Value on Road Team in Denver

In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter…

Additional Model Predictions ⬇️ 

NHL Model Predictions- Click Here

NCAAB 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 0-1 overall, and you can see how the rest of the model performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 8-2

Over/Under Predictions: 5-5

Puck Line Predictions: 7-3

Featured Matchup: 0-1

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

Los Angeles Clippers @ Denver Nuggets

Model Predicts- Clippers ML, UNDER 228.5, Clippers -2.5

The Los Angeles Clippers will wrap up a short two-game road trip on Wednesday, with the second and final stop coming in Denver, Colorado to battle the Denver Nuggets.

Los Angeles enters tonight’s battle fresh off a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, a loss that was the third in the last four games for the Clippers. Meanwhile, this matchup is the second game of a back-to-back set for Denver, as the Nuggets squared off against last season’s NBA champions in the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.

Both teams found the loss column their last time on the hardwood, but our model projects the Clippers to be the team to emerge victorious tonight. Let’s dive into why that is.

Los Angeles Clippers

• Enter tonight off loss to Timberwolves

  • Lost game 108-106. Out-scored Minnesota 53-46 in first half, but lost second half 62-53

  • Shot 42% overall and 34% from three as a team

• Have lost two of three games to begin 2025, but defense has been strong

  • Own 108.2 Defensive Rating since January 1st- ranks 7th in NBA

  • However, team appears vulnerable on perimeter- opponents shooting 37.4% from three in that time

• Injury report is clean for tonight’s matchup

  • PJ Tucker (not injury related) is only player listed on injury report. Kawhi Leonard back in lineup

Denver Nuggets

• Enter tonight off loss to Boston Celtics

  • Lost game 118-106. Tied at 57 at halftime, but Boston won second half 61-49

  • Shot ball with efficiency- 46% overall and 39% from three

• Own 2-2 record in new year, but offense has been among NBA’s best

  • Rank 9th in Offensive Rating (116.1) since January 1st

  • Doing most of damage on perimeter- shooting 37% from three on 34.5 attempts/game in that time

• Several key players listed on injury report

  • Aaron Gordon (Calf) and Nikola Jokic (Illness) both on injury report. Neither played on Tuesday vs Boston

What’s the Play?

Denver has looked like the better team since 2025 began, but we agree with our model to back Los Angeles on the spread as a road favorite.

The looming absence of Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon, along with zero rest, puts the Nuggets in a tough spot this evening. For the most part, Los Angeles has been elite on the defensive end lately, holding its opponent to 108 points or fewer in two consecutive games, and we wouldn’t expect things to get much easier for Denver with Jokic and Gordon’s 45.0 combined points/game sitting on the sideline.

The Clippers have excelled against many opponents this season when they own the rest advantage, posting a 5-4 record across nine games. We’ve seen L.A. cover the spread in six of those nine matchups, and we project them to do so again tonight.

The Play: Clippers -2.5 (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Cleveland Cavaliers- 31-4 overall this season, 18-1 as the home team, and 10-0 in last ten games

• Indiana Pacers- 19-18 overall this season, 9-6 as the home team, and 3-0 in last three games

• Los Angeles Clippers- 20-16 overall this season, 6-4 in last ten games

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Cleveland Cavaliers- Over is 23-12 this season, 12-7 as the home team

• Los Angeles Clippers- Under is 22-13-1 this season, 12-5-1 as the away team

Spread Trends ➕➖

• Cleveland Cavaliers- 25-10 against the spread (ATS) this season, 13-6 ATS as the home team

• Portland Trail Blazers- 18-16-1 ATS this season, 9-9-1 ATS as the away team

📺 Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki set to join Amazon for NBA coverage. Dirk Nowitzki, Blake Griffin, and journalist Taylor Rooks will headline Amazon's NBA studio coverage starting in the 2025-26 season, aiming to create an entertaining and innovative show for basketball fans. Both Nowitzki, a Hall of Famer, and Griffin, a recently retired six-time All-Star, expressed excitement about staying connected to the game and collaborating with Amazon's accomplished team. This partnership follows Amazon's 11-year streaming deal with the NBA, which includes broadcasting regular-season games, the NBA Cup, and playoff matchups on Prime Video.

💪 Mavericks end five-game losing streak with win over Lakers. Quentin Grimes scored 23 points with six assists and nine rebounds, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 118-97 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers and snapping a five-game losing streak. Despite missing top scorers Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks dominated with strong contributions from Grimes and P.J. Washington, while their bench outscored the Lakers' reserves 50-25. The Lakers, led by Anthony Davis and LeBron James, struggled with rebounding and 3-point shooting, falling behind by as many as 21 points.

Today’s Top Sportsbook/DFS Offers🎰

Sportsbooks and Daily Fantasy sites are providing new users with a plethora of offers and bonuses when they sign up, and our staff has provided it’s top three for January 8, 2025!

To claim an offer, click the “Open Account” button on the corresponding banner, complete the sign up process, make a deposit, and start betting!

BetMGM- Get up to $1,500 paid back in bonus bets if your first bet doesn’t win!

Caesars- Sign-up, bet at least $1, and instantly receive ten 100% profit boosts!

Underdog Fantasy- Receive a free pick plus a first deposit offer up to $1,000 after sign-up!

To see all sportsbooks and offers available in your area, click HERE

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- How many times have the Carolina Panthers made the postseason since losing the Super Bowl in 2015?

Question #2- One current NBA player played college basketball in the Big West Conference. Who is that player?

Question #3- Aaron Rodgers has won how many MVPs since 2014?

Anyone know what has happened on January 8th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On January 8th…

1995- Philadelphia Phillies legend Mike Schmidt is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Schmidt played his entire MLB career with Philly, which spanned from 1972-1989. He would end his career with 548 home runs and 1,595, also winning the MVP three times and the World Series once.

2009- The Florida Gators defeat the Oklahoma Sooners in the BCS National Championship game. Florida took home the trophy with a 24-14 win, taking the lead in the second quarter and never looking back. Quarterback Tim Tebow was named offensive MVP, while Carlos Dunlap was named defensive MVP.

2013- Steve Nash records his 10,000th career assist. Nash reached the milestone in a 125-112 loss, recording 16 points and 10 assists in 34 minutes despite the loss. Nash would end his career with 10,335 assists, the fifth-most in NBA history.

1. 1

2. Gabe Vincent

3. 3