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 NHL, 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 performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 2-1

Over/Under Predictions: 2-1

Puck Line Predictions: 1-2

Featured Matchup: 1-0

11 NBA games are scheduled to take place throughout this afternoon and evening. Our model’s predictions for all 11 matchups can be found below.

Indiana Pacers @ New York Knicks

Model Predicts- Pacers ML, OVER 233.5, Pacers -4.5

The Indiana Pacers will begin a three-game road trip on Saturday, with the first stop coming in the Big Apple to take on the Knicks.

Indiana enters tonight’s game with a 29-24 record, good enough for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, New York sits in fourth in the same conference with a 33-19 record.

The Knicks have been the much better team over the last ten games, but New York’s injuries have made our model lean towards the Pacers here. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Indiana Pacers

• Coming off loss to Warriors on Thursday

  • Lost 131-109

  • Defense was horrible- allowed Golden State to shoot 56% overall and 53% from three

  • Offense played well- 48% shooting, 39% from three

• Offense is still regarded as one of best in NBA

  • Rank 1st in Offensive Rating (120.7)

  • Play at fast pace- generate 102.69 offensive possessions per game (2nd most in NBA)

• Injuries-Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Smith, and Doug McDermott all questionable

New York Knicks

• Have been red hot in last ten games

  • 8-2 record. Only losses are to Mavericks and Lakers

  • Own +12.1 Net Rating in that span- 2nd in NBA

• Trade deadline shook up roster

  • Added Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks from Detroit

  • Lost Quentin Grimes, Malachi Flynn, Evan Fournier, and Ryan Arcidiacano

• Injuries- Nine total players on injury report, including Julius Randle (OUT), OG Anunoby (OUT), Isaiah Hartenstein (OUT), and Jalen Brunson (Questionable)

What’s the Play?

The Knicks are now a better team after the trade deadline, but we agree with our model that New York’s injuries will be too much to overcome here.

Julius Randle and OG Anunoby being out is crucial, as Randle is a massive part of New York’s offense while Anunoby leads the way on the defensive end. That will likely leave All-Star guard Jalen Brunson to do all the dirty work, but even he is less than 100% and missed New York’s most recent game against the Grizzlies.

Additonally, Bogdanovic and Burks are listed as questionable as they find a way to integrate into their new team, leaving the Knicks with far too many question marks against the best scoring attack in the NBA. We’ll back the Pacers here.

The Play: Pacers -4.5 (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Orlando Magic- 28-24 overall this season, 16-7 as the home team

• Cleveland Cavaliers- 34-16 overall this season, 8-0 in the last eight games

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Los Angeles Clippers- Under is 28-21-1 this season, 13-10-1 as the home team

• Charlotte Hornets- Over is 27-24 this season, 14-12 as the home team

Spread Trends ➕➖

• Oklahoma City Thunder- 31-19-1 against the spread (ATS) this season, 14-10-1 ATS as the away team

• Orlando Magic- 34-18 ATS this season, 8-3 ATS as a home favorite

☘️ Tatum leads Celtics to 40th win. Jayson Tatum's 35-point performance fueled the Boston Celtics to their 40th win of the season, with Kristaps Porzingis adding 34 points and Jrue Holiday contributing 20. Despite the Wizards' efforts, including 24 points each from Deni Avdija and Corey Kispert, Boston's intentional basketball approach and strong third-quarter display led them to a 133-129 victory. Despite occasional slippages, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla emphasized the team's resilience, particularly evident in their dominant third quarter where they outscored Washington 36-16, erasing the Wizards' early lead and securing the win.

👑 Sabonis picks up 16th triple-double of season. Domantas Sabonis surpassed Nikola Jokic as the NBA triple-double leader with 16, contributing 17 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists in the Sacramento Kings' 135-106 victory over the Denver Nuggets. Jokic fell just short with 23 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in the faceoff. Sabonis expressed excitement about competing against the best and credited his team's effort in rebounding from a previous loss, with Kings coach Mike Brown emphasizing the importance of consistency and attention to detail for success.

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 team drafted Buddy Hield with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft?

Question #2- Who was the last defensive player to win Super Bowl MVP?

Question #3- Who led the MLB in batting average during the 2023 season?

Anyone know what has happened on February 10th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On February 10th…

1969- LSU guard Pete Maravich scores 66 points in a single game. Despite the performance, Maravich and LSU would go on to lose 101-94 to in-state rival Tulane. At the time the scoring outburst was an NCAA record, that is until Maravich and two other players would surpass the 66 point mark.

1989- Former NBA point guard and coach Lenny Wilkens in inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame. Wilkens began his career in 1960 with the St. Louis Hawks, but would also suit up for the SuperSonics, Cavaliers, and Trail Blazers. He would be named an All-Star nine times in his career, and would later becomes the coach of the Boston Celtics.

2002- The NBA All-Star game is held at the First Union Centre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Western Conference got the better of the Eastern Conference in the game, winning the battle 135-120. Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was named the MVP of the game.

1. New Orleans Pelicans

2. Von Miller

3. Luis Arraez