In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter…

Additional Model Predictions ⬇️

NHL Model Predictions- Click Here

There were plenty of model predictions to go around yesterday across the NFL, with our model focusing in on one of those predictions in our Featured Matchup. That prediction went 1-0 overall, and you can see how the rest of the model’s performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 1-1

Over/Under Predictions: 1-1

Spread Predictions: 1-1

Featured Matchup: 1-0

12 NBA games are scheduled to take place today. Our model’s predictions for all 12 matchups can be found below.

Los Angeles Clippers @ Cleveland Cavaliers

Model Predicts- Clippers ML, OVER 225.5, Clippers -2.5

The Los Angeles Clippers will continue their seven-game road trip on Monday, with the next stop coming in Cleveland, Ohio to take on the Cavaliers.

Los Angeles enters tonight’s matchup with a stellar 30-14 record, which includes winning five consecutive games. Cleveland has also found tons of success as of late, going 9-1 in that last ten games to push their season record to 27-16.

Only one of these teams can keep their hot streak going, and our model thinks that team will be the Clippers. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Los Angeles Clippers

• 5-0 in last five games

  • Wins over Thunder, Nets, Lakers, Raptors, and Celtics

  • +72 point differential in that span. Beat every team by at least 11 points

• Have been best team in NBA since start of December

  • 22-4 record since December 1st

  • Own 124.0 Offensive Rating (1st in NBA) and 115.5 Defensive Rating (13th in NBA) since that date

• Injuries- Ivica Zubac (OUT)

Cleveland Cavaliers

• 9-1 in last ten games

  • Only loss came against Bucks on 1/24

• Have beneficiary of weak schedule

  • Have played 11 games in January, with seven opponents having record below .500

  • Bucks and Magic are only teams they played with winning record (played Bucks three times)

• Injuries-Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell are questionable, Darius Garland and Tristan Thompson are OUT

What’s the Play?

This game will likely be a tightly contest game until the final buzzer, but we agree with our model that the Clippers can win and cover the spread.

As previously mentioned, the Clippers have been the best team in the NBA over the last two months, and their recent success hasn’t come against bad teams, defeating the Thunder on 1/16 and the Celtics on Saturday. Meanwhile, Cleveland has had a cake walk of a schedule this month that is slightly inflating its record, and the injuries to key players is a big concern.

Both teams are hot, but L.A. has been far more impressive as of late. We’ll back that trend to continue here.

The Play: Clippers -2.5 (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Los Angeles Clippers- 30-14 overall this season, 5-0 in last five games

• Houston Rockets- 21-24 overall this season, 16-8 as the home team

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Denver Nuggets- Under is 29-18 this season, highest win % in NBA

• Philadelphia 76ers- Over is 27-17 this season, 13-8 as the away team

Spread Trends ➕➖

• Los Angeles Clippers- 25-19 against the spread (ATS) this season, 9-5 ATS as a road favorite

⭐️ Duren shines in Pistons’ win over Thunder. Jalen Duren's impressive performance, featuring 22 points and a career-high 21 rebounds, led the Detroit Pistons to a 120-104 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, snapping the Thunder's five-game winning streak. Despite facing challenges like a back-to-back against a top Western Conference team, Pistons coach Monty Williams praised his team's resilience and commitment. Duren's standout game marked the Pistons' first 20-20 since Andre Drummond in 2020, contributing to their 16-point win and matching their largest margin in a challenging 6-40 season.

💪 Simmons listed as probable against Utah. Brooklyn Nets point guard Ben Simmons is listed as probable for Monday's game against the Utah Jazz, signaling his potential return to the lineup after missing 38 games due to a back nerve impingement. Simmons, a three-time All-Star, has played only six games this season, all as a starter, with modest statistics and notable reluctance in shooting. Despite ongoing injury challenges, he aims to contribute to the Nets, who are currently tied with the Atlanta Hawks for the East's No. 10 seed at 18-27, vying for the final play-in spot.

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- What Hall of Fame running back was selected with the No.2 overall pick in the 1994 NFL Draft?

Question #2- Steve Nash, Jalen Williams, and Brandon Podziemski played college basketball at what university?

Question #3- What two teams faced off in the 2007 Super Bowl (XLI)?

Anyone know what has happened on January 29th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On January 29th…

1980- The Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 154-153 in quadruple overtime. Cleveland went into halftime up 11 points, but the lead was taken away following a 67 point outburst in the second half from Los Angeles. Kareem Abdul-Jabaar led the Lakers with 42 points, while Mike Mitchell, David Robisch, and Randy Smith each scored at least 31 points for the Cavaliers.

1995- The San Francisco 49ers defeat the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX. San Francisco scored 49 points compared to San Diego’s 26, scoring 14 points in each of the first three quarters. Steve Young, who threw for 325 yards and six touchdowns, was named MVP.

2000- Karl Malone scores 35 points in a 96-94 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The performance gave Malone 30,000 points for his career, making him the third player in NBA history to reach the mark. He would end his career with 36,928 points, the third-most in NBA history.

1. Marshall Faulk

2. Santa Clara

3. Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts