In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter…

There were plenty of model predictions to go around yesterday across the NBA and NHL, with our model focusing in on two of those predictions in our Featured Matchups. Those predictions went 1-1 overall, and you can see how the rest of the model’s performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 3-2

Over/Under Predictions: 3-2

Spread Predictions: 2-2-1

Featured Matchup: 0-1

Money Line Predictions: 8-2

Over/Under Predictions: 5-4-1

Puck Line Predictions: 5-5

Featured Matchup: 1-0

A busy day of NBA basketball is on the horizon, with 18 teams scheduled to hit the hardwood. Our model’s predictions for all of today’s matchups are below.

Indiana Pacers @ Milwaukee Bucks

Model Predicts- Bucks ML, UNDER 258.5, Pacers +6.5

The Indiana Pacers will play their second regular season game after their In-Season Tournament loss, traveling to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks.

Indiana enters tonight’s matchup with a 13-8 record, good enough for fifth in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Milwaukee sits in third in the East with a 16-7 record, one that was built largely due to Milwaukee winning seven of its last ten games.

Despite the gap in the standings, the Pacers are a perfect 2-0 against the Bucks this season, and our model expects Indiana to keep things close again tonight. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Indiana Pacers

• 2-0 against Milwaukee this season

  • +11 point differential and +6.5 Net Rating

• Still hold title of best offense in NBA

  • Rank 1st in Offensive Rating (123.5)

  • Fast pace- 104.17 offensive possessions per game

• Defense is still struggling, but improved against Milwaukee

  • Rank 28th in Defensive Rating for season (119.7). Drops to 116.8 against Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks

• Poor defense has kept Bucks in close games

  • Rank 22nd in Defensive Rating (115.8). Has dropped to 116.8 over last five games

  • Surrendering 125 points per game in December

• Luckily have elite offense to make up for defensive woes

  • 119.0 Offensive Rating- 4th in NBA

  • Shooting 49.8% overall and 38.2% from three

• Injuries hurting already questionable depth

  • Rank 17th in bench points per game

  • Will be without Jae Crowder and Pat Connaughton tonight

What’s the Play?

Indiana has a few injuries of their own to deal with, as Jalen Smith and Andrew Nembhard will miss tonight’s game. However, we agree with our model that the Pacers can still keep tis game close.

The Pacers can’t play any defense, but this offense is so elite that is has yet to matter much. Indiana is flying down the floor even on made baskets, often catching its opponents off-guard, and the Pacers’ stellar shooting efficiency has enabled Indiana to run up the score.

That strategy has already given the Pacers two wins over the Bucks this year. It won’t be easy to steal a third win, but Indiana can certainly keep this game within six points.

The Play: Pacers +6.5 (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Houston Rockets- 11-9 overall this season, 10-1 as the home team

• Phoenix Suns- 13-10 overall this season, 6-4 in last ten games

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Philadelphia 76ers- Over is 16-6 this season, 7-3 as the away team

• Charlotte Hornets- Over is 14-7 this season, 7-2 as the away team

Spread Trends ➕➖

• Indiana Pacers- 13-9 against the spread (ATS) this season, 7-4 ATS as an underdog

• Houston Rockets- 13-5-2 ATS this season, 3-0-1 ATS as a home favorite

🤕 Clarkson sidelined two weeks with thigh contusion. Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson will be sidelined for a minimum of two weeks due to a thigh contusion. Clarkson suffered the injury in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, with an MRI revealing a right bicep femoris strain causing ongoing discomfort. The Sixth Man of the Year in 2020-21, Clarkson transitioned into the starting lineup for the Jazz last season, showcasing impressive scoring with a career-high average of 20.8 points per game.

🙌 Bulls announce first Ring of Honor members. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman lead the first group in the Chicago Bulls' Ring of Honor. The group includes the 1995-96 championship team and 13 key figures unveiled by the franchise for special recognition in January through various events. The inaugural class comprises Phil Jackson, Jerry Krause, Artis Gilmore, and others who significantly contributed to the Bulls, with plans for a private gala on Jan. 11 and a halftime presentation during a game against the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 12.

After a busy day of hockey yesterday, the NHL has given us just five games today. Our model’s predictions for today’s matchups are below.

Pittsburgh Penguins @ Montreal Canadiens

Model Predicts- Penguins ML, UNDER 6.5, Canadiens +1.5

The Pittsburgh Penguins will hit the road for the fourth time in the last five games on Wednesday, stopping in Montreal to take on the Canadiens.

Pittsburgh enters tonight’s matchup with a 12-12-3 record, but the Penguins are starting to plummet in the standings after beginning December with a 1-2-2 record. Montreal isn’t much better, entering tonight’s contest with a 12-13-3 record, good enough for sixth place in the Atlantic division.

This will be the second game in two night’s for Pittsburgh, and our model predicts a tight contest because of that. Let’s take a look at why that is and see our model’ best bet for tonight’s matchup.

Pittsburgh Penguins

• Troubling start to December, but got back on track last night

  • Lost four five games. Held to one goal in three of those matchups

  • Defeated Coyotes 4-2 last night

• Defense has posted solid numbers despite weak record

  • Rank fourth in GA/60 in 5-on-5

  • Has fallen to 1.27 in last five games but team is still losing- means team is getting killed on power play

• Expected goalie- Alex Nedeljkovic

  • .942 Save % in 5-on-5. Ranks 21st in Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) with +3.6

Montreal Canadiens

• Defense has some struggles

  • Rank 27th in xGA/60 and 24th in high-danger chances against per 60 minutes (HDCA/60) in 5-on-5

  • Allow 34.6 shots on goal per game. Fifth-worst power play

• Offense is just as poor

  • Bottom 11 in xGF/60 in 5-on-5

  • Rank 23rd in power play success and 27th in shots on goal

• Expected goalie- Sam Montembeault

  • .946 Save % in 5-on-5. Ranks 29th in GSAx (+2.1)

What’s the Play?

Both of these defenses have some question marks and are likely due for some regression, but we agree with out model that this will be a low-scoring contest.

Montreal struggles in just about every facet of the game on the offensive end of the ice, and Pittsburgh hasn’t been better recently. Despite scoring four goals last night against Arizona, the Penguins own a 1.27 GF/60 in 5-on-5 tis month, highlighting their struggles to find the back of the net. Both Montreal and Pittsburgh both struggle to score even when up a man, as both squads rank in the bottom ten in power play success.

Nedeljkovic and Montembeault are solid anchors in net too, each ranking in the top-seven in Save % in 5-on-5. That should only lead to fewer goals being scored.

The Play: Under 6.5 (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Boston Bruins- 18-5-3 overall this season, 8-3-2 as the away team

• Winnipeg Jets- 

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• New Jersey Devils- Over is 17-5-4 this season with average total of 7.19

• Colorado Avalanche- Over is 13-10-5 this season with average total of 6.68

Puck Line Trends ➕➖

• Anaheim Ducks- Puck line is 16-11 this season

🤕 Jets’ Connor sidelined with knee injury. Kyle Connor, the top scorer for the Winnipeg Jets, is sidelined due to a knee injury sustained from a hit by Ryan Strome in their recent game against the Anaheim Ducks. He's returning to Winnipeg and will miss at least two upcoming games, leaving the team uncertain about his further availability after evaluation by team doctors. Connor leads the Jets in scoring with 28 points in 26 games, including 17 goals and 10 power-play points.

🏆 NHL revamps skills competition. The NHL revealed a revamped skills competition for the upcoming All-Star Weekend, featuring 12 players in eight events, with the highest scorer winning a $1-million prize. Eight skaters will be chosen by the league, while fans will vote for the remaining four participants. The top eight point-earners advance to the final event, narrowing down to the final six, with the points system doubling for the last challenge.

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- Two active NBA players attended the University of Dayton, Toumani Camara and who?

Question #2- Rex Ryan was a head coach for the New York Jets and what other NFL team?

Question #3- Who was the last player to win back-to-back MLB MVPs?

Anyone know what has happened on December 13th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On December 13th…

2010- Auburn quarterback Cam Newton wins the 76th Heisman Trophy award. The honor came after Newton dominated all of college football, throwing for 2,859 yards and 28 touchdowns and recording an additional 1,409 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground. Newton led Auburn to an undefeated season in 2010, which ended with the Tigers winning their first national title since 1957.

2018- Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki takes the court for his 21st NBA season. His appearance enabled Nowitzki to surpass Kobe Bryant for the most seasons played for a single franchise, with Bryant playing 20 years for the Los Angeles Lakers. Nowitzki would play 51 games during the 2018-19 season, later retiring at the conclusion of the regular season.

2022- Washington Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin nets a hat trick in a 7-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. The three goals enabled Ovechkin to reach the 800 goal mark for his career, joining Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe as the only players to reach the milestone. Ovechkin now has 827 career goals, the second-most in NHL history.

1. Obi Toppin

2. Buffalo Bills

3. Miguel Cabrera