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 two of those predictions in our Featured Matchups. Those predictions went 1-2 overall, and you can see how the rest of the model’s performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 0-2

Over/Under Predictions: 1-1

Spread Predictions: 1-1

Featured Matchup: 0-1

Money Line Predictions: 12-1

Over/Under Predictions: 5-8

Spread Predictions: 10-3

Featured Matchup: 1-0

Money Line Predictions: 2-2

Over/Under Predictions: 2-2

Puck Line Predictions: 2-2

Featured Matchup: 0-1

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Five NBA games are scheduled to take place today. Our model’s predictions for all five matchups are below.

Los Angeles Lakers @ Dallas Mavericks

Model Predicts- Lakers ML, UNDER 235.5, Lakers -2

The Los Angeles Lakers will hit the road on Tuesday night, stopping in Dallas, Texas to take on the Mavericks.

Los Angeles enters tonight’s matchup fresh off a win at the NBA’s In-season Tournament, defeating the Indiana Pacers to win the crown. The Lakers now own a 14-9 record for the season and sit in sixth place in the Western Conference, while Dallas is just one step ahead in third place with a 14-8 record.

This will be the second game in two nights for the Mavericks, and our model believes the Lakers will take advantage of that. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Los Angeles Lakers

• Dominated all the way through the In-Season Tournament

  • Went 6-0 in six games

  • Posted +19.0 Net Rating- 9.5 points higher than any other team

• Defense was the key to tournament success

  • Posted 102.4 Defensive Rating

  • Held opponents to shooting 40.0% from the floor and 31.7% from three

• However, have massive struggles on road this season

  • 4-7 overall record. -8.5 Net Rating

Dallas Mavericks

• Fresh off win against Memphis Grizzlies last night

  • Won 120-113. Shot 50% from floor and 42% from three

• Have now won three-straight games

  • Beat Jazz, Trail Blazers, and Grizzlies

  • +70 point differential in that time

• However, dealing with plethora of injuries tonight

  • Kyrie Irving, Josh Green, Grant Williams, and Maxi Kleber all misses last night’s game. In jeopardy of being out again tonight

What’s the Play?

The Lakers’ struggles on the road are a huge concern, but we agree with our model that L.A. can win and cover the spread tonight.

The last two back-to-backs have gone rather poorly for Dallas. The most recent one was a six-point defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, a game where Dallas was trailing by 23 after the third quarter. Prior to that the Mavericks suffered a 129-113 loss to the Sacramento Kings, further highlighting their struggles in these situations.

Dallas has managed to get by with their current set of injuries, but its win streak has come against three teams that own a sub-.500 record and rank in the bottom seven in Net Rating. L.A. is far better than that and has a ton of momentum on its side, so we’ll take the Lakers as a road favorite.

The Play: Lakers -2 (-105)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Los Angeles Lakers- 14-9 overall this season, 5-1 in last six games

• Los Angeles Clippers- 11-10 overall this season, 3-0 in last three games

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Los Angeles Lakers- Under is 15-9 this season, 12-4 as a favorite

• Chicago Bulls- Over is 14-10 this season, 7-6 as the home team

Spread Trends ➕➖

• Los Angeles Lakers- 12-12 against the spread (ATS) this season, 9-7 ATS as a favorite

😬 Pacers hand Pistons 20th straight loss. The Detroit Pistons continued their downward spiral, extending their losing streak to 20 games in a 131-123 defeat against the Indiana Pacers. Detroit is now tied for the third-longest losing streak in a single NBA season alongside the Philadelphia 76ers (1972-73), Dallas Mavericks (1993-94), and Houston Rockets (2020-21). With just seven losses away from breaking the all-time single-season record of 26 consecutive defeats, Detroit's current slump draws comparisons to the most extended losing runs in NBA history.

🦖 Raptors make Barnes untouchable in trade talks. Scottie Barnes seems firmly entrenched with the Toronto Raptors as they consider him off-limits in trade talks. Keeping Barnes in Toronto makes a ton of sense for the Raptors, as he is averaging 19.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game while improving his 3-point shooting to 38.3 percent. Despite Barnes' stellar performance, the Raptors have faced three consecutive losses, sitting at an 11th spot in the Eastern Conference with a 9-13 record.

A busy day of NHL hockey is on the horizon, with 20 teams scheduled to hit the ice today. Our model’s predictions for all of today’s matchups can be found below.

Philadelphia Flyers @ Nashville Predators

Model Predicts- Predators ML, UNDER 6, Flyers +1.5

The Philadelphia Flyers will finish off a three-game road trip on Tuesday, with the final stop coming Nashville to take on the Predators.

Philadelphia enters tonight’s battle scorching hot, winning four consecutive games. Philly now owns a 15-10-2 record this season, placing the Flyers in second place in the competitive Metropolitan division. Nashville has also found some success as of late, winning seven of its last ten games.

Both of these teams are cruising at the moment, but our model shows a slight edge for Nashville tonight. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Philadelphia Flyers

• Riding four-game win streak

  • Beat Penguins twice, Coyotes, and Avalanche

  • +8 goal differential in that time

• Defense is one of more elite groups in NHL

  • Rank 5th in xGA/60 in 5-on-5 situations

  • Allow very little pressure on net- allow third fewest high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes (HDCA/60) in 5-on-5. 28.4 shots on goal allowed per game

• Expected goalie- Carter Hart

  • .919 Save % in 5-on-5 situations. Ranks 27th in Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) with +2.3

Nashville Predators

• Started off December on right foot

  • 4-2-0 in six games

  • Mostly close games- 4 matchups decided by one goal

• Defense has been key to victories in that stretch, but offense is struggling

  • Own 2.06 GA/60 in 5-on-5 since December 1st

  • GF/60 in 5-on-5 in same stretch is 1.65. 27.5 shots on goal per game in last four games

• Expected goalie- Juuse Saros

  • .924 Save % in 5-on-5. Ranks 57th in GSAx (-2.6)

What’s the Play?

It is tough to bet against either one of these teams at the moment, but we do agree with our model that there is an advantage to taking the under here.

Nashville might be winning games, but it is not because of its offense. the Predators have struggled to generate pressure in 5-on-5 play since the start of the month, and that is unlikely to change against a Flyers defense that is top-5 in the NHL across several metrics. However, Nashville’s defense will likely be able to keep them in the game, as this is a Flyers team that struggles with shot execution at even strength and on the power play.

Saros and Hart each hit a rough patch this season, but Hart has allowed two goals or less in his last three starts, while Saros has held Nashville’s opponent to only one goal in three of his last four outings. They are both great anchors in net and have solid defenses in front, which should lead to a low-scoring contest.

The Play: Under 6 (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Toronto Maple Leafs- 14-6-5 overall this season, 6-2-4 as the away team

• Vancouver Canucks- 18-9-1 overall this season, 10-3-1 as the home team

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• New York Rangers- Under is 10-12-4 this season with average total of 6.04

• Philadelphia Flyers- Under is 15-8-4 this season with average total of 5.78

Puck Line Trends ➕➖

• Philadelphia Flyers- Puck line is 19-8 this season

• Winnipeg Jets- Puck line is 17-9 this season

🙌 Tavares records 1,000th career point. Toronto Maple Leafs' John Tavares notched his 1,000th NHL point, scoring a goal and assisting on another against the New York Islanders. Despite the milestone, the Islanders sealed the game in overtime with Bo Horvat's winning goal, although Tavares expressed pride in achieving the feat where he spent his initial nine-year career. Tavares became the 98th player in NHL history to reach the milestone.

😬 Perron suspended six games for cross check. Detroit Red Wings' forward David Perron received a six-game suspension from the NHL's Department of Player Safety for cross-checking Ottawa Senators' Artem Zub. The incident occurred as Perron retaliated against Zub after his teammate, Dylan Larkin, was downed in a net-front altercation. This six-game suspension marks the league's lengthiest since Brad Marchand's six-game ban in February 2022.

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 shoe brand did LeBron James almost sign with before choosing Nike?

Question #2- Who holds the NFL record for career interceptions?

Question #3- What current NFL running back holds the NCAA record for rushing yards in a single game with 427?

Anyone know what has happened on December 12th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On December 12th..

1976- NFL quarterback Joe Namath plays his final game with the New York Jets. The performance was one Namath would like to forget, as he completed just four of 15 passes for 20 yards and four interceptions. New York would go on to lose to the Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 42-3.

1997- The Boston Red Sox sign Pedro Martinez to a six-year, $69 million contract. At the time, Martinez set a record for the largest contract given to a pitcher, a result of posting a 17-8 record and 1.90 ERA the season prior. Martinez would play for Boston until the conclusion of the 2004 season, the same year the Red Sox won the World Series.

2011- Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III wins the 77th Heisman Trophy. He became the first Baylor Bear to win the award, a result of recording 4,642 total yards and 45 touchdowns. He would go on to be selected with the 2nd overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, and would win the NFL Rookie of the Year award that same season.

1. Reebok

2. Paul Krause

3. Samaje Perine