Wednesday 3-21-18 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

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Los Angeles Clippers vs. Milwaukee Bucks Preview and Predictions 03-21-2018

21st March 2018 by Gracenote
The Los Angeles Clippers are sliding in the wrong direction at a bad time as they prepare to visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. Los Angeles will be looking to end a four-game losing streak after falling 123-109 to Minnesota on Tuesday to begin a stretch during which it plays six of seven on the road.

The Clippers have allowed more than 120 points in each of their last three games and have dropped to 10th place in the Western Conference - 2 1/2 games behind Utah, which occupies the eighth and final playoff spot. Los Angeles was on the rise with 12 victories in 16 games before the sudden slippage that includes back-to-back, double-digit setbacks. The Bucks, who won both meetings with the Clippers last season, have dropped eight of their last 12 games but comfortably hold the eighth playoff berth in the East. Milwaukee suffered a 124-117 loss in Cleveland on Monday despite receiving big efforts from All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo (37 points, 11 rebounds) and Khris Middleton (30 points).

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (37-33): Coach Doc Rivers was dismayed after Tuesday's loss as he didn't like the effort or desire displayed by his club, particularly factoring in the importance of the contest. "I was frustrated the whole night because I could see Minnesota knew the urgency of the game, and they felt that," Rivers told reporters. "I felt our guys wilted, and you can't do that. You have to play hard." DeAndre Jordan produced 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting and 12 rebounds against the Timberwolves and has reached double digits in boards in 11 straight contests.

ABOUT THE BUCKS (37-33): Backup point guard Brandon Jennings is being signed to a second 10-day contract after averaging six points, 5.5 assists and 2.8 rebounds in four games since joining the club. The 28-year-old played in China and for Milwaukee's G League franchise earlier this season and opened eyes with a stellar performance against Memphis on March 12, when he recorded 16 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds. Jennings spent four seasons with the Bucks from 2009-13, a stint that included his career-best 19.1 scoring average in 2011-12, and once was the team's top player.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Wednesday's matchup is the first of two in a seven-day span.

2. Los Angeles F Tobias Harris (illness) was limited to 25 minutes on Tuesday and scored 10 points on 5-of-16 shooting.

3. Milwaukee backup C Tyler Zeller (back) is expected to play after a two-game absence.

PREDICTION: Bucks 99, Clippers 96

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Washington Wizards vs. San Antonio Spurs Preview and Predictions 03-21-2018

20th March 2018 by Gracenote
The San Antonio Spurs are beginning to pick it up with wins in four straight as LaMarcus Aldridge carries the team with Kawhi Leonard still on the mend. The Spurs will try to make it five straight when it hosts a team locked in its own postseason battle in the Washington Wizards.

San Antonio pushed back into fifth place in the Western Conference entering play on Tuesday, three games ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets tied for ninth, after knocking off Golden State 89-75 on Monday. "I guess we lost enough that we got tired of it," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters. "So, they've shown a lot more activity just in general, a lot more communication, and activity in the last four games. That's what we did for most of the year, except for that stretch of 10, 11 games. And we've gotten that back. So hopefully, it will continue." The Wizards have been off since holding off Indiana 109-102 on Saturday and sits a half-game behind the Pacers for fourth-place in the East. Washington will not get more than one day off between any of its next 10 games and faces San Antonio twice in the next seven days.

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, NBCS Washington, FS Southwest (San Antonio)

ABOUT THE WIZARDS (40-30): Washington would like to jump into the No. 3 spot in the East and is approaching each of the final 12 regular-season games like playoff games. "It's very important," All-Star Bradley Beal told reporters. "We need to make sure that we take care of our bodies, first and foremost. We should be doing everything that we need to do to get better each and every day. We need to approach each game like it is a playoff game. It's going to be here before we know it. We need to make sure that we are good to go mentally and physically. It gets tougher and tougher as the season closes out." A healthy John Wall (knee) would provide a boost, and he is expected to be cleared for full practices by the end of the week.

ABOUT THE SPURS (41-30): Aldridge scored 19 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter on Monday as San Antonio pulled away and added 12 rebounds. "He's great and has been great all year. On the offensive glass, coming up big offensively and making buckets and drawing fouls," San Antonio guard Danny Green told ESPN.com of Aldridge. "Also blocking some shots. He was a rim protector tonight and started that fourth quarter for us. L.A. obviously did what he does, but he also found the open guy and made the right play, which was big for us tonight. Without him, it could be very ugly." Aldridge is averaging 30.3 points on 55.7 percent shooting and nine rebounds during the winning streak.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Spurs PG Dejounte Murray set a franchise record for rebounds in a season by a point guard, grabbing eight on Monday to raise his total to 385.

2. Washington SF Tomas Satoransky is 13-of-22 from the field over the last three games.

3. San Antonio swept the two meetings last season.

PREDICTION: Spurs 103, Wizards 98

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Arizona Coyotes vs. Buffalo Sabres Preview and Predictions 03-21-2018

20th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Arizona Coyotes have rarely, if ever, been in the position of guarding against a letdown this season, but that may be the case Wednesday night when they open a six-game road trip against the Buffalo Sabres. The teams are sitting in last place in their respective conferences as the race for the No. 1 spot in the NHL Draft winds down.

Arizona appeared to be a lock for the worst record in the league until a late-season turnaround in which it has gone 12-5-2 over the past 19 games, including wins over Minnesota, Los Angeles and Calgary this month. "We understand we are not in the playoffs, but we understand we are playing teams that are going in the playoffs," Coyotes assistant coach John MacLean said after Monday's 5-2 victory over the Flames. "We understand we have to match their intensity." The playoff intensity could be lacking against the Sabres, who have dropped three of four (1-2-1) on their six-game homestand following Monday's 4-0 loss to NHL-leading Nashville. Buffalo has dominated the recent series, winning five of the last six and going 7-1-1 in the last nine meetings, including a 5-4 win at Arizona on Nov. 2.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Arizona, MSG-Buffalo

ABOUT THE COYOTES (24-37-11): Veteran defenseman Jason Demers, in his first season in the desert, has been dealing with an upper-body injury and on Tuesday was ruled out for the season by Arizona. That prompted the recall of center Dylan Strome, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 draft, and defenseman Trevor Murphy from Tucson of the American Hockey League. Strome has one goal in 11 games with the Coyotes this season, but he is the No. 2 leading scorer among AHL rookies with 50 points and has nine power-play goals among his 22 tallies.

ABOUT THE SABRES (23-37-12): Jack Eichel has notched a team-high five shots in each of his first two games since missing five weeks with a high-ankle sprain. If that wasn't enough proof as to how he's feeling, Eichel addressed at Tuesday's practice why he never considered sitting out the rest of the regular season. "I'm playing because I'm a hockey player," Eichel said. "It's kind of ridiculous for somebody to think we're out of the playoffs and we don't have an opportunity to really do anything with our season that I would just pack my year in."

OVERTIME

1. Coyotes F Clayton Keller has two goals and three assists during a five-game point streak.

2. Eichel has torched the Coyotes for three goals and nine points in five games.

3. Arizona coach Rick Tocchet, who missed Monday's game to attend his mother's funeral, is expected back behind the bench.

PREDICTION: Coyotes 4, Sabres 3

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Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Preview and Predictions 03-21-2018

20th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Pittsburgh Penguins squandered a chance to keep pace with first-place Washington in the Metropolitan Division but can get back within two points of the top spot when they host the offensively challenged Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday. Pittsburgh dropped a 4-1 road decision against the New York Islanders on Tuesday to fall four behind the Capitals and are even in points with Columbus for second place with nine games remaining.

Phil Kessel notched an assist in the loss to reach the 80-point plateau for the third time in his career - and first since 2013-14 while with Toronto - and is two shy of matching the career high he set in 2011-12 with the Maple Leafs. Montreal is hoping to get on the scoreboard for the first time in three contests and halt a three-game skid that began with a 5-3 home setback against Pittsburgh last Thursday. The Canadiens, who will miss the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, have been blanked in each of their last two games and enter this matchup with a scoreless streak of 147 minutes, 3 seconds. Montreal will welcome back former Hart and Vezina Trophy winner Carey Price, who has not played since Feb. 20 due to a concussion.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, RDS (Montreal), AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh

ABOUT THE CANADIENS (26-35-12): Price, who is winless in his last five starts (0-3-2), served as Antti Niemi's backup in Monday's 2-0 loss to Florida and is anxious to get back in the crease. "I wouldn't be playing (on Wednesday) if I was nervous about the condition of my head," the 30-year-old told the team's website. "I'm very confident. ... The old saying back home is, 'You can't worry about the fall if you're going to ride the horse.'" Brendan Gallagher is tied with Alex Galchenyuk for the team lead with 44 points, which is three shy of the career high he set in 2014-15.

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (41-27-5): Matt Murray returned to action against the Islanders, making 36 saves after missing nine games with a concussion. Captain Sidney Crosby, who was kept off the scoresheet Tuesday for the second time in three contests, has not gone two games without a point since Feb. 17 and 18. The 30-year-old superstar is on the verge of another milestone as his next assist will be the 700th of his illustrious career.

OVERTIME

1. Penguins C Evgeni Malkin, who leads the team with 89 points, needs one assist to reach 50 for the fifth time in his career and first since 2011-12.

2. Montreal has been shut out a league-high 12 times this season.

3. Pittsburgh C Derick Brassard had just two points in his first seven games with the Penguins after being acquired from Ottawa in a three-team trade on Feb. 23, but has recorded an assist in three straight contests since.

PREDICTION: Penguins 4, Canadiens 1

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Boston Bruins vs. St. Louis Blues Preview and Predictions 03-21-2018

20th March 2018 by Gracenote
The St. Louis Blues have answered a disastrous 1-7-2 stretch with wins in four of their last five contests, including consecutive overtime triumphs that moved them within three points of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The Blues aim to continue their recent surge on Wednesday when they host the Boston Bruins, who have dropped three of five in their bid to push Tampa Bay for the top spot in the East.

Captain Alex Pietrangelo has led by example with seven points (three goals, four assists) in the last two outings, resulting in St. Louis' 4-3 overtime win over the New York Rangers on Saturday and a 5-4 triumph versus Chicago the following night. "Obviously you want to win every game in regulation, but right now we just need points, especially two. ... These last two games, (if) you want to get in, you gotta win games like that," said Pietrangelo, who was named the NHL's First Star of the Week. The Bruins fell on the wrong side of overtime on Monday, spoiling the impressive NHL debut of U.S. Olympian Ryan Donato. The 21-year-old Boston native and son of former Bruin Ted Donato scored a goal and set up two others in a 5-4 setback to Columbus, one day after signing his entry-level contract.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TVAS

ABOUT THE BRUINS (45-17-9): Brad Marchand, who leads the team in goals (31), assists (44) and points (75), increased his point total to 20 (nine goals, 11 assists) in his past 12 games with a goal and an assist against the Blue Jackets. David Krejci also tallied on Monday for his sixth goal this month, and joined fellow forwards Patrice Bergeron and former Blues captain David Backes in each scoring in a 3-1 win over St. Louis on Feb. 1. Backes (leg) and Bergeron (fractured right foot) have been ruled out for Wednesday's contest, with the former expected to miss multiple contests while the latter could return to game action at some point during the team's four-game road trip, general manager Don Sweeney said.

ABOUT THE BLUES (39-28-5): Vladimir Tarasenko's availability against Boston is murky at best after he missed Sunday's tilt versus the Blackhawks after sustaining an upper-body injury in Saturday's tilt. "We were hopeful that he was going to be able to come to the rink and practice today, and once we determined that wasn't going to happen, then I would say that he's doubtful for tomorrow," coach Mike Yeo said on Tuesday. Alex Steen is expected to replace Tarasenko (team-leading 27 goals) on the top line with Jaden Schwartz and Brayden Schenn (club-best 35 assists, 60 points).

OVERTIME

1. St. Louis rookie D Vince Dunn has seven points (one goal, six assists) in his past seven games while former Boston LW Vladimir Sobotka has five (two goals, three assists) in the past five.

2. Bruins G Tuukka Rask improved to 5-2-3 in his career versus the Blues after turning aside 32 shots in the first encounter.

3. St. Louis owns a 19-9-1 mark against Eastern Conference representatives while Boston is 5-4-1 versus Central foes.

PREDICTION: Bruins 3, Blues 2

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Anaheim Ducks vs. Calgary Flames Preview and Predictions 03-21-2018

20th March 2018 by Gracenote
Rickard Rakell and the Anaheim Ducks are in the midst of a strong 10-game stretch, with the former recording 14 points (nine goals, five assists) to help the latter notch a second three-game winning streak of the month. Rakell looks to keep the Ducks ascending in the standings as they open a four-game Canadian trek with a tilt versus the Calgary Flames.

"As long as I am creating scoring chances for myself and my linemates, I think we can always get better. I'd rather have the title of being a good hockey player and a smart hockey player than just being a goal scorer," Rakell told the Orange County Register. The 24-year-old Swede scored and set up a goal in Sunday's 4-2 victory versus New Jersey to help Anaheim maintain its hold on the second wild card in the Western Conference. Rakell doused the Flames with a power-play tally in a 2-1 win on Dec. 29 to help even the season series at one victory apiece before Micheal Ferland scored and set up a goal in Calgary's 3-2 win over Anaheim at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Jan. 6. Ferland has five points (one goal, four assists) in his past six games overall for the Flames, who lost their third straight with a 5-2 setback to Arizona on Monday to reside six points outside of the playoff picture with eight games remaining.

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, FS West (Anaheim), Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet West (Calgary)

ABOUT THE DUCKS (37-24-12): While Rakell has 19 multi-point performances this season, captain Ryan Getzlaf notched his 16th by scoring and setting up a goal versus the Devils to raise his point total to 19 (four goals, 15 assists) in his last 12 games. Brandon Montour has three goals in his past three contests while his five game-winning tallies have him tied with Oleg Tverdovsky (1999-2000) and Niclas Havelid (2002-03) for most in a single season by a defenseman in franchise history. Speaking of blue-liners, Anaheim recalled Andy Welinski from San Diego of the American Hockey League on Tuesday with fellow defenseman Josh Manson nursing an upper-body injury.

ABOUT THE FLAMES (35-29-10): Mike Smith was pierced for three goals against his former team and has yielded 13 tallies in his last three contests to see Calgary's slim postseason hopes begin to fade away. "On paper, you look at our team and we should be a lot further ahead than we are," the 35-year-old said. "I think that's the frustrating part about this season and how it's gone is that we've underachieved by a lot." Smith has been in net for all three meetings with Anaheim this season, highlighted by his 43-save performance in the Flames' 2-0 win in Anaheim on Oct. 9.

OVERTIME

1. Anaheim RW Jakob Silfverberg has seven points (three goals, four assists) in his past eight games.

2. Calgary C Sean Monahan (team-leading 31 goals) has two goals and four assists in his past seven contests.

3. Ducks G John Gibson owns a 9-2-0 mark in his last 11 starts.

PREDICTION: Flames 4, Ducks 2

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Mike Wynn

Free Play: Free Pick New Orleans -1 Over Indiana

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Free Selection from Jim Feist

Jim Feist's Comp Pick, Wednesday, March 21, 2018

3/21 04:35 PM PT / 7:35 PM ET

NBA (757) CHARLOTTE HORNETS VS (758) BROOKLYN NETS

Take: (758) BROOKLYN NETS

Reason: Your free play for Wednesday, March 21, 2018 is in the NBA scheduled contest between the Charlotte Hornets and the Brooklyn Nets. Your free play is on the NETS.

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Jeff Allen Sports

Wednesday's Free Selection is on the Anaheim Ducks

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Razor Sharp

YOUR RAZOR SHARP FREE PICK FOR WEDNESDAY: Take CHARLOTTE -1½ over Brooklyn

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Totals4U

Wednesday's Free Selection: Anaheim Ducks/Calgary Flames under 5 1/2

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John Anthony Sports

Wednesday's Free Selection: Denver Nuggets - 9

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Atlantic Sports

Wednesday's Free Selection from Atlantic Sports: Milwaukee - 4

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#1 Sports

Wednesday's Free Selection: Anaheim Ducks + 105

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Easy Money Sports

Lee's Free Wednesday Selection Is

Austin Peay -4