Will Rogers

The Jets have been struggling, losers of 4 straight, however they have faced 4 very strong teams, and lost by a single goal in each case. The Panthers are a different team away from home, and have been on a western swing for 10 days now. This is a great opportunity for the Jets against a road-weary Panthers outfit, who were knocked off by the Kraken just two nights ago. The Jets struggle to put the puck in the net right now (two goals a game for three games running) and likely face a tough act in Bobrovsky tonight. A Winnipeg win is possible but another close loss is a more likely outcome. Take the Jets +1 ½.

These are the two top teams in the Pac 12 and two of the top 10 in the country. Arizona is #3 in the latest poll and got one first place vote. UCLA moved up a couple spots to #8. 

This game was supposed to take place on December 30th, but UCLA was dealing with COVID issues. The delay may have worked in the Bruins’ favor as fan restrictions have now been lifted and they can enjoy a sense of “home court” advantage at Pauley Pavillion.

Arizona’s one loss this season was on the road, to a Top 25 team. They fell 77-73 at Tennessee on December 22nd. The Wildcats have looked impressive since then, posting five straight double digit wins in conference play. But other than Illinois, they haven’t beaten that many quality teams this year.

UCLA beat Villanova back in November and also went to Marquette and won. One of their losses was by just three points, to Oregon, while the other was to #2 Gonzaga. 

The Bruins have beaten Arizona five straight times and are 5-0 ATS as well. Look for them to make it six straight tonight.

Dallas just beat Memphis 104-91 for its 12th win in 14 games. So they are likely feeling good about themselves heading to Golden State. The Mavericks have never lost in the Warriors’ “new building.” They are 3-0 SU/ATS all-time at the Chase Center. Every win has come by at least 20 points.

Golden State, meanwhile, seems to be reeling a bit even though they’ve posted back to back wins. But the two wins were each by just two points and they did not cover the spread in either game. The Warriors are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games overall. 

Poor shooting, especially from Steph Curry, has plagued the Warriors a bit recently. Curry is averaging only 20.1 points while shooting 27.6% from three the L10 games. Over the last 14 games, the team has failed to reach 100 points a total of seven times.

But even though Dallas has been dialed in defensively, I believe that Golden State will break out of its “slump” tonight at home, on TNT. The Warriors are still averaging 111.9 points at home. 

They also remain better than the Mavericks at the defensive end. Golden State is #1 in the league in scoring defense and gives up just 99.3 points per game at home. This is a short number for them and I say lay it.

Both of these teams could badly use a win. Washington is off what coach Wes Unseld Jr termed the team’s “worst loss of the season,” a 116-87 beatdown at the hands of the Celtics (I had Boston!)

While the Wizards have lost three in a row and four of their last five, the Clippers have dropped four of their last six, including a 110-102 decision at New York on Sunday. Keep in mind that LA’s last win saw them rally from a 24-point deficit to beat Philadelphia by one on the road.

If nothing else, Washington will shoot better in this game compared to Sunday when they made just 35.5 percent of their attempts from the floor. Three of their key scorers - Bradley Beal, Spencer Dinwiddie and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - combined to shoot 0 for 14 from three-point range.

Giving up an average of 111.4 points over their last five games, the Wizards will HAVE to shoot better. The Over is 4-0 the last four times Washington has been favored, with all those games taking place at home.

The Over has also hit 23 of the previous 32 meetings. So go with that here.

In their last 19 visits, Siena is a fascinating 17-2 ATS when playing at Iona. But tonight should go differently in the MAAC. After almost a full month off (COVID cancellations), Siena will be playing its third straight road game on Tuesday. They lost the last one, 75-68 at Manhattan. Iona is clearly the best team in the conference this year, at 16-3 overall and 8-0 vs. other MAAC teams. 

Iona is a big favorite, but that’s not without justification. The Gaels are riding a five-game win streak and their only loss since the beginning of December came by a single point at St. Louis. This is a good team we’re backing today. They are coming off a 15-point win as 8.5 point favorites, on the road, over Quinnipiac Saturday.

Iona hasn’t lost a home game this year, even though they are only shooting 30.4% from three. Their success can be attributed to their FG% defense. Opponents shoot just 39.5% at Iona, including 25.3% from three.

Look for Iona, who averages 78.9 points at home, to shoot better from three tonight. Siena is outside the top 200 in adjusted defensive efficiency. Even worse is that the Saints rank outside the top 300 in adjusted offensive efficiency. Iona ranks in the top 81 nationally at both ends.

This long-standing rivalry between the two upstate New York schools has seen Siena cash more often than not, at least when they’re on the road. But tonight will be different. Lay the points with Iona.