In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter sponsored by ParlayPlay…

There were plenty of model predictions to go around yesterday across the NBA and NHL, with our models focusing in on two of those predictions in our Featured Matchups. Those predictions went 0-2 overall, and you can see how the rest of the model’s performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 7-3

Over/Under Predictions: 4-6

Spread Predictions: 4-4-2

Featured Matchup: 0-1

Money Line Predictions: 5-4

Over/Under Predictions: 5-4

Puck Line Predictions: 5-4

Featured Matchup: 0-1

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Another big day of NBA basketball is upon us, with eight more games set to take place throughout the night. Our model’s predictions for all eight matchups can be found below.

Sacramento Kings @ Los Angeles Lakers

Model Predicts- Kings ML, UNDER 233, Kings -1

The Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers will square off in a West Coast battle on Wednesday night in Los Angeles.

Sacramento enters tonight’s matchup with a 5-4 record after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers last time out, a record good enough for sixth place in the Western Conference. Los Angeles is in a similar position at 6-5, most recently defeating the Memphis Grizzlies by 27 last night.

This is the second game in two nights for L.A., and our model believes a healthier Kings roster will take advantage of the lack of rest. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Sacramento Kings

• Many metrics state Kings are a middle-of-the-pack team this season

  • Rank 18th in Net Rating (-1.8). 111.8 Offensive Rating and 113.2 Defensive Rating

• However, many of early-season struggles were injury related

  • De’Aaron Fox missed five games. Kings went 2-3

  • Ranked 30th in Offensive Rating without Fox. Shot 42.0% overall and 30.0% from three

  • Own 122.5 Offensive Rating with Fox in lineup

• Immediately won in Fox’s return on Monday

  • Beat Cleveland 132-120

  • Four players scored 20+ points

Los Angeles Lakers

• One dimensional offense

  • Do majority of damage in paint- rank 6th in points per game in the paint (53.5)

  • Lack three-point threat- shoot 34.0% from three as team

• Injuries have hurt bench depth

  • Still without Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt tonight

  • Rank 27th in bench points per game

• Defense has been falling behind as well

  • Rank 20th in Defensive Rating

  • Opponents shooting 46.1% overall and 37.4% from three, per NBA.com

What’s the Play?

Sacramento is finally starting to get healthy, while Los Angeles still has some key players sidelined and could have more due to the back-to-back. As a result, we’ll take the Kings here.

De’Aaron Fox provides the Kings with an undeniable boost offensively. His speed in transition and shooting efficiency have played a massive role while he is on the floor, and it should come as no surprise that Sacramento is 3-1 with a +25 point differential when he suits up.

We wouldn’t be surprised to see LeBron James or Anthony Davis sit this one out for rest purposes after playing last night too, giving Sacramento a big advantage.

The Play: Kings ML (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Dallas Mavericks- 8-3 overall this season, 4-2 as the away team

• Sacramento Kings- 5-4 overall this season, 1-0 against the Lakers

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Dallas Mavericks- Over is 9-2 this season, 5-1 as the away team

• Washington Wizards- Over is 7-3 this season, 2-1 as the home team

Spread Trends ➕➖

• Orlando Magic- 7-3 against the spread (ATS) this season, 3-2 ATS as the home team

🔄 Bulls, LaVine both open to trade. Zach LaVine's tenure in Chicago appears to be reaching its conclusion, as trade discussions around the star have intensified. Teams like the Lakers, Heat, and 76ers are expressing interest in the veteran guard, which comes amidst the Bulls' disappointing start to the 2023-24 season. Reports indicate ongoing scrutiny from scouts at Bulls games, suggesting an impending overhaul of the team, especially after exploratory talks about LaVine during the offseason and a growing awareness among players about potential changes if performance doesn't improve.

🤕 Ben Simmons sidelined with nerve impingement. Brooklyn Nets' Ben Simmons is facing an indefinite absence due to a nerve impingement in his lower back. The Nets' statement noted that Simmons will undergo treatment for both his hip and back, with an update on his status scheduled in a week. Simmons, whose career has been plagued by various injuries since his 2016 NBA Draft selection, has struggled with consistent availability, playing no more than 58 games in a single season across the last three seasons.

A slow day of NHL hockey will take place today, as just four games make up today’s slate. You can find our model’s predictions for all four matchups below.

New York Islanders @ Vancouver Canucks

Model Predicts- Canucks ML, OVER 6, Islanders +1.5

The New York Islanders will continue their three-game road trip on Wednesday, with the next stop coming in Vancouver to take on the Canucks.

New York began its road trip with a 4-1 loss to a slumping Oilers squad, marking the fifth consecutive loss for New York. Meanwhile, the Canucks are an incredible 8-1-1 in the last ten games and now sit in second place in the Pacific division with an 11-3-1 record.

On paper it looks like this could be a defensive battle, but many underlying metrics show some problems exist for both of these defenses, leading our model to believe a high-scoring game is on tap. Let’s dive into why that is.

New York Islanders

• In midst of brutal five-game losing streak

  • Have lost to the Hurricanes, Wild, Bruins, Capitals, and Oilers

  • -12 goal differential in that time

• Defense hasn’t been great in that stretch, but offense has been far worse

  • Own 0.96 GF/60 in 5-on-5 situations in last five games- lowest in NHL

  • Things may turnaround- 12.04 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes (HDCF/60) and 2.60 xGF/60 in 5-on-5 during losing stretch

• Expected goalie- Ilya Sorokin

  • Owns .938 Save % in 5-on-5 situations

  • Ranks 50th in Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) with -1.1

Vancouver Canucks

• Offense has been red hot all-season

  • 3.35 GF/60 in 5-on-5 situations- 4th in NHL

  • Rank 1st in shooting % (15.1%). Own third-best power play unit

• Defense is due for massive amounts of regression

  • Own GA/60 in 5-on-5 of 1.72, but xGA/60 sits at 2.80

  • Allow 12.81 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes (HDCA/60) in 5-on-5 (8th-most in NHL)

  • Surrender nearly 31 shots on goal per game

• Expected goalie- Thatcher Demko

  • Owns .938 Save % in 5-on-5 situations

  • Ranks 1st in GSAx (+12.2)

What’s the Play?

This game is a prime spot to back the over.

New York’s defense is in a similar position to Vancouver’s. The Isles own a GA/60 in 5-on-5 situations of just 2.13, but the team’s xGA/60 in the same situations comes in at 2.83. New York surrenders an equal amount of pressure on net as well, posting a 12.27 HDCA/60 in 5-on-5 and allowing the third-most shots on goal per game.

Sorokin and Demko are solid goaltenders, but the defenses in front of them are lacking. We’ll take the over because of that.

The Play: Over 6 (-120)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Carolina Hurricanes- 9-6 overall this season, 4-0 as the home team

• Vancouver Canucks- 11-3-1 overall this season, 5-0-1 as the home team

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Carolina Hurricanes- Over is 8-7 this season with average total of 6.67

• Vancouver Canucks- Over is 9-4-2 this season with average total of 6.60

Puck Line Trends ➕➖

• Philadelphia Flyers- Puck line is 10-5 this season

• Anaheim Ducks- Puck line is 11-4 this season

📝 NHL may tweak overtime rules. NHL's general managers spent Tuesday deliberating potential alterations to the 3-on-3 overtime period to foster more offensive plays. Discussions revolved around curbing prolonged puck possession outside the attacking zone, with considerations for restricting teams from regrouping in their defensive zone and implementing a potential shot clock to hasten play. The league is keen on maintaining the 3-on-3 structure but seeks adjustments to rejuvenate its original chaotic and fast-paced nature.

🚔 Man arrested in death of former NHL player Adam Johnson. A man has been apprehended in connection to the tragic death of hockey player Adam Johnson, who passed away during a game on October 28th. Johnson's death occurred due to a neck injury inflicted by an opponent's skate, leading to a post-mortem confirming the cause of death as a fatal neck injury. The investigation into Johnson's death has been ongoing, with extensive inquiries undertaken by the police department, collaborating with specialists and health and safety experts

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 high school did Kobe Bryant attend before being selected in the 1997 NBA Draft?

Question #2- What goalie has the most saves in NHL history, tallying 28,928 in his career?

Question #3- What teams were involved in the infamous “Malice at the Palace”, an event where players of one team fought fans in the crowd?

Anyone know what has happened on November 15th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On November 15th…

1983- Mike Bossy nets a hat trick while a member of the New York Islanders. Bossy’ hat trick was the 75th in Islanders history, and he would add plenty more after that. Bossy ended his career with 39 hat tricks in 729 career games, which included netting at least four hat tricks in five different seasons.

1988- Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Kirk Gibson wins the NL MVP award. It was the first and only MVP of Gibson’s career, a result of batting .290 with 25 home runs and 76 RBIs during the 1988 season. Gibson and the Dodgers would also go on to win the World Series that season, the second title of Gibson’s career.

2018- LeBron James passes Wilt Chamberlain on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. LeBron passed Wilt with a 44-point performance in a 126-117 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, moving him into 5th place all-time. He now sits in first on the all-time scoring list, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar last season.

1. Lower Merion High School

2. Martin Brodeur

3. Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons