Tweet
Gamblers Data
Free Play Thursday
Knicks -7
Free Play Thursday
Knicks -7
-
CAPPERS ACCESS
Bengals
KnicksComment
-
JOE WIZ FREE PLAY
Seattle U +9 over WashingtonComment
-
NFL Week 15 Preview: Bengals at Eagles
by Steve Bennett
Kickoff: Thursday, 8:20 p.m. EDT
Line: Cincinnati -4, Total: 45
After a last-second loss last Sunday, the Bengals try to keep their playoff hopes alive on Thursday night when they visit Philadelphia.
The new-look Eagles have a chance to play spoiler again. They knocked off Tampa Bay on the final play last week, as rookie QB Nick Foles played by far his best game of the year (32-of-51, 381 yards, 2 TD, rush TD, no turnovers). RB Bryce Brown (12 carries for six yards) was bottled up against the Bucs' excellent run defense, but he should be relatively fresh on the short week after just 14 touches. The Bengals had taken advantage of a soft spot in the schedule, but couldn’t get off the field against the Cowboys last week, allowing Dallas to go 11-for-19 on third down and overcoming a late nine-point deficit to win at Cincinnati on a last-second field goal. The Bengals have played well on the road this year at 4-2 (SU and ATS), while the Eagles are winless ATS at home (0-5-1).
Bengals QB Andy Dalton has been underwhelming in his past two games, throwing for just 417 yards on 71 attempts (5.9 YPA) with 2 TD and 3 INT. He was also sacked five times versus Dallas last week. However, Dalton is facing an Eagles pass rush tallying 22 sacks this year (tied for third-fewest in the NFL) and Philly's pass defense has not intercepted a pass in seven straight games, allowing 18 TD over this span. Dalton also has one of the top wideouts in the game in A.J. Green, who is eager to put last week's poor outing behind him when he had a couple of key dropped passes and just 44 receiving yards, his second lowest output of the season. Green has had no trouble getting open on the road this year, compiling 681 yards and 5 TD in six games. Cincinnati also has a workhorse running back that has gotten stronger down the stretch in BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who has 437 rushing yards (5.4 YPC) over the past four games. The Eagles run defense isn't horrible (119 YPG, 17th in NFL), but they have surrendered more than 100 rushing yards in nine straight games. A big reason for the Bengals recent success (4-1 SU and ATS in past five games), has been their ability to hold onto the football with 0-to-1 giveaways in six of their past seven contests.
Foles is coming off a great game in Tampa Bay, but he was sacked six times, something that could be problematic against a Bengals defense that leads the NFL this year with 42 sacks. Cincinnati's defense in general has played extremely well in the past five games, allowing just 12.4 PPG on 281 total YPG. Foles will not have the services of three injured starters in RB LeSean McCoy (concussion), WR DeSean Jackson (ribs) and TE Brent Celek (concussion), but he will likely rely heavily on WR Jeremy Maclin again after the receiver posted nine catches (on 13 targets) for 104 yards and the 1-yard TD reception on the final play of the game last Sunday. WR Jason Avant has also come up big in his starting role replacing Jackson, catching 11 passes for 212 yards over the past two games. The Eagles boast the league's ninth-best rushing offense (126 YPG), but 65 percent of those yards came from McCoy and injured QB Michael Vick. Brown has been impressive with 5.7 yards per carry, but his four fumbles (three lost) in just 87 attempts are also worrisome. Philly's offensive line has been gashed with injuries all season, and the Bengals have absolutely stuffed the run in the past three weeks, allowing just 194 yards on 58 carries (3.3 YPC). Turnovers have been a big issue for the Eagles all season, as they lead the NFC with 29 giveaways.Comment
-
NBA TNT doubleheader: Lakers at Knicks, Spurs at Blazers
Los Angeles Lakers at New York Knicks (-7, 208.5)
Watching a team struggle badly under coach Mike D'Antoni is not an unfamiliar site for New York fans. When the Los Angeles Lakers stumble into Madison Square Garden on Thursday to face the Knicks, it will be exactly nine months since D'Antoni was fired by New York. The Lakers and D'Antoni are riding a three-game losing streak as they prepare for the matchup against the league's only unbeaten team at home. Los Angeles has lost eight of its last 11. ''It doesn't make any sense," Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant said. "We're still finding ways to lose games.''
The Knicks, on the other hand, keep finding ways to win games. New York erased an early 17-point deficit to eke out a 100-97 win at Brooklyn on Tuesday night in a budding rivalry becoming known as the Battle of the Boroughs. Carmelo Anthony erupted for a season-high 45 points to carry the Knicks to their seventh win in eight games. New York has registered 11 of its 16 wins by double digits, including a pair of 20-point demolitions of the defending world champion Miami Heat.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE LAKERS (9-13, 9-13 ATS): Los Angeles is searching for answers after tumbling to 4-8 since D'Antoni took the coaching reins. Bryant termed the recent struggles as the most "challenging" and "baffling" stretch of his storied career. With forward Pau Gasol missing his fifth straight game, the Lakers fell behind by 15 points at halftime against a Cleveland squad that entered the game with four wins. Bryant scored a season-high 42 points against the Cavaliers and has averaged 35.5 points in his last six games - a stretch in which the Lakers have gone 1-5.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (16-5, 13-8 ATS): Anthony is having an MVP campaign, pouring in 79 points in his last two games after sitting out the previous two due to a cut on his finger. Yet New York is also getting timely production from veteran guard Jason Kidd since he returned from a four-game injury absence. Kidd buried the winning 3-point shot against the Nets and finished with 18 points on 6-of-8 from behind the arc. That followed a 17-point performance against Denver in which Kidd connected on 3 of 4 from long range to go along with seven assists.
TRENDS:
* Under is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
* Lakers are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Anthony sat out last February's 92-85 win over the Lakers that snapped a string of nine straight losses in the series.
2. Los Angeles is 1-10 when Bryant scores at least 30 points.
3. D'Antoni compiled a 121-167 record in three-plus seasons with the Knicks.
San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers (+5.5, 201)
The San Antonio Spurs will look to rebound from a rare loss when they wrap up a four-game road trip Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Spurs had their five-game winning streak snapped in Utah on Wednesday on a 3-point buzzer beater by Mo Williams. It was an uncharacteristic defeat for San Antonio, which blew an eight-point lead in the final four minutes to drop one game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the league's best record. The Spurs still own the league's best mark away from home at 11-3.
While San Antonio will be playing for the fifth time in seven nights, the Trail Blazers have had a couple of much-needed days off since walloping the Toronto Raptors on Monday. Nicolas Batum, who has been battling a back injury that caused him to miss Monday's game, said his condition has improved and he is hopeful of facing the Spurs. Wesley Matthews also sat out Monday's game with a left hip flexor strain, ending a streak of 250 consecutive games played.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE SPURS (18-5, 15-7-1 ATS): Veteran Tim Duncan had his worst shooting performance of the season in Monday's shootout victory at Houston, connecting on only 1 of 9 shots, but he still managed to pull down 13 rebounds and block three shots. Duncan bounced back from that game with a vengeance, scoring 22 points and hauling down a season-high 21 rebounds against the Jazz. It was the 21st 20-20 game of the future Hall of Famer's career. The perennial All-Star also blocked six shots - another season high.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (9-12, 8-12-1 ATS): The return of Batum and/or Matthews would go a long way to preventing a repeat from Monday's dreadful shooting display that set an NBA record for futility. Portland misfired on all 20 3-point attempts, breaking the record set by the New York Knicks (0 for 18) in 2010. Batum has made a team-high 49 3-pointers and has connected on at least one in all but one game. Seldom-used Sasha Pavlovic did a solid job as an emergency starter against Toronto with 10 points, seven boards and five assists in 42 minutes.
TRENDS:
* Favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings.
* Over is 5-1 in the last six meetings.
* Home team is 15-6 ATS in the last 21 meetings.
* Spurs are 2-8 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Portland.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Spurs withstood 35 points from Batum to win at Portland 112-109 on Nov. 12.
2. Blazers F LaMarcus Aldridge has four straight double-doubles and is averaging 22.5 points and 11.3 rebounds in that span.
3. San Antonio leads the league in assists per game (25.9). Portland ranks 29th (19.1).Comment
-
Paul Leiner
100* Tennessee -1
50* Bobcats / Hawks Under 194Comment
-
Denny the Dog
THURSDAY
Bengals -3 at Eagles: Bengals really blew an opportunity to move within one game of the lead in the AFC North. But that chance went flying out the window when they blew a late nine point lead to the Cowboys. I’m looking for Cincinnati to regain its focus on the road and bring Nick Foles back to earth after a great performance at Tampa Bay to snap the Eagles eight game losing streak. BENGALS.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Andy Iskoe
PRO FOOTBALL – THURSDAY
Bengals -3 at Eagles (46): The Eagles are just playing out the string and there should be wholesale player and staff changes in the offseason. Both teams have played better defense in recent weeks and that is often an edge when playing on shortened preparation. UNDER.Comment
-
GamingToday’s Consensus Picks December 13, 2012 5:58 AM by GT Staff
NFL
Philadelphia Eagles +4½
NBA
Atlanta Hawks -10½
Los Angeles Lakers/New York Knicks UNDER 209½
College Basketball
Wichita State PK
Washington -8Comment
-
Pro Football Play of the Day December 13, 2012 6:03 AM by GT Staff
Cincinnati Bengals at Philadelphia Eagles +4½ at 5:20 p.m. PT NFL TV
The Eagles finally got the win last week with the up and coming QB Nick Foles leading the way. Although the Eagles have gone 0-8 ATS in their last eight matchups with the Bengals that big comeback last Sunday has put a spark under the birds who look to stop the Bengals from going to the playoffs.
EAGLES +4½Comment
-
Eagles play four NFL games in 18-day window December 12, 2012 8:31 PM by Bob Christ
PRO FOOTBALL – THURSDAY, DEC. 13
Cincinnati Bengals (7-6) at Philadelphia Eagles (4-9)
Time: 5:20 p.m.
Line: Bengals -4 (45½)
Facts: Thursday road teams are 7-8 SU, 8-7 ATS this season, with away favorites going 4-2, 3-3 ATS. • The Eagles won at Tampa Bay 23-21 last week on a last-play TD pass from Nick Foles to Jeremy Maclin that kept their playoff hopes alive for 3 more hours. • Philadelphia won despite having only 29 rushing yards on 16 carries. In 48 previous games in which a team had fewer than 40 ground yards, they went a cumulative 1-47. • Cincinnati, meanwhile, held Dallas to 49 yards on 24 carries last week in a 20-19 Cowboys win. • The Bengals, who have a league-high 42 sacks, go against an Eagles line that yielded 6 to a Bucs team that totaled 18 in their previous 12 games. • Cincinnati controls its playoff destiny, but probably would get only the sixth seed barring a nose dive by Baltimore or Indianapolis (both 9-4). • The last time these teams met, in 2008, the game ended 13-13 and is remembered for how Eagles QB Donovan McNabb famously revealed he didn’t know overtimes could result in a tie.
Analysis: Last week’s Eagles victory is not an indication they have turned any corners. Sure, Foles is being heralded as a fast-improving passer, but let’s see how he does when he’s not facing one of the worst pass defenses in league history. On Cincinnati’s side, it’s unlikely its receivers will drop eight passes again as the Bengals did vs. Dallas. Also, star WR A.J. Green should find yawning gaps in the Philly secondary and the Bengals could do well in the punt return game with Adam Jones, who’s third best in the league at 14.3 yards a return. He’ll face a punter, Mat McBriar, who yields a league-worst 15.0 yards a return. Hurry on this, for the line has climbed steadily from an opening 3-point spread.
Forecast: Bengals 31, Eagles 13Comment
-
Info Plays
NCAAB FREE PICK ON WASHINGTON -8Comment
-
Bones Best Bet
Bengals first quarter -0.5 +115 *1 unit*Comment
-
Rocky's Winners Circle
DECEMBER 13 FREE PLAY (148-73-1)
KNICKS - LAKERS OVER 207Comment
Comment