing with a troublesome back and Joakim Andersson was out on Thursday because of an upper-body injury. While it's unclear when Datsyuk, Alfredsson or Andersson will return, Darren Helm (groin), Stephen Weiss (sports hernia) and Johan Franzen (concussion) are out with long-term ailments.
Calgary Flames @ Vancouver Canucks -1.5 (one unit @
$2.40) LOSE (2-3)
San Jose Sharks @ Tampa Bay Lightning +5.5 (one unit
@ $2.05) WIN (5-4)Columbus Blue Jackets WIN @ Buffalo Sabres (one unit @ $1.87) WIN (4-3)
New York Rangers @ Ottawa Senators -5.5 (one unit @ $1.80) WIN (4-1)
Edmonton Oilers @ Winnipeg Jets WIN (one unit @ $1.66) WIN (2-3)
Los Angeles Kings WIN @ Detroit Red Wings (one unit @ $1.77) LOSE (2-3)
New York Islanders @ Philadelphia Flyers WIN $1.68 WIN (4-6)
Montreal Canadiens @ Toronto Maple Leafs WIN $1.91 WIN (3-5)
Florida Panthers WIN $2.15 @ Carolina Hurricanes LOSE (2-3)
Los Angeles Kings @ Detroit Red Wings -5 $1.77 PUSH (2-3)
Anaheim Ducks @ St Louis Blues +5.5 $2.00 LOSE (2-3)
Colorado Avalanche WIN $1.91 @ Nashville Predators WIN (5-4)
New Jersey Devils @ Phoenix Coyotes -5 $2.00 PUSH (2-3)
Dallas Stars @ Minnesota Wild NO LEAN
Philadelphia 76ers @ Chicago Bulls -8 (one unit @ $1.91) WIN (78-103)
Los Angeles Clippers @ Indiana Pacers -198 (one unit @ $1.91) PUSH (92-106)
Leans
Miami Heat @ Charlotte Bobcats -194 $1.91 LOSE/OT (104-96)
Utah Jazz @ Minnesota Timberwolves -206 $1.91 WIN (72-98)
Golden State Warriors @ New Orleans Pelicans +5 $1.91 LOSE (97-87)Portland Trail Blazers @ Dallas Mavericks +2 $1.91 LOSE (127-111)
Talk about clubs heading in different directions – Sunderland made headlines on the pitch with their emphatic win at Fulham last week, which lifted them off the bottom of the table. Despite a return to winning ways, all the headlines at Southampton have centred on events off the pitch following the departure of chairman Nicola Cortese. This match falls a year to the day since Cortese raised eyebrows by appointing Mauricio Pochettino as manager. There’s no doubting the strides the team and the club have since made. The close relationship the manager enjoyed with the Italian was clear and the speculation about his future was understandable. Pochettino said this week that he will be in charge at least until the end of the season, but admitted the events that have unfolded have been a distraction. Their victory last time out against West Brom came after a run of just five points from 27. Southampton forward Pablo Osvaldo remains unavailable as he completes a three-match ban. Calum Chambers should recover in time from illness, but Victor Wanyama is not ready to return from injury.
Liverpool v Aston Villa BTS (one unit @ $1.91) WIN (2-2)
Manchester City v Cardiff City +3.5 (one unit @
$1.80) WIN (4-2)
Crystal Palace v Stoke City -2.5 (one unit @ $1.57) WIN (1-0)
Sunderland v Southampton -2.5 $1.65 LOSE (2-2)
Arsenal (win to nil) v Fulham $1.85 WIN (2-0)
West Ham United v Newcastle United +2.5 $1.80 WIN (1-3)
Crystal Palace WIN $2.30 v Stoke City WIN (1-0)
Manchester City -3 $3.10 v Cardiff City LOSE (4-2)
Liverpool v Aston Villa +2(hcp) $2.30 WIN (2-2)
• 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.