The XFL is halfway through Week 4 as the league’s regular season is approaching the midway point. Only two teams remain undefeated entering the weekend. The D.C. Defenders enter the week at 3-0 behind a stout running game, talented receiving corps and a solid defense. The Houston Roughnecks and their top-flight defense improved to 4-0 on Saturday night. Houston also has arguably the XFL’s best receiving corps that is only rivaled by the group in St. Louis.
Here’s a complete look at this weekend’s games along with our predictions for each contest.
Arlington Renegades (2-1) at St. Louis BattleHawks (2-1) Date: Sunday, March 12 | Time: 4 p.m. ET Location: The Dome at America’s Center (St. Louis, Missouri) TV: ESPN2 | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)
Another game that should go down to the wire. Arlington is coming off a 10-9 win over Orlando, while St. Louis is hoping to bounce back after losing a 34-28 decision last weekend to the Defenders. The BattleHawks will finally get a chance to play in front of their home fans after spending the first three weeks on the road.
Prediction: BattleHawks over Renegades
Vegas Vipers (0-3) at D.C. Defenders (3-0) Date: Sunday, March 12 | Time: 7 p.m. ET Location: Audi Field (Washington, D.C.) TV: ESPN2 | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)
The Defenders won a shootout last week after winning moderately low-scoring games the season’s first two weeks. Vegas, who has struggled on offense all year, will have to stop the Defenders’ formidable running game while giving their offense favorable situations in order to have a shot at pulling off an upset.
There was a whole lot to keep track of in the NFL this week, so you’re excused if you didn’t keep an eye on everything that went down in the XFL as it reached the midway point the regular season. We’ve got you covered if you missed anything, as Week 5 saw some of the most interesting outcomes of the season.
The week began with a stunner Thursday night as the Houston Roughnecks suffered their first loss in two XFL reboots. Then on Saturday, the D.C. Defenders showed they’re the team to beat by going 5-0 in a win over the St. Louis BattleHawks — behind an unreal performance by D.C. running back Abram Smith. In the other Saturday game, the Vegas Vipers and Orlando Guardians got in a shootout (67 total points) to see which would be left as the league’s only winless team.
Here’s a look at the scores, followed by takeaways below.
Saturday D.C. Defenders 28, St. Louis BattleHawks 20 Vegas Vipers 35, Orlando Guardians 32
Sunday Orlando Renegades 12, San Antonio Brahmas 10
Saturday’s games Defenders 5-0 as Abram Smith runs wild in St. Louis If there’s any question that St. Louis misses pro football, it broke the XFL attendance record for the second straight week as 35,868 were at The Dome at America’s Center to watch the BattleHawks. The home team kept it close, as A.J. McCarron’s 50-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter made it a one-score game.
However, the star of the day was D.C. Defenders running back Abram Smith, who ran for three touchdowns — including a 62-yarder in the second quarter and a 70-yarder in the fourth quarter — finishing with 217 yards rushing.
Abram Smith is on fire tonight 🔥
He has 164 rushing yards on 12 attempts, with 3 TDs.
pic.twitter.com/jFrlNotHqA
— XFL Stats (@XFL_Stats) March 19, 2023 Despite Smith’s effort’s, St. Louis had a chance to tie it late after McCarron completed two short passes following his 50-yarder. But the BattleHawks’ comeback attempt was squashed when Defenders defensive back Michael Joseph picked off McCarron — Joseph’s fourth interception of the season.
D.C. sits alone atop the league at 5-0, but will host arguably the XFL’s second best team next week in the Houston Roughnecks.
Winless teams collide, Vipers earn victory No matter what happened in this one there could be only one winless team left sitting, as the XFL’s two 0-4 squads were in a battle of the resistible force vs. the movable object. There were plenty of points scored, 67 in all, but ultimately it came down to the final ticks after Orlando cut the Vegas lead to three with less than two minutes remaining in the game.
Orlando QB Quintin Dormandy hit Cody Latimer for a 45-yard TD, but the Guardians couldn’t convert on the extra point. They attempted to convert on 4th-and-15 rather than go for an onside kick, but the Vegas defense held. It wasn’t quite over, but even after getting the ball back, Orlando couldn’t do anything with it.
Dormandy had come in for Paxton Lynch who, other than an impressive opening drive, continued to struggle. Lynch was benched in each of Orlando’s first two games.
Thursday’s game Roughnecks suffer first loss in 10 XFL games Through two XFL reboots — first in 2020 and again in 2023 — the Houston Roughnecks had not lost a single game no matter who was wearing their uniform. That streak finally ended on Thursday night at the hands of the Seattle Sea Dragons, but not before a wild ending.
The Roughnecks had scored the most points in the XFL entering the Week 5 matchup, but the Sea Dragons held them scoreless through three quarters in Seattle, thanks in part to two blocked punts, the first leading to the game’s first touchdown.
In fact, the Sea Dragons led 21-6 with a little under two minutes left in the game — it could’ve been worse had Seattle quarterback Ben DiNucci not been picked off in the end zone twice — but that’s when things went off the rails.
Roughnecks quarterback Brandon Silvers hit Justin Smith for a 47-yard touchdown with 24 seconds left, and a two-point conversion made it 21-14. In the XFL, rules allow teams to try to convert a 4th-and-15 to retain possession, rather than attempt an onside kick, and Houston did just that, as Deontay Burnett caught a 17-yard pass to keep the Roughnecks’ hopes alive.
And they had a chance. A pass interference penalty put the ball on the Sea Dragons’ 27-yard line for one final play. But a Seattle hit on Silvers caused the ball to float and get picked off by the Sea Dragons’ Niko Lalos:
WILD FINISH IN SEATTLE. The @XFL2023 after dark is crazy!
Niko Lalos with the game winning turnover, on the forced fumble by Elijah Ponder for the @XFLSeaDragons. What a game. #XFL pic.twitter.com/oiR3NB1L0Y
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) March 17, 2023 The Roughnecks had started 5-0 in the 2020 version of the XFL before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and had started 4-0 this season. Houston’s loss leaves the D.C. Defenders as the league’s last remaining unbeaten. The Sea Dragons improved to 3-2 on the season (you can check out the standings here, along with all the scores and 2023 season schedule).
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After a week away for the All-Star break, the NBA returns tonight, and Colin Ward-Henninger has new Power Rankings, complete with one reason for hope or concern. Here’s his top five:
Celtics (previous: 1) — “Reason for concern: The Celtics are obviously an excellent basketball team, but if the goal is a championship it’s time to nitpick. Boston simply doesn’t get to the rim.” Timberwolves (2) — “Reason for hope: Minnesota has the best record in the NBA (23-11) against teams above .500.” Thunder (9) — “Reason for concern: OKC’s offense has been downright bad without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor. They score a ridiculous 122 points per 100 possessions with him on the court, but that falls to 111 with him on the bench.” Clippers (5) — “Reason for hope: When Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are on the floor the Clippers are virtually unstoppable. They score 122 points per 100 possessions in Leonard and George’s minutes, while allowing just 108.” Cavaliers (3) — “Reason for concern: The Cavs have been the league’s hottest team since Jan. 1, rattling off an 18-3 record. But, if you look closely, you’ll see a lot of wins are over the NBA’s bottom-dwellers.” As for five storylines to watch … here are mine:
Where do the Lakers and Warriors end up? They’re currently ninth and 10th in the Western Conference — the final two spots in the play-in — and a postseason without LeBron James and/or Stephen Curry would be odd. But the play (and emotional status) of Draymond Green may ultimately be the determining factor. When does Joel Embiid return, if at all? The 76ers are fifth in the East but haven’t had Embiid since late January due to a meniscus injury. They’re 26-8 when he plays and 6-14 when he doesn’t. Who wins the West? The Celtics are running away with the East, but in the West, the Timberwolves are up just 1.5 games on the Thunder, two games on the Clippers and three games on the defending champion Nuggets. What’s up with the Bucks? They’re the elephant in the room. They fired Adrian Griffin despite a 30-13 start. Successor Doc Rivers is just 3-7. But, hey, at least he has the support of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Who wins MVP and the other individual honors? Remember, the 65-game minimum has already ruled out several potential candidates. With under two months left in the regular season, buckle up and enjoy the ride.
😁 Honorable mentions Five-star 2024 center Derik Queen committed to Maryland. Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant and Luc Longley announced a “No Bull” tour. Michael Jordan will surely be a big talking point. Jonny Brodzinski and the Rangers agreed to a two-year extension. Eric Hosmer called it a career. Speaking of former Royals, Kelvin Herrera was elected mayor of his hometown. ⚽ And not such a good morning for … Getty Images ARSENAL
Arsenal came into Wednesday’s match against Porto riding high, and rightfully so. The Gunners had won five straight Premier League matches, outscoring opponents 21-2 over the span. Surely that would carry over to the Champions League against a susceptible defense, right?
Wrong.
Galeno curled in a stunning effort in the 94th minute to beat the Gunners, 1-0. Arguably even more stunning? Arsenal put exactly zero shots on goal, a far, far cry from the attack that was running rampant recently. You can blame Gabriel Martinelli, who gave the ball away late, blame the attackers and blame manager Mikel Arteta. But at the end of the day, inexperience was a deciding factor, James Benge writes.
Benge: “This was Arsenal’s junior moment, a young side, many of whom were playing in their first Champions League knockout game, failing to appreciate that it was only halftime in the tie, as the old cliche goes. Better to preserve parity before you get them back on your ground.” Chuck Booth dropped the Gunners from third to eighth in his Champions League Power Rankings. Here’s the top five:
Manchester City (previous: 1) Real Madrid (2) Inter (5) PSG (8) Lazio (14) Meanwhile, Napoli and Barcelona drew, 1-1, with star strikers Robert Lewandowski and Victor Osimhen trading second-half goals.
😕 Not so honorable mentions The Mavericks missed out on keeping Jalen Brunson for cheap … twice. Sorry, Expos fans: Netflix is making a documentary about the team’s downfall. 🏈 Predicting the 12-team 2024 College Football Playoff USATSI Now that the 5+7 model is official, it’s prediction time. Chip Patterson made his early prediction on the 2024 playoff field.
The first thing that caught my eye? In an even more loaded SEC, there’s a familiar name at No. 1.
Patterson: “1. Georgia (SEC champion): Pre-spring practice ratings of the top teams in college football have Georgia at No. 1, and then there’s a gap before you get to the more interesting discussions about teams Nos. 2-4. Quarterback Carson Beck returns after leading the Bulldogs offense to stellar and often overlooked results in 2023, and after missing the playoff due in part to some rough injury luck, there will be no motivational issues in the 2024 season.” The SEC and Big Ten both put four teams in Chip’s predicted field.
Oh, and by the way, now that we’re finally expanding to 12 … the CFP Management Committee is exploring expanding to 14.
🏈 Pete Prisco’s Top 100 NFL free agents, ranked Getty Images We’re officially inside of three weeks until the start of NFL free agency, and that means lots of big names potentially hitting the market. Pete Prisco has graciously ranked the top 100 players who could be available, and here’s his top six:
Kirk Cousins, QB, Vikings Chris Jones, DE, Chiefs Josh Allen, LB, Jaguars Justin Madubuike, DT, Ravens Danielle Hunter, DE, Vikings L’Jarius Sneed, CB, Chiefs You’ll notice I included six instead of my normal five, and that’s because Sneed is too good to not get a mention here. Plus, how Kansas City manages Jones’ and Sneed’s free agencies could play a major role in the Chiefs’ quest to be the first NFL team to achieve the elusive three-peat.
As for some other good players you should know who didn’t make the top six …
Saquon Barkley, RB, Giants — His position didn’t help his ranking, but I’m convinced Barkley can have a Christian McCaffrey-esque impact on the right team. Imagine him surrounded by a legit passing attack and a legit offensive line.
Bryce Huff, DE, Jets and 83. Josh Uche, LB, Patriots — Pass-rush specialists are always helpful. Neither Huff nor Uche play a ton of snaps, but they make them count: Only Micah Parsons had a better pressure rate than Huff last year (min. 200 pass-rush snaps), and Uche led the category in 2022. Here’s our free agency primer for all 32 teams.
⚾ Five MLB teams that could make the playoffs in 2024 after missing out in 2023 Getty Images Believe it or not, there is baseball on TV today. The Dodgers and Padres open spring training game action, and while Shohei Ohtani won’t play, it’s a welcome reminder that Opening Day isn’t far away — and Ohtani is on track to be back by then.
Hope springs eternal — no pun intended — and Mike Axisa is feeling the good vibes with five teams that could make the 2024 playoffs after missing the postseason last year, including …
Axisa: “1. Yankees: That 82-80 finish prompted the Yankees to attack their weaknesses in a meaningful way. Juan Soto was the best hitter to change teams this offseason, and New York also added Alex Verdugo to improve an outfield that was very weak in the two non-Aaron Judge spots last year. Also, they are two high-contact lefty bats, something the Yankees sorely lacked. Marcus Stroman provides stability in the middle of the rotation and the ability to keep the ball in the park at homer-happy Yankee Stadium.” Mike also mentions that the Yankees should be much healthier this year, and one of those players returning is among Mike’s 10 players whose return from injury could impact the playoff race.
R.J. Anderson, meanwhile, has teams that could miss the postseason after making it in 2023.
📺 What we’re watching Thursday ⚾ Dodgers vs. Padres, 3:10 p.m. on ESPN 🏀 Rutgers at No. 3 Purdue (M), 7 p.m. on FS1 🏀 Alabama at No. 1 South Carolina (W), 7 p.m. on SEC Network 🏒 Capitals at Lightning, 7 p.m. on ESPN 🏀 Suns at Mavericks, 7:30 p.m. on TNT 🏀 No. 4 Iowa at No. 14 Indiana (W), 8 p.m. on Peacock 🏀 No. 6 NC State at North Carolina (W), 8 p.m. on ACC Network 🏀 No. 18 Utah at No. 12 UCLA (W), 9:30 p.m. on ESPN 🏀 Lakers at Warriors, 10 p.m. on TNT 🏀 No. 21 Washington State at No. 4 Arizona (M), 11 p.m. on FS1
The Boston Celtics (43-12) will try to extend their six-game winning streak when they face the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night. Boston’s most recent outing was a 136-86 blowout win over the Nets last Wednesday, and the Celtics are six games ahead of Cleveland for first place in the Eastern Conference. Chicago lost two of its final three games before the All-Star break, including a 108-105 setback at Cleveland last Wednesday. The Bulls are in ninth place in the conference, sitting four games behind eighth-place Orlando.
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on Thursday at the United Center. The Celtics are favored by 8.5 points in the latest Bulls vs. Celtics odds, while the over/under is 225.5 points per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Celtics vs. Bulls picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 18 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 60-36 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,300. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Boston vs. Chicago. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for the game:
Bulls vs. Celtics spread: Bulls +8.5 Bulls vs. Celtics over/under: 225.5 points Bulls vs. Celtics money line: Bulls: +274, Celtics: -342 Bulls vs. Celtics picks: See picks here Why the Bulls can cover Chicago will be excited for a chance to play against the top team in the Eastern Conference at home, especially since it has not played at the United Center since Feb. 6. The Bulls beat the Western Conference-leading Timberwolves as 5.5 underdogs in that outing, powered by 33 points apiece from DeMar DeRozan and Coby White. They trailed by 23 points in that game before rallying for an impressive victory.
Veteran Andre Drummond had 16 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks, while Nikola Vucevic added 24 points. The Bulls picked up wins at Memphis and Atlanta during their four-game road trip, and every game matters with their current playoff positioning. They have covered the spread in four of their last five games, while the Celtics have only covered twice in their last 10 contests.
Why the Celtics can cover Boston has won eight straight games against Eastern Conference opponents and has won six consecutive games overall. The Celtics closed the first half of the season with a 136-86 win over Brooklyn last Wednesday, giving Joe Mazzulla his 100th win as the head coach. Point guard Payton Pritchard, who is only averaging 8.1 points per game, poured in 28 points in the win over the Nets.
All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 56 points in the East’s win over the West in the All-Star Game, adding to their momentum. The Celtics have five players averaging double digits, led by Tatum (27.1 points per game) and Brown (22.0). Chicago has not been over the .500 mark this season and has only covered the spread three times in its last 11 games against Atlantic Division opponents. See which team to pick here.
How to make Bulls vs. Celtics picks The model has simulated Celtics vs. Bulls 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
LeBron James will miss the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, the team announced Wednesday. He is listed as out with left ankle peroneal tendinopathy.
James was excused from Wednesday’s practice. Before the All-Star break, he missed the Lakers’ game against the Utah Jazz last Wednesday because of the ankle issue.
On Sunday in Indianapolis, James said he got treatment “the last few days, trying to get my ankle as strong and as back to where I feel confident that I can finish off this last third of the season,” and he’d get more treatment the next day. He played only 14 minutes in the All-Star Game, all in the first half, and said that he is trying “to be as healthy as I can be physically” because “this last part of the season is very important for us.”
The Lakers have won six of their last seven games, but, because so many teams near them in the Western Conference standings have been seeing similar success, they haven’t made up much ground. With 26 games remaining in the regular season, Los Angeles is 30-26 and ninth in the West, with a slightly negative point differential. Golden State is in 10th place at 27-26.
James is averaging 24.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists in 34.9 minutes in his 21st season. Already the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, he is 132 points away from becoming the first player in league history to reach the 40,000-point mark James is on pace to do it in his sixth game after the break (March 4 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, assuming he’s in the lineup for every game after Thursday’s) .
Los Angeles also announced that backup big man Christian Wood has an effusion (i.e. swelling) in his left knee and will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks. The Lakers are optimistic that this is a minor, short-term issue, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
We’ve got another exciting Central Division matchup on Thursday’s NBA schedule as the Indiana Pacers will host the Detroit Pistons. Indiana is 31-25 overall and 17-11 at home, while Detroit is 8-46 overall and 4-23 on the road. The Pacers have won the two previous matchups this season after the teams split four meetings last season. The Pistons are 27-27 versus the spread in the 2023-24 NBA season, while the Pacers are 29-25-3 versus the number.
Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Pacers are favored by 11.5 points in the latest Pistons vs. Pacers odds, per SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 246.5 points. Before entering any Pacers vs. Pistons picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 18 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 60-36 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,300. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Detroit vs. Indiana. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Pistons vs. Pacers:
Pacers vs. Pistons spread: Pacers -11.5 Pacers vs. Pistons over/under: 246.5 points Pacers vs. Pistons money line: Pacers: -705, Pistons: +497 Pacers vs. Pistons picks: See picks at SportsLine What you need to know about the Pacers The oddsmakers set the bar high, but the Pacers and the Toronto Raptors didn’t disappoint and broke past the 245.5 point over/under last Wednesday. Indiana skirted past the Raptors 127-125. Indiana’s success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Tyrese Haliburton led the charge by shooting 5-for-9 from beyond the arc and dropping a double-double on 21 points and 12 assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Pascal Siakam, who scored 23 points to go along with seven assists and five rebounds.
Indiana’s offense has slowed a bit since a hot start to the season, but it still leads the NBA in points per game and field goal percentage while ranking second in offensive rating. Siakam is shooting a blistering 57.1% from the floor since being traded from Toronto, and he’s filling up the box score with averages of 21.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists with the Pacers. Indiana has seven players on its current roster averaging in double-figures, but one of those in Aaron Nesmith (12.6 ppg) is out on Thursday with an ankle injury. See which team to pick here.
What you need to know about the Pistons Meanwhile, the Pistons’ recent rough patch got a bit rougher last Wednesday after their third straight loss. They took a hard 116-100 fall against the Phoenix Suns. The Pistons have struggled against the Suns recently, as their match last Wednesday was their seventh consecutive lost matchup. New acquisition Simone Fontecchio led Detroit with 18 points in the defeat.
Detroit made lots of transactions before the trade deadline, but a couple of constants have been Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. The former leads the team with 21.9 points and 7.5 assists, while Duren is fifth in the NBA with 12 rebounds per game, to go along with 14 points per night. Detroit owns a sparkling 12-4 ATS record over its last 16 games. See which team to pick here.
Key Betting Info Some of the betting trends to consider are:
The Pistons are 9-4 against the spread in their last 13 games when the spread was between +10 to +13. The Pacers are 27-17-3 against the spread in their last 47 games after a day off. The Pistons are 6-4 against the spread in their last 10 games vs teams that win 45-55 percent of games. How to make Pacers vs. Pistons picks The model has simulated Pistons vs. Pacers 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
The New Orleans Pelicans (33-22) will aim for their fourth straight victory when they host the Houston Rockets (24-30) on Thursday night. New Orleans won seven of its final eight games before the All-Star break, including a 133-126 win against Washington last Wednesday. Houston has lost five of its last six games, falling to Memphis on the road its last time out. The Pelicans picked up a 110-99 win against the Rockets when these teams met at the end of January.
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on Thursday at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans are favored by 7 points in the latest Pelicans vs. Rockets odds, while the over/under is 229 points via SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Rockets vs. Pelicans picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 18 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 60-36 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,300. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Houston-New Orleans. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for the game:
Pelicans vs. Rockets spread: Pelicans -7 Pelicans vs. Rockets over/under: 229 points Pelicans vs. Rockets money line: Pelicans: -281, Rockets: +230 Pelicans vs. Rockets picks: See picks here Why the Pelicans can cover New Orleans is in excellent form right now, having won seven of its last eight games to move into sixth place in the Western Conference. The Pelicans picked up road wins against the Clippers, Trail Blazers and Grizzlies during that stretch before beating Washington at home last Wednesday. Zion Williamson scored a team-high 36 points on 15 of 21 shooting, while CJ McCollum had 26 points.
They started their current hot streak with a 110-99 win at Houston on Jan. 31, which also started Houston’s current rough patch. Jonas Valanciunas had 25 points and 14 rebounds in that game, while Brandon Ingram also posted a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds. New Orleans has covered the spread in five of its last six home games against Houston.
Why the Rockets can cover Houston lost to New Orleans in the most recent meeting, but it won two matchups against the Pelicans earlier this season. The Rockets were 3-point home favorites in their 104-101 win in November and were 7.5-point road underdogs in their 106-104 win in December. They are only 3.5 games back of the final play-in tournament spot, so motivation should not be an issue in this game.
The All-Star break was well timed for Houston, as it gave third-leading scorer Fred VanVleet time to recover from an adductor strain. He is averaging 16.5 points per game, and he is going to be back on the court after missing five games. Cam Whitmore, who is also in double figures with 11.9 points per game, is going to return from a three-game injury absence of his own. See which team to pick here.
How to make Pelicans vs. Rockets picks The model has simulated Rockets vs. Pelicans 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
The Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Los Angeles Clippers in a Western Conference clash on Thursday’s NBA schedule. Oklahoma City is 37-17 overall and 21-6 at home, while Los Angeles is 36-17 overall and 16-11 on the road. The teams have split their two matchups this season, with the home team winning each time. OKC is 33-20-1 against the spread in the 2023-24 NBA season, while Los Angeles is 29-24 versus the line.
Tip-off is at 8 p.m. ET at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Thunder are favored by 1 point in the latest Clippers vs. Thunder odds, per SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 235.5 points. Before entering any Thunder vs. Clippers picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 18 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 60-36 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,300. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Los Angeles vs. Oklahoma City. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Clippers vs. Thunder:
Thunder vs. Clippers spread: Thunder -1 Thunder vs. Clippers over/under: 235.5 points Thunder vs. Clippers money line: Thunder: -115, Clippers: -105 Thunder vs. Clippers picks: See picks at SportsLine What you need to know about the Thunder The Orlando Magic typically have all the answers at home, but last Tuesday the Thunder proved too difficult a challenge. They beat the Magic by the very same score they won with last week: 127-113. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Thunder. OKC’s success was spearheaded by the efforts of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 32 points to go along with five assists and two steals, while Jalen Williams dropped 33 points.
OKC is arguably the best-shooting team in the NBA, leading the league in free throw percentage while ranking second in both field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. It also brings it defensively, leading the league with 6.7 blocks per game and ranking third with 8.1 steals per night. The Thunder have the second-best cover percentage in the NBA, but they are just 3-6 ATS over their last nine games. See which team to pick here.
What you need to know about the Clippers Meanwhile, Los Angeles didn’t have too much breathing room in its matchup against the Golden State Warriors last Wednesday, but it still walked away with a 130-125 win. The Clippers were down 59-44 with 1:21 left in the second quarter but they still came back for the handy five-point victory. Among those leading the charge was James Harden, who scored 26 points to go along with eight rebounds and seven assists, while Norman Powell had 21 points off the bench.
Kawhi Leonard did not play in that game, but L.A. has no injuries to report for Thursday’s contest. In his 12th NBA season, Leonard is shooting career-bests from the field (52.7%), from the 3-point line (45.3%) and from the free throw line (89.1%). Los Angeles owns a 27-8 straight-up record this season when it has Leonard, Harden and Paul George in the starting lineup, and when Russell Westbrook is not in the starting lineup. See which team to pick here.
Key Betting Info Gilgeous-Alexander will likely loom large in the final result, win or lose. For the season, he has averaged 31.1 points, 2.2 steals, and 6.5 assists.
Some of the betting trends to consider are:
The Clippers are 2-5 against the spread in their last 7 games when the spread was between +1 to +3.5. The Thunder are 15-7 against the spread in their last 22 games when favored at home. The Clippers are 3-6 against the spread in their last 9 games as the road underdog. How to make Thunder vs. Clippers picks The model has simulated Clippers vs. Thunder 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that hits well over 50% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
Nikola Jokic is a master of taking whatever the defense gives him, and on Friday night, the Boston Celtics were giving him the chance to operate one-on-one. With that chance, he became a scorer instead of a facilitator and dropped 34 points to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 102-100 win and end the Celtics’ perfect 20-0 start at home.
Jokic prefers to pass the ball and get his teammates involved, but he’s one of the most crafty and efficient scorers in the game, and he showed off all his tricks in this one. Here’s a rundown of his baskets:
Turnaround hook in the post Drop-step layup on the left block Fadeaway jumper from the post Drop-step layup on the right block Catch-and-shoot 3-pointer Spinning fadeaway from the free throw line Layup Drop-step layup on the left block Turnaround fadeaway in the paint Jump hook Catch-and-shoot 3-pointer Euro-step runner from the free throw line Turnaround fadeaway off the glass Jump hook And his shot chart for good measure:
screenshot-2024-01-19-at-9-42-55-pm.png Nikola Jokic’s shot chart vs. the Celtics NBA.com/stats Jokic went 14-of-22 from the field against the second-best defense in the league. A defense that possesses two elite interior defenders in Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. And while the Celtics were letting him go one-on-one to try and limit the Nuggets’ ball movement, they certainly weren’t letting him score. A number of those shots were highly contested and he deserved an and-one on a few of them, and he still barely missed.
“As I said before, he’s the best player in the world,” Porzingis said postgame.
Here’s the highlight reel so you can see for yourself:
Perhaps the crazier note is that he shot 63.6% from the field and it was his second-least efficient outing in nearly a month. Dating back to Dec. 28, when he made history with a perfect triple-double on 11-of-11 from the field, Jokic has made 110 of his 147 shots over 11 games. Of the 115 other players who have taken at least 100 field goals in that span, none are shooting better than 68.4%, and only five have cracked the 60% mark.
The Nuggets needed every single one of Jokic’s buckets against the Celtics, as they held on down the stretch for their most impressive win of the season. Coming into the national TV showdown, the Celtics were 20-0 at TD Garden, which was the best home start in franchise history and tied for the 11th-best home start in league history.
While the Celtics still have the best record in the league at 32-10, Jokic and the Nuggets reminded everyone on Friday that the title still runs through Denver. Nikola Jokic is a master of taking whatever the defense gives him, and on Friday night, the Boston Celtics were giving him the chance to operate one-on-one. With that chance, he became a scorer instead of a facilitator and dropped 34 points to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 102-100 win and end the Celtics’ perfect 20-0 start at home.
Jokic prefers to pass the ball and get his teammates involved, but he’s one of the most crafty and efficient scorers in the game, and he showed off all his tricks in this one. Here’s a rundown of his baskets:
Turnaround hook in the post Drop-step layup on the left block Fadeaway jumper from the post Drop-step layup on the right block Catch-and-shoot 3-pointer Spinning fadeaway from the free throw line Layup Drop-step layup on the left block Turnaround fadeaway in the paint Jump hook Catch-and-shoot 3-pointer Euro-step runner from the free throw line Turnaround fadeaway off the glass Jump hook And his shot chart for good measure:
screenshot-2024-01-19-at-9-42-55-pm.png Nikola Jokic’s shot chart vs. the Celtics NBA.com/stats Jokic went 14-of-22 from the field against the second-best defense in the league. A defense that possesses two elite interior defenders in Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. And while the Celtics were letting him go one-on-one to try and limit the Nuggets’ ball movement, they certainly weren’t letting him score. A number of those shots were highly contested and he deserved an and-one on a few of them, and he still barely missed.
“As I said before, he’s the best player in the world,” Porzingis said postgame.
Here’s the highlight reel so you can see for yourself:
Perhaps the crazier note is that he shot 63.6% from the field and it was his second-least efficient outing in nearly a month. Dating back to Dec. 28, when he made history with a perfect triple-double on 11-of-11 from the field, Jokic has made 110 of his 147 shots over 11 games. Of the 115 other players who have taken at least 100 field goals in that span, none are shooting better than 68.4%, and only five have cracked the 60% mark.
The Nuggets needed every single one of Jokic’s buckets against the Celtics, as they held on down the stretch for their most impressive win of the season. Coming into the national TV showdown, the Celtics were 20-0 at TD Garden, which was the best home start in franchise history and tied for the 11th-best home start in league history.
While the Celtics still have the best record in the league at 32-10, Jokic and the Nuggets reminded everyone on Friday that the title still runs through Denver.
The Miami Heat have had better players than Udonis Haslem, but they’ve never had anyone who represented the city or the team’s culture better than the 20-year veteran who spent his entire career with the franchise. On Friday, Haslem was rewarded for all his hard work with one of the greatest honors a player can receive: having his jersey retired.
A number of Heat legends were in attendance for the ceremony, which took place at halftime of Miami’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks, including Dwyane Wade, Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning. The festivities started with a presentation by Heat broadcaster Eric Reid, who detailed Haslem’s accomplishments and the various gifts the organization had to offer: a $50,000 donation to Haslem’s foundation, a replica of the retirement banner and three new seats inside in honor of Haslem’s late father, mother and stepmother.
“Udonis, you did it, brother” 🥹
🗣️@EReidMiamiHeat pic.twitter.com/etSLVRnoy8
— Bally Sports Sun: HEAT (@BallyHEAT) January 20, 2024 Heat president Pat Riley took the mic next. “Udonis Haslem, his force mattered and it counted. And that’s one of the reasons why we’re hanging his jersey here today,” Riley said. “Udonis Haslem is going to leave a very big footprint.”
Then, it was time for the moment everyone had come to see.
4️⃣0️⃣ headed up into the rafters 👏 pic.twitter.com/thJj8OaN7K
— Bally Sports Sun: HEAT (@BallyHEAT) January 20, 2024 After his jersey was raised to the rafters, Haslem spoke to the adoring crowd for nearly 10 minutes. Though there were sunglasses hiding his eyes, the emotion was obvious.
“You all got the money on me crying, don’t y’all? I know you all think I’m going to cry,” Haslem said. “Yeah, it’s hard. It’s hard. It’s hard. Heat Nation, it’s been an absolute honor, man.”
— Bally Sports Sun: HEAT (@BallyHEAT) January 20, 2024 Haslem’s time as a regular rotation player ended many years ago, but though he appeared in just 65 games combined over his final seven seasons, the Heat kept giving him a contract. If he hadn’t decided to retire at the end of last season, they probably would have given him another one. Instead, he moved to the front office, where he now runs their player development program.
“He was the glue,” Bam Adebayo said after the game. “A lot of people get lost in the stats, who averages the most, but he was the glue for everybody. And I feel like the glue guys are the most important guys on a team.”
All told, Haslem spent 20 seasons with the Heat after they signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He helped the team win three championships in 2006, 2012 and 2013, and made four other Finals appearances. He remains the franchise’s all-time leading rebounder with 5,791, and his 879 games played are second only to Wade.
“The Miami Heat organization, we will not only always celebrate his legacy, but we’ll educate people on his legacy,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And his legacy is important to the league as well. My hope is this gets acknowledged and recognized throughout the league … so this new generation of younger players can understand what being an all-time winner can look like.”
After the game, Haslem met with the media and summed up his feelings.
“When you come here and you look up in those rafters and you see the list of guys I’m sitting with, that’s what’s huge to me,” Haslem said of joining Chris Bosh, Wade, Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal and Mourning as Heat players with retired numbers.
“That’s what makes me feel so amazing is the core group of guys I’m sitting with,” Haslem continued. “[Riley] ain’t just putting anybody up there. [Heat owner Micky Arison] ain’t just OKing anybody to go up in those rafters. To be in that group, to be in that family of guys, that’s what’s gonna be most memorable to me. All of those guys are Hall of Famers. I might not go in, but in my heart, in my soul, I’m just as appreciated in this organization.”
