In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter…

There were plenty of model predictions to go around yesterday across the NFL, NBA, and NHL, with our model focusing in on three of those predictions in our Featured Matchups. Those predictions went 2-1 overall, and you can see how the rest of the model’s performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 0-1

Over/Under Predictions: 0-1

Spread Predictions: 0-1

Featured Matchup: 0-1

Money Line Predictions: 2-3

Over/Under Predictions: 3-1-1

Spread Predictions: 5-0

Featured Matchup: 1-0

Money Line Predictions: 1-5

Over/Under Predictions: 3-3

Puck Line Predictions: 3-3

Featured Matchup: 1-0

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The NBA In-Season Tournament is back after a few days off, with eight games set to take place today. Our model’s predictions for all eight matchups can be found below.

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Minnesota Timberwolves

Model Predicts- Thunder ML, UNDER 227.5, Thunder +4

The Oklahoma City Thunder will make the journey north on Tuesday for just one game, taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA’s In-Season Tournament.

OKC enters tonight’s matchup with a stellar 11-5 record, which includes the Thunder going 8-2 over their last 10 games. Minnesota is in a similar position, posting a 12-4 record through 16 games and coincidentally going 8-2 in its last 10 matchups.

This game features two of the very best teams in the West, and our model believes the Thunder can pull of the upset on the road. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Oklahoma City Thunder

• Second place in Western Conference. Have gone 8-2 in last 10 games

  • Losses are to Philadelphia and Sacramento

  • +14.0 Net Rating in that stretch- 1st in NBA

• Have been dominant defensively this season

  • Rank 7th in Defensive Rating (109.6)

  • Holding opponents to 43.4% shooting overall and 34.1% from three- rank in top-5 in both categories

• Team is full of scorers

  • Six players average at least 10.0 points per game

  • Solid production off bench- 29.0% of points come from bench players

Minnesota Timberwolves

• Also 8-2 in last 10 games

  • Only losses were to Sacramento and Phoenix

• Another elite defensive team

  • Rank first in Defensive Rating (106.8). Improves to 100.2 at home

  • Opponents shooting just 43.1% overall and 33.0% from three

• Offense doesn’t produce huge numbers, but is efficient

  • Average 113.4 points per game

  • Shooting nearly 48% overall and 37% from three as team

What’s the Play?

Both Oklahoma City and Minnesota possess offenses that can light up the scoreboard at any given moment, but defense is going to be the main factor in this game. As a result, we’ll roll with the under in this spot.

The Thunder and Timberwolves have an elite defensive presence at all levels. Both squads are holding their opponents to shooting 34.1% or less from behind the arc this season, and each ranks inside the top-seven in opponent points per game in the paint, allowing 45.8 or less.

Minnesota’s defense at home is far more elite than its defense on the road, which has led to an average point total of just 218 across the Timberwolves last seven home games. We will likely see a similar total tonight.

The Play: Under 227.5 (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Atlanta Hawks- 8-8 overall this season, 5-3 as the away team

• Oklahoma City Thunder- 11-5 overall this season, 5-3 as an underdog

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Charlotte Hornets- Over is 10-5 this season, 9-3 as an underdog

• Houston Rockets- Under is 10-4 this season, 3-2 as the away team

Spread Trends ➕➖

• Oklahoma City Thunder- 12-4 against the spread (ATS) this season, 6-2 ATS as an underdog

• Houston Rockets- 10-3-1 ATS this season, 8-3 ATS as an underdog

💪 Embiid posts triple-double in rout of Lakers. Joel Embiid showcased delivered 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists on Monday, steering the Philadelphia 76ers to a dominant 138-94 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers. This marked Embiid's sixth career triple-double, which he achieved well before the end of the third quarter. Tyrese Maxey's 31 points further bolstered Philadelphia's commanding win, while Anthony Davis contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers.

🏀 McCollum could return to court this week. CJ McCollum sat out of the Pelicans’ Monday night tilt against the Jazz due to a collapsed lung, marking his 12th consecutive absence. However, New Orleans, alongside McCollum, is eyeing a potential return for him during their upcoming home games against the 76ers on Wednesday or the Spurs on Friday. McCollum had been an impactful contributor, averaging 21.7 points and 5.7 assists while shooting 38% from beyond the arc in the six games he played before the injury

After just six games on Monday, the NHL has blessed with 10 games today. Our model’s predictions for every matchup can be found below.

Tampa Bay Lightning @ Arizona Coyotes

Model Predicts- Lightning ML, OVER 6.5, Coyotes +1.5

The Tampa Bay Lightning will end a three-game roadtrip on Tuesday night, with the final stop coming in Arizona to take on the Coyotes.

Tampa Bay’s roadtrip has had mixed results thus far, beating the Hurricanes 8-2 last Friday but falling short to the Avalanche last night by a score of 4-1. The Lightning now own a 10-7-5 record for the season, while Arizona sits at 9-9-2 following a 2-0 win over the Golden Knights last time on the ice.

This will be the second game in two nights for Tampa Bay, but our model still expects the Lightning to pick up the win in a high-scoring contest. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Tampa Bay Lightning

• Defense has been main cause for back-and-forth start to season

  • Rank 29th in xGA/60 in 5-on-5 situations (3.16)

  • Surrender lots of pressure- Rank 21st in shots on goal allowed, 19th in High-Danger Chances Against per 60 minutes (HDCA/60) in 5-on-5

• Offense is due for slight improvement

  • +0.10 goal difference between xGF/60 and GF/60 in 5-on-5

  • High pressure rate (13.33 HDCF/60) should lead to the positive regression

• Expected goalie- Jonas Johansson

  • .901 Save % in 5-on-5. Ranks 64th in Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) with -4.4

Arizona Coyotes

• Improved roster from a season ago

  • 28 wins with -70 goal differential last season. Already nine wins with +2 goal differential this season

• Defense has been solid, but has gotten lucky

  • Own 2.61 GA/60 in 5-on-5, while xGA/60 in same situations sits at 2.80

  • Rank 27th in HDCA/60 in 5-on-5 (13.11)

• Expected goalie- Connor Ingram

  • .919 Save % in 5-on-5 situations. Ranks 14th in GSAx (+4.1)

What’s the Play?

Tampa Bay’s defense has been all over the place this season, and Arizona’s has been mediocre and is due to see regression. As a a result, we’ll take the over in this matchup.

Tampa Bay has been involved in high-scoring affairs on the back end of back-to-back’s this season. Their first of the season was a 5-2 loss to Ottawa, while their most recent back-to-back was a 5-3 win over the Canadiens, so pucks tend to find the back of the net in these spots.

Johansson is far from reliable in net too, and although Connor Ingram has played well, he will likely to be put in several high-danger situations, as that is his defense’s weak point. Expect plenty of goals as a result.

The Play: Over 6.5 (-115)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Pittsburgh Penguins- 10-10 overall this season, 5-4 as the away team

• Winnipeg Jets- 12-6-1 overall this season, 6-3-1 as the home team

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• New Jersey Devils- Over is 14-5 this season with average total of 7.21

• Minnesota Wild- Over is 11-7-1 this season with average total of 7.05

Puck Line Trends ➕➖

• Philadelphia Flyers- Puck line is 15-6 this season

• Vancouver Canucks- Puck line is 15-7 this season

👋 Wild fire two coaches after poor start to season. Minnesota Wild's President of Hockey Operations and General Manager, Bill Guerin, has announced the dismissal of Head Coach Dean Evason and Assistant Coach Bob Woods from their coaching roles. The moce comes after Minnesota’s 5-10-4 start to the season, which includes a seven-game losing streak. Guerin acknowledged Evason's and Woods’ commendable performance, expressing gratitude for their commitment and contributions to the organization.

⭐️ NHL shakes up All-Star format and events. The NHL All-Star Weekend in 2024 is set to introduce NHL All-Star Thursday, marking the return of the player draft alongside new event formats. The draft, part of the festivities, will involve celebrities teaming up with captains to select players for the All-Star Game. Additionally, the Professional Women’s Hockey League will feature a 3-on-3 game, bring plenty of excitement to Scotiabank Arena during the first weekend of February.

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 Dobbs played for what team prior to his trade to the Arizona Cardinals before the 2023 season?

Question #2- What NBA Hall of Famer went by the nickname “The Glove”?

Question #3- What university has won the most College World Series titles?

Anyone know what has happened on November 28th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On November 28th…

1982- Auburn beats Alabama in the 47th Iron Bowl. The Tigers beat the Crimson Tide by a score of 23-22, with Bo Jackson scoring a the game-winning touchdown from the one-yard line. It was the first Iron Bowl win for Auburn in ten years, and the Tigers would go on to win again in 1983.

1985- St. Louis Cardinals rookie Vince Coleman wins the NL Rookie of the Year award. Coleman recorded 170 hits, 1 home run, and 40 RBIs in his rookie season, also leading the league in stolen bases with 110. He would go on to finish 11th in MVP voting his rookie year as well, the only time in his career he would finish higher than 12th.

1997- Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders becomes the NFL’s second all-time leading rusher. Sanders would end the 1997 season with 2,053 rushing yards while averaging 6.1 yards per carry, both of which were career highs. He would end his career with 15,269 rushing yards, the fourth-most in NFL history.

1. Cleveland Browns

2. Gary Payton

3. USC