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 NBA, with our model focusing in on one of those predictions in our Featured Matchups. Those predictions went 1-0 overall, and you can see how the rest of the model’s performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 3-6

Over/Under Predictions: 4-5

Spread Predictions: 7-2

Featured Matchup: 1-0

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

Golden State Warriors @ San Antonio Spurs

Model Predicts- Warriors ML, OVER 227.5, Spurs +4

The San Antonio SPurs will begin a three-game road trip on Monday, with the first stop coming in San Antonio, Texas to take on the Spurs.

Golden State enters this matchup in a small slump, losing three of the last five games, which includes a 126-113 loss to this Spurs team on Saturday night. Meanwhile, the Spurs are 3-2 in the last five games in what has been an impressive stretch of basketball.

San Antonio is still well behind Golden State in the Western Conference standings, but some key injuries on the Warriors’ side make our model believe the Spurs can keep things close. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Golden State Warriors

• 2-3 record in last five games

  • Losses to Celtics, Bulls, and Spurs

  • Rank 23rd in Net Rating during that time (-4.0)

• First half struggles have led to many recent losses

  • Own -19.2 Net Rating in fist half of last five games- 29th in NBA

  • Allowing opponents to score 65.8 points while shooting 52.5% overall and 48.6% from three in those first halves

• Injuries- Stephen Curry is OUT. Draymond Green and Moses Moody are questionable

San Antonio Spurs

• 3-2 in last five games

  • Wins over Thunder, Pacers, and Warriors

  • +24 point differential in that five-game span

• Have played balanced basketball in last five games, with offense dominating

  • Own +5.2 Net Rating in that time- 5th in NBA

  • Rank 3rd in Offensive Rating (120.5), shooting 50.5% overall and 44.6% from three

• Injuries- Cedi Osman is OUT, Devin Vassell is probable

What’s the Play?

Golden State has been streaky this season, and Stephen Curry’s injury makes their recent cold streak likely to continue. As a result, we are going to back the Spurs to cover the spread here.

The Warriors have yet to stop any of their opponents from getting hot out of the gates, posting an abysmal 126.5 Defensive Rating in the first half of the last five games. That is alarming regardless who who their next opponent is, but it is extremely concerning now that Golden State will face a Spurs team that is scorching hot when it comes to shooting the basketball and has beaten some solid teams over the last two weeks.

All in all, we think Curry’s absence and Golden State’s struggling defense will be too much to overcome here, so we’ll back San Antonio as a home underdog.

The Play: Spurs +4 (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Phoenix Suns- 37-27 overall this season, 16-13 as the away team

• Dallas Mavericks- 36-28 overall this season, 17-13 as the away team

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Toronto Raptors- Over is 33-30-1 this season, 21-10-1 as the away team

Spread Trends ➕➖

• San Antonio Spurs- 5-1 against the spread (ATS) in last six games

• Dallas Mavericks- 34-30 ATS this season, 19-11 ATS as the away team

💪 Lonzo Ball begins advanced non-contact drills. Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, who has been sidelined for over two years due to a knee injury, has recently started participating in non-contact activities like sprinting and jumping, showing positive progress according to head coach Billy Donovan. Donovan praised Ball's hard work and response to rehabilitation, noting his improved movement. While there's no set timeline, Ball's next milestones include clearance for contact and full basketball activities, with Donovan highlighting Ball's remarkable progress in overcoming hurdles.

🤕 Sengun leaves court in wheelchair vs Kings. Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun will undergo an MRI on Monday following injuries to his right ankle and right knee during a game against the Sacramento Kings. Sengun was hurt while attempting to defend Domantas Sabonis near the Rockets' basket, landing awkwardly and requiring assistance off the court. Despite the injury, the 21-year-old had a strong performance in the game, finishing with 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals, marking significant improvements from his previous season's averages.

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- Buddy Hield and Austin Reaves were star basketball players at what Big 12 school?

Question #2- What MLB player led the league in stolen bases on four separate occasions from 2003-2007?

Question #3- Who leads the Arizona Cardinals franchise in rushing yards all-time, recording 7,999 as a member of the team?

Anyone know what has happened on March 11th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On March 11th…

1986- New York Islanders star Mike Bossy records his 50th goal in his ninth NHL season. The goal made Bossy the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in nine straight seasons, and was also the first player to do so for eight straight seasons. Bossy would end his career with 573 goals, ranking him 23rd in NBA history.

1993- Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis is born in Chicago, Illinois. Davis stormed onto the basketball scene in his high school days while attending Perspectives Charter School, where he played basketball beginning in sixth grade. He would later go onto attend the University of Kentucky for one year before being selected No.1 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2012 NBA Draft.

2020- The NBA suspends the 2019-2020 season, with no timeline for the resumption of play. The suspension came as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which impacted the NBA after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus. The season would be suspended until July 7th, which is when the NBA bubble was created in Orlando, Florida.

1. University of Oklahoma

2. Carl Crawford

3. Ottis Anderson