In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter…

Additional Model Predictions ⬇️

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NHL Model Predictions- Click Here

There were no model predictions yesterday, January 30, 2024.

Ten NBA games are scheduled to take place today. Our model’s predictions for all ten matchups can be found below.

New Orleans Pelicans @ Houston Rockets

Model Predicts- Pelicans ML, UNDER 231, Rockets +2.5

The New Orleans Pelicans will continue their four-game road trip on Wednesday, with the next stop coming in Houston, Texas to take on the Rockets.

New Orleans enters tonight’s matchup with a decent 26-21 record, but has been held winless on its current road trip after falling short against the Bucks and Celtics. Meanwhile, Houston owns a 22-24 season record and has won two of its last three contests.

The Pelicans appear to have fallen into a small slump, but our model believes they can find the win column tonight in what should be a close game. Let’s take a look at why that is.

New Orleans Pelicans

• 0-3 in last two games

  • Losses to Thunder, Bucks and Celtics

  • -54 point differential in that span

• Offensive struggles are responsible for current losing streak

  • Own 103.3 Offensive Rating in last three games- ranks 30th in NBA

  • Shooting 45.7% overall and 29.8% from three

• Injuries- Herb Jones and Malcolm Hill both questionable

Houston Rockets

• 2-1 in last three games

  • Wins over Hornets and Lakers. Loss to Nets

  • Scored 135 points or more in both wins

• Have been one of best teams in NBA while on home court

  • 17-8 record at home, compared to 5-16 record on the road

  • Rank 9th in Net Rating at home (+6.4). Led by 108.5 Defensive Rating (3rd in NBA)

• Injuries- Tari Eason (OUT)

What’s the Play?

New Orleans is too talented to continue losing by a wide margin, but we agree with our model that backing Houston on the spread is a solid play in tonight’s matchup.

The shooting struggles that the Pelicans currently face are a massive concern for any matchup, but especially against this Rockets defense. Per NBA.com, Houston is holding its opponents to shooting 44.8% from the floor overall and 32.6% from three this season while the Rockets are the home team, ranking inside the top-four of the NBA in both categories.

That defensive presence has led to the Rockets outscoring opponents by an average 6.4 points per game at home this season, further establishing how good Houston is on its home court. As a result, we’ll take the Rockets on the spread here.

The Play: Rockets +2.5 (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Sacramento Kings- 27-18 overall this season, 4-0 in last four games

• Houston Rockets- 22-24 overall this season, 17-8 as the home team

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Houston Rockets- Under is 23-22-1 this season, 8-5 as a home underdog

• San Antonio Spurs- Over is 26-20-1 this season, 15-8 as the home team

Spread Trends ➕➖

• Houston Rockets- 24-20-2 against the spread (ATS) this season, 9-4 ATS as a home underdog

• Orlando Magic- 30-17 ATS this season, 15-10 ATS as the away team

💪 Garland set to return vs Pistons. Darius Garland is poised to return from his fractured jaw for the Cleveland Cavaliers' game against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. Garland has been absent since December 14 and his return marks a significant recovery for the team, which recently saw Evan Mobley also return. While Cleveland has found success with a faster, three-point-focused offensive strategy, incorporating the returning stars into this winning formula will be crucial for sustaining their recent achievements.

🚔 Rajon Rondo arrested on several charges. Former NBA champion Rajon Rondo was arrested in Indiana for misdemeanors including unlawful possession of a firearm, drug paraphernalia, and marijuana during a traffic stop. The 37-year-old, who is prohibited from having a gun due to a court order, was found with a personal-use amount of marijuana. Rondo, known for his nine seasons with the Celtics and championships with the Celtics and Lakers, has faced legal issues before, including a dismissed protective order in 2022 alleging threats with a gun and a history of volatile behavior.

Today’s trivia requires you to dig into multiple pockets of your brain, testing your knowledge of recent events as well as those that happened decades ago.

See how many of the below questions you can get correct. Answers are provided at the end of the newsletter.

Question #1- Josh Freeman, Mark Sanchez, and what other player were the only quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft?

Question #2- What pitcher led the MLB in Earned Run Average (ERA) in the 2023 season?

Question #3- Which two players were drafted out of Notre Dame in the 2015 NBA Draft?

Anyone know what has happened on January 31st throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On January 31st…

1996- NBA legend Magic Johnson ends his five-year retirement and returns to the basketball court. Johnson looked like his old self in the game, tallying 19 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists in the game. The Lakers would go on to beat the Golden State Warriors 128-118.

2018- Houston Rockets guard James Harden puts together the highest-scoring triple double in NBA history. Harden would score 60 points in the game, adding 10 rebounds and 11 assists to that point total. The Rockets went on to beat the Magic 114-107.

2022- The Los Angeles Rams defeat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. Los Angeles scored 20 points to San Francisco’s 17, outscoring the 49ers 13- in the fourth quarter to win the game. The Rams would go on to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl two weeks later.

1. Matthew Stafford

2. Black Snell

3. Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton