What’s on today
In short, plenty – the NHL returns after a three-day
hiatus with a slate of 10 games; likewise, there are nine NBA games scheduled
after yesterday’s Christmas Day blockbuster program; three College Football bowl games
will be played today with my tip for the first of the day posted here; locally,
it’s another big day of racing while the summer of tennis kicks-off in Perth
with the Hopman Cup; I’ll also have Big Bash and A-League selections later in
the day along with a full rundown of EPL games; GL punters!
Cricket (Big Bash League) for December 28
Brisbane Heat (1-0-0, 2 points) v Hobart Hurricanes (0-0-1,
1 point), Gabba, Brisbane, Saturday, December 28, 7.15pm
Last night’s short-priced favourites Adelaide fell
over the line with the Brisbane Heat rated a similar chance of defeating the
Hobart Hurricanes. In the most exciting match in the opening round of BBL03,
the Heat pinched the points from the back pocket of the Perth Scorchers, thanks
to the late fireworks of Chris Lynn and Ben Cutting. Stuart Law was certainly
breathing a sigh of relief after getting his first win as Heat coach. The
Brisbane bowlers had done a great job to slow the Scorchers’ momentum in the
middle overs, but their top order batsmen made the chase harder than it perhaps
should have been. By contrast, Hurricanes’ batsmen didn’t even open their kits
in Hobart, with their game against the Strikers rained off after just six overs
in the field. The Hurricanes’ bowlers might still be wishing they never got on
in the first place, with all five of them smashed about in a short session of
carnage.
The men in teal will probably field an unchanged
line-up for this game, but their batsmen will need to perform much better as a
group. It was only really a three-ball six hitting spree from Chris Lynn, in
his innings of 81, that helped the Heat home. The likes of Luke Pomersbach (pictured),
Craig Kieswetter, Joe Burns, Dan Christian and James Hopes all failed with the
bat. Ben Cutting is hugely important player for the Heat as his three wickets
and late batting cameo showed in round one. Daniel Vettori underlined his value
at this level with a crucial spell of 1-21 against Perth. Hobart will be
without Australian T20 skipper George Bailey and import Dimitri Mascarenhas who
broke his jaw before the start of the season. They do have some batting
firepower in Travis Birt, Tim Paine and Ben Dunk and their bowling isn’t
dreadful with Pakistani all-rounder Shoaib Malik a decent inclusion. But the
Heat look good things here at the short quote.
Confirmed bet
Brisbane Heat WIN v Hobart Hurricanes (one unit @
$1.65) LOSE (by 3 wickets)
Lean
Brisbane Heat most runs – Luke Pomersbach $3.75 LOSE
Record: 2-4, -1.7 units
A-League (round 12) for December 28
Melbourne Victory (5-3-3, 18 points) v Western Sydney
Wanderers (6-4-1, 22 points), AAMI Park, Melbourne, Saturday, December 28,
7.45pm
A nasty backdrop to this game was established this
afternoon with a nasty brawl between Western Sydney and Melbourne Victory fans
in the city, so expect a toxic presence for this A-League match of the round at
AAMI Park. Since their last
meeting, a closely fought and entertaining contest which the Wanderers shaded
despite Victory dominating possession, the form of these two sides has been
solid enough, but not as consistent as their respective coaches would desire.
Victory have recorded convincing wins over Adelaide, Perth and the Heart and
drawn away to the Mariners, with a home loss to the Jets the only real blot on
their copybook. Gui Finkler must be close to returning to the Victory’s line-up.
The Brazilian played another 30 minutes off the bench in the derby win over
Heart, leading on from his goal-scoring cameo against Perth the previous work.
The playmaker is certainly back up to the full fitness after tearing his ACL
last season, and Kevin Muscat has said his challenge is now to force his way
past James Troisi and Mitch Nichols.
For the Wanderers, a 3-1 loss at Brisbane Roar
prompted a slight dip in form which saw them draw twice in succession against
the Heart and the Phoenix, before returning to winning ways with a 1-0 triumph
away to the Jets and at home to Central Coast. Promising striker Tomi Juric
(pictured) could be forgiven for looking a little rusty in his first start since
recovering from a knee injury, but was at his bustling best against Central
Coast, scoring a tremendous goal and giving the Mariners' defence problems. The
clamour has started again for him to be elevated to the Socceroos The Victory's
preferred 4-2-4 formation could force Nichols or Troisi to drop deep and
interfere with Japanese international Shinju Ono, as holding duo Mark Milligan
and Leigh Broxham are likely to have their hands full with the Wanderers' own
deeper pair. If Ono is left unattended, he has the potential to draw one of
Victory's centre-backs out of position, leaving Juric free to wreak havoc in
the box. I have to lean to the Wanderers here at the generous quote on offer.
Confirmed bet
Melbourne Victory v Western Sydney Wanderers DNB (one
unit @ $1.80) PUSH (1-1)
Leans
Melbourne Victory v Western Sydney Wanderers BTS
$1.85 WIN (1-1)
Melbourne Victory v Western Sydney Wanderers WIN
$2.55 LOSE (1-1)
Racing for December 28
Horse racing: Moonee Valley (Vic), Canterbury (NSW), Doomben
(Qld), Morphettville (SA), Ascot (WA), Scone (NSW), Stony Creek (Vic), Beaudesert
(Qld), Sunshine Coast (Qld – night). Harness racing: Albion Park (Qld), Globe
Derby (SA), Harvey (WA), Melton (Vic), Menangle (NSW). Greyhound racing: Cannington
(WA), Ipswich (Qld), Richmond (NSW), The Gardens (NSW), The Meadows (Vic), Warrnambool
(Vic), Wentworth Park (NSW).
When Mark Kavanagh is loathe to talk-up the hopes of one
of his runners, that’s as good an indication that the thing will probably go
well! That’s just what I’m expecting from #5 Chivalry when he jumps in the
Quest Moonee Valley Plate over 1000 metres. The 2yo colt was odds-on for his
first run at Flemington and finished runner-up. He looked a bit lost down the
Flemington straight and I suspect he’ll be sharper here and, at the price on
offer, pretty decent value.
Confirmed bets
Moonee Valley R1 #5 Chivalry (win) 1st ($3.20)
Canterbury R5 #2 Knoydart (win) 1st ($2.40)
Canterbury R6 #5 I’ve Got The Looks (win) 1st ($2.50)
Morphettville R3 #6 Caton (E/W) 2nd ($2.90)
Morphettville R6 #3 Éclair Samba (win) LOSE (2nd)
Leans
Moonee Valley R3 #1 Kiss Me Ketut (E/W 1x4) 3rd ($1.50)
Moonee Valley R6 #4 Johannapine (E/W 1x2) 2nd ($2.20)
Canterbury R1 #7 Jetwings (E/W 1x3) 2nd ($1.60)
Canterbury R3 #6 Big Memory (E/W 1x3) 1st ($3.50/$1.50)
Canterbury R8 #6 Messene (win) 1st ($1.70)
Doomben R2 #5 Black Jet (E/W 1x2) 1st ($4.00/$1.50)
Doomben R6 #8 Echo Gal (win) LOSE (U/P)
Doomben R7 #13 Enquare (E/W 1x2) 1st ($4.80/$1.80)
Morphettville R2 #3 Fine Approach (win) 3rd (NTD)
Morphettville R5 #6 La Vanta (win) 1st ($1.60)
Morphettville R7 #8 More Than Eagle (win) LOSE (3rd)
Scone R1 #5 Adizero (E/W) 3rd (NTD)
NBA for December 28
Phoenix Suns (17-10, 7-6 away) @ Golden State
Warriors (17-13, 10-4 home), Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA, Saturday, December 28, 2.40pm
The Golden State Warriors are showing some fight, and
it is leading to wins. The Warriors will look to post their fourth straight
triumph and gain ground in the Pacific Division when they host the scorching
Phoenix Suns. Golden State earned a 105-103 win over the Los Angeles Clippers
on Wednesday in game that featured a pair of ejections, two flagrant fouls and
a scrum after the final buzzer between the clubs. The Warriors figured on
battling the Clippers all season in the Pacific but the Suns are more of a
surprise and have won three straight and eight of the last nine (including one
over Golden State on December 15) thanks to a well-rounded offense and rapid
ball movement. The Warriors can fill it up as well but are also making a mark
defensively in the last three games. Phoenix’s backcourt duo of Bledsoe and
Goran Dragic makes the offense go, but bench players like Markieff and Marcus
Morris and Gerald Green are also capable of putting up big scoring numbers.
The Suns are getting surprising contributions from
center Miles Plumlee (pictured), who played only 55 total minutes with Indiana
last season but is averaging close to a double-double (9.7 points and 9.1
rebounds) and is coming off a 17-point, 20-rebound effort in a 117-90 drubbing
of the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. Golden State can counter Plumlee down low
with Andrew Bogut and David Lee, who became the first pair of teammates since
Rich Kelley and Truck Robinson of the 1978 New Orleans Jazz to post 10
consecutive games of 10 or more rebounds apiece in Wednesday’s win over the
Clippers. Bogut is also a key to the defence, which held the Lakers and Denver
Nuggets to an average of 82 points and kept Chris Paul off the board in the
final minute of Wednesday’s triumph to extend the winning streak. The Warriors
are playing their final home game before a six-game road trip. The Suns are a
staggering 20-6-1 ATS this season while the ‘over’ is 10-3 in the last 13
meetings in Oakland.
Confirmed bets
Oklahoma
City Thunder @ Charlotte Bobcats -195 (one unit @ $1.95) WIN (89-85)
Milwaukee
Bucks @ Brooklyn Nets -4.5 (one unit @ $1.91) WIN (93-104)
Washington
Wizards @ Minnesota Timberwolves -6 (one unit @ $1.91) WIN (98-120)
Miami
Heat -6.5 @ Sacramento Kings (one unit @ $1.91) LOSE (103-108)
Phoenix
Suns +7 @ Golden State Warriors (one unit @ $1.91) LOSE (86-115)
Leans
Detroit
Pistons @ Orlando Magic -203.5 $1.91 WIN (92-109)
Toronto
Raptors @ New York Knicks +2.5 $1.91 LOSE (95-83)
Denver
Nuggets @ New Orleans Pelicans -3 $1.91 WIN (89-105)
Los
Angeles Lakers @ Utah Jazz -198.5 LOSE (103-105)
Miami
Heat @ Sacramento Kings -208 $1.91 LOSE (103-108)
College Football (late games) for December 28
Texas Bowl: Syracuse Orange (6-6, 4-4 ACC) v
Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-4, 4-4 Big Ten), Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX,
Saturday, December 28, 10am
Minnesota heads to the Texas Bowl for the second
straight season, even though the team won two more games than it did in 2012
and some pundits expected the Golden Gophers to play in a more prominent bowl
game. Minnesota suffered a devastating loss to Texas Tech in last year's Texas
Bowl: it led 31-24 before the Red Raiders scored the tying touchdown with 1:10
left, then picked off Philip Nelson to set up the game-winning field goal.
Minnesota uses two quarterbacks, Nelson and Mitch Leidner, and the duo has
combined for more rushing touchdowns (13) than passing scores (10). David Cobb
is the workhorse back for the Gophers, rushing for 1111 yards and seven TDs.
The Gophers' defense showed significant improvement late in the season,
allowing 44 points over the last three games. Syracuse will be playing a Big
Ten opponent for the third time this year, after losing to Penn State and
Northwestern by a combined 27 points. QB Terrel Hunt has thrown three
touchdowns over the last two games after not throwing for any scores – while
throwing seven interceptions – over the previous six contests. Hunt is known
more for his legs, joining Jerome Smith (840 yards, 11 touchdowns) and
Prince-Tyson Gulley (440 yards, four TDs) to give Syracuse a solid rushing attack.
Confirmed bet
Syracuse Orange v Minnesota Golden Gophers -47.5 (one
unit @ $1.91) WIN (21-17)
Lean
Syracuse Orange +3.5 v Minnesota Golden Gophers $1.91 WIN (21-17)
Fight Hunger Bowl: BYU Cougars (8-4) v Washington
Huskies (8-4, 5-4 Pac-12), AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA, Saturday, December
28, 1.30pm
Washington made a big splash by hiring Chris Petersen
away from Boise State earlier this month, but its new coach will be a casual
observer when the Huskies face BYU in the Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco.
With Steve Sarkisian headed to USC, quarterbacks coach Marques Tuiasosopo will
lead the Huskies against BYU, which has won a school-record four consecutive
bowl games. Washington is looking to win nine games for the first time since
2000, when Tuiasosopo was the Huskies’ starting quarterback. BYU boasts a
top-25-scoring defense, but the Cougars figure to be tested by an explosive
Huskies' offense led by Bishop Sankey, who has rushed for 1,775 yards and 18
touchdowns. The Cougars also have to worry about Washington’s Austin Seferian-Jenkins,
who caught seven touchdown passes and received the John Mackey Award as the
nation’s top tight end. The teams have split eight meetings in a series that
began in 1985. BYU has won its past three games against the Huskies, including
a 23-17 victory in 2010. The Fight Hunger Bowl marks the teams’ first meeting
in a bowl game and I’m expecting the Huskies to make a big statement of intent
for their 2014 campaign.
Confirmed bet
BYU Cougars v Washington Huskies -5 (one unit @
$1.91) WIN (16-31)
NHL for December 28
Buffalo Sabres (10-24-3, 23 pts) @ Toronto Maple
Leafs (18-16-5, 41 pts), Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada, Saturday,
December 28, 11.40am
This game almost qualifies as a bad team v bad team
situation as the slumping Maple Leafs host Atlantic Division cellar dwellers
Buffalo. The Sabres also haven't won on the road in almost two months, and
visiting Toronto may not provide a solution. The Sabres hope to have up to five
players back from an illness, as they try to end an eight-game road losing
streak by winning in Toronto for just the second time in nine tries. Buffalo
(10-24-3) owns the fewest points in the NHL, and the team is 3-12-1 on the
road. The Sabres last won as the visitor on November 5, when Cody Hodgson
netted the decisive shootout goal in a 5-4 win at San Jose. Since then, they've
been outscored 26-9 in eight road games. Buffalo, though, has created some
momentum at home, after beating Phoenix 2-1 on a bizarre goal in overtime. Mark
Pysyk's shot landed on the back of Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith, who
unknowingly crossed the line with the puck.
The Maple Leafs (18-16-5) may be thrilled to host the
Sabres since they’re 4-6-1 at home after winning eight of their first 10. The
venue, however, hasn't mattered much of late. Toronto is 2-5-2 in its last nine
games, with three in a row going to shootouts and the last two ending in
defeats. In Monday’s 2-1 road loss to the New York Rangers, Nazem Kadri
salvaged a point by tying the game with 1:24 left in regulation. It’s unclear
if goalie Jonathan Bernier will be back in net since he’s lost all three of his
meetings with the Sabres behind a 3.39 goals-against average. However, he’s
stopped 67 of 69 shots through overtime while losing the last two games via
shootouts. James Reimer has won all four home games against Buffalo with a 2.50
GAA, but he’s 1-1-0 with a 3.77 GAA while being pulled from two of his last
four starts. With neither side in great form, I have to take the price on offer
about the Sabres.
Confirmed
bets
Buffalo Sabres WIN @ Toronto Maple
Leafs (one unit @ $2.28) LOSE (3-4)
Edmonton Oilers @ Calgary Flames +5.5
(one unit @ $1.91) LOSE (2-0)
Minnesota Wild @ Winnipeg Jets +5 (one
unit @ $1.95) WIN
(4-6)
Nashville
Predators @ Dallas Stars WIN (one unit @ $1.70) WIN (2-4)
Colorado Avalanche +1.5 @ Chicago
Blackhawks (one unit @ $1.50) LOSE (2-7)
Leans
Columbus Blue Jackets @ New Jersey
Devils -5 $1.91 WIN
(2-1)
New York Rangers WIN $2.00 @ Washington
Capitals LOSE
(2-3)
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Carolina
Hurricanes WIN $2.00 LOSE (4-3)
Ottawa Senators @ Boston Bruins +5
$1.74 PUSH
(0-5)
Buffalo Sabres WIN @ Toronto Maple
Leafs +5 $1.77 WIN
(3-4)
Colorado Avalanche @ Chicago Blackhawks
+5.5 $1.87 WIN
(2-7)
San Jose Sharks @
Phoenix Coyotes WIN $2.00 LOSE (4-3)
College Football for December 28
Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman: Marshall
Thundering Herd (9-4, 7-1 C-USA) v Maryland Terrapins (7-5, 3-5 ACC), Navy
Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD, Saturday, December 28, 6.30am
Marshall narrowly missed out on a Conference USA
crown with a loss in its last game but can still count the season a success
with a bowl win. The Thundering Herd will attempt to post a 10-win campaign
when they face Maryland in the Military Bowl. The Terrapins struggled to 3-5 in
the ACC and dropped four of their last six games but ended the regular season
on a high note with a win at North Carolina State. Marshall plays wide open on
offence and was one of the top scoring teams in the nation at 43 points per
game. They return to bowl play after missing out last season and are thriving
offensively behind QB Rakeem Cato, who has passed for 36 touchdowns and nine
interceptions this season. The Thundering Herd averaged 53.8 points during a
five-game win streak that put them in line for the C-USA title before losing
41-24 at Rice in the conference championship game. Maryland is playing close to
home but proximity to its own fans did not help much this season, as the team
lost its last three home games. The Terrapins utilise dual-threat quarterback
C.J. Brown in a balanced offensive attack. Have to go with the ACC side here as
I have the line directly opposite to that posted.
Confirmed bet
Marshall Thundering Herd v Maryland Terrapins +2.5
(one unit @ $1.91) LOSE (31-20)
Lean
Marshall Thundering Herd v Maryland Terrapins +62.5
$1.91 LOSE (31-20)
• 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.
