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Soccer Champions Knockout Preview
By Toby Maxtone-Smith

Favourable draws in the last 16 have meant that the two front-runners for the Champions League, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, are now both into 5/2 from 3/1 to win the competition. So it is shorter than evens that one of them will lift the trophy in Berlin in May. Bayern Munich face a tricky tie with Shakhtar Donetsk but one they will ultimately come through. Real Madrid have struck lucky in drawing German side Schalke 04, who are arguably the weakest team left in the competition.

Odds to win 2014-15 Champions League

FC Bayern Munich 5/2
Real Madrid 5/2
FC Barcelona 11/2
Chelsea FC 7/1
Manchester City 14/1
Atletico Madrid 18/1
Arsenal FC 20/1
Borussia Dortmund 25/1
Juventus 25/1
Paris Saint-Germain 25/1
FC Porto 50/1
Bayer Leverkusen 100/1
AS Monaco 125/1
FC Basel 200/1
Shakhtar Donetsk 250/1
FC Schalke 04 300/1

At identical prices Real Madrid look by far the stronger bet. They have won an astonishing 21 games in a row in all competitions and are breaking all manner of records. They are the complete unit going forward. They have midfielders who can keep the ball and suck the life out of the opposition, and they also have some of the fastest attackers in the world, capable of destroying teams on the counter-attack. No other team can play so many ways. Real beat Bayern 4-0 away from home playing pure counter-attacking football, while they usually dominate their domestic matches through possession. No-one can match them at the moment.

Bayern were outclassed by Real last year and the gap between the two has, if anything, become wider since then. Part of the reason they are both 5/2 is that no team has ever retained the Champions League. This may be something of a freak, as occurrences of teams winning the competition twice in three years are very common, as are teams making it to consecutive finals. Plenty of sides won back-to-back European Cups, so it is only a matter of time before someone breaks this anomaly.

Before the draw, Barcelona and Chelsea were level in the betting, but Chelsea’s odds have lengthened to 7/1 after drawing PSG (who are 28/1), while Barcelona are still 11/2 after being matched with Manchester City (16/1).

This makes hardly any sense. Barcelona have drawn a team more likely to win the Champions League than Chelsea have, so why is it they who have shortened and not the Londoners? These ties are both repeats of last year. Chelsea and Barcelona won both, but narrowly. The Blues were three minutes from exiting the competition before Demba Ba’s late goal sent them through, while a red card for Martin Demichelis in the first leg in Manchester effectively handed the Catalans victory. City’s struggles in Europe make me cautious about taking them at 16/1. However Chelsea, who are another rare team who can genuinely play two different ways, are a strong bet now at 7/1.

Juventus face Borussia Dortmund in a really interesting looking clash. The two teams contrast hugely: Juventus are nearly invincible in domestic football but tend to come up just short against the best the continent has to offer; Borussia Dortmund, on the other hand, have had an appalling year in the Bundesliga. They lie 16th out of 18, but are Champions League specialists having made the quarter-finals last year and the final the year before. They also won their group ahead of Arsenal, giving them the advantage of playing the second leg at home. Interestingly, Juventus are slightly shorter win the competition at 25/1 to Dortmund’s 28/1. 10/11 may be a price worth taking on the Italians getting past Dortmund.

Another German club will be in action when Atletico Madrid meets Bayer Leverkusen. This looks far easier to call. Bayer have not quite lived up to expectations in the league this year and have nothing of the Atletico’s European experience. The Spaniards, who came within a minute of winning the competition last year, are 1/3 to make it through. They will be content with their draw.

After a series of bad luck in the Champions League knockout stages, Arsenal have finally been handed the draw all the second-placed teams wanted - Monaco. Monaco won their group despite scoring just four goals, but they are not a particularly good team and Arsenal should at least make the quarter finals this time. Their inability to compete with teams who are better than them means they are no sort of value at 20/1 to lift the trophy, but 11/8 to Arsenal to win the first leg at the Emirates to nil looks a solid bet.

Last, there is Basel vs. Porto, where Basel look an interesting bet at 7/4 to make it through. Porto won a relatively easy group, while Basel put in some excellent performances in theirs, most notably two positive results against Liverpool. They are having a better domestic season than their opponents, and are becoming regulars at this stage of the Champions League, so experience will not be a factor. This is nowhere near the best Porto team of recent years, and they could be vulnerable.

Top Bet: Real Madrid to win the Champions League at 5/2

NHL Grand Salami - December

The Grand Salami in pro hockey is decided by adding up all the goals scored in every game scheduled for that particular day. You can wager on 'over' or 'under' the Grand Salami total. The total is set by adding up all listed 'over/under' odds for each game on that particular day.

Note: The Grand Salami will have no action if any game is suspended or cancelled before the regulation time of three twenty minute periods. Also, regardless of the number of goals scored during the shoot out portion of the overtime, the final scored recorded for the game will give the winning team on more goal than its opponent based on the score at the end of regulation time.

*The majority of sportsbooks do not put out a total on the Grand Salami when there is only one game on the card. For tracking purposes, we will continue to show the 'over/under' for goals and combined goals scored on days with just one game.

NHL GRAND SALAMI

Date No. of Games Total Goals Combined Goals Scored Result
12/1 5 26.5 31 OVER
12/2 10 55.5 45 UNDER
12/3 4 21 22 OVER
12/4 11 60.5 65 OVER
12/5 3 15.5 24 OVER
12/6 12 64 65 OVER
12/7 4 21.5 21 UNDER
12/8 3 15.5 16 OVER
12/9 10 55.5 54 UNDER
12/10 2 11.5 6 UNDER
12/11 10 54.5 58 OVER
12/12 4 21 23 OVER
12/13 13 69 73 OVER
12/14 3 16.5 12 UNDER
12/15 3 16 20 OVER
12/16 11 58 57 UNDER
12/17 3 - - -
12/18 7 - - -

NHL Preview: Oilers (7-19) at Sharks (17-11)

Date: December 18, 2014 10:30 PM EDT

The San Jose Sharks have recovered from a mediocre start with a strong eight-game run, and their only loss in that span is starting to look worse and worse.

It came against the Edmonton Oilers, who haven't won since while scoring on occasion.

The teams meet in San Jose on Thursday night for the third time in 12 days with the Sharks primed to match a season-best four-game winning streak.

That run began Dec. 9 with a 5-2 home win over the Oilers (7-19-6) after a 2-1 loss in Edmonton two nights earlier. The surge continued with a 2-0 win Saturday against Nashville that extended their home win streak to six on the third date of a five-game homestand.

The Sharks (17-11-4) got a goal and an assist from Joe Thornton, who has three straight multipoint games and five in his last seven against the Oilers.

Joe Pavelski had an assist against the Predators and scored twice in last week's win over Edmonton, giving him five goals and three assists in his last four in the series.

Antti Niemi made 18 of his 29 saves in the third to get his second shutout of the season after missing the previous three games. Niemi sat out the game in Edmonton, then was hit by a puck in practice and missed the next two.

"I thought he was very sharp when he needed to be," coach Todd McLellan said. "His week hasn't been easy. He gets injured, misses some starts, comes into a game like that and really doesn't get tested until the third period. He was able to stay in it mentally and physically, and made some saves in the third when we needed them."

Niemi has won his last five starts with a 2.20 goals-against average and is 4-0-1 with a 2.13 GAA against the Oilers in San Jose.

The Sharks have allowed seven goals in their last five games, which doesn't bode well for an Edmonton club that has dropped four straight at the Shark Tank.

After Tuesday's 2-1 overtime loss in Arizona, the Oilers are 1-11-5 dating to Nov. 11. They're 0-4-1 since beating the Sharks to earn their only victory against the Western Conference (1-15-5).

The loss to the Coyotes was interim coach Todd Nelson's first game since replacing Dallas Eakin, and captain Andrew Ference said the focus hasn't shifted.

"I think everybody was trying to put solid games under their belts, not missing their assignments. Making sure we're still concentrating on cleaning up the defensive zone and opportunities against. That's still a focus, whether it was last week or this week," Ference told the team's official website. "When we were sound in our own end it created more offense for us and a better game for us."

Ben Scrivens was certainly a bright spot with 42 saves. Over his last three appearances, he's 0-1-1 with a 1.11 GAA.

He was also in goal for both games against the Sharks last week, and the win was the only time he hasn't allowed five goals in his last four against them. He's 1-3-0 with a 4.04 GAA in that time.

The Oilers have scored 18 goals in 13 games, which includes a 3-for-32 stretch on the power play. The Sharks' penalty kill is 19 for 21 over their 7-1-0 stretch.

Edmonton's scoring issues include a four-game streak without a point for Jordan Eberle, but the forward has nine points on a six-game streak against San Jose.

David Perron has also gone four without marking the scoresheet, but he scored in both games against the Sharks.

Taylor Hall hasn't scored in 10 games for the longest drought in his career.

Avalanche look to end losing skid, increase scoring
Justin Hartling

The Colorado Avalanche are 1-5 in their last six games and have been outscored 23-14 during those contests. The Avs are averaging a mere 2.3 goals per game during that span, which is only slightly worse than their 2.5 gpg for the entire season.

Goaltending has not been much better though, as Colorado ranks No.28 in goals against this season.

Colorado will travel to Pittsburgh Thursday.

NBA Preview: Thunder (12-13) at Warriors (21-3)

Date: December 18, 2014 10:30 PM EDT

The NBA-leading Golden State Warriors are looking to start a new winning streak after coming up short for the first time in five weeks.

Doing so won't be easy with Kevin Durant and the surging Oklahoma City Thunder coming to town.

The Warriors try to snap Oklahoma City's seven-game run as the Western Conference heavyweights square off Thursday night.

"It's another game in the regular season for us to get better," Durant told the Thunder's official website. "They're a great team and the No. 1 team in the West right now. We have our work cut out for us. ... It should be a fun matchup."

The Warriors (21-3) are surely eager to get back on the court after their franchise-best 16-game winning streak ended in Tuesday's 105-98 defeat at Memphis. Golden State, which hadn't lost since falling 113-100 to San Antonio on Nov. 11, was limited to 41.1 percent shooting for its second-worst mark this season.

"We understand it was a nice run and something the franchise has never done before," guard Stephen Curry said. "It's put us in a good position to take a tough loss like we did tonight and keep moving. We'll be all right. It was fun while it lasted."

Curry totaled 63 points in the previous two games before scoring 19 on 9-of-25 shooting, including 1 of 10 from 3-point range. Golden State made 11 of 12 free throws, setting a season low for attempts.

"We won 16 games in a row, and that's hard to come by," forward Draymond Green said. "It doesn't happen every day. It was a great streak. Streaks are made to be broken. We can't expect to win 60 games in a row."

The Warriors took the first meeting with the Thunder 91-86 on Nov. 23 with Durant and Russell Westbrook out with injuries. Marreese Speights scored a season-high 28 points off the bench to lift Golden State, which was limited to 35.5 percent from the floor.

Oklahoma City has won 13 of the past 18 matchups. Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 63 points in the previous meeting Jan. 17, but Durant scored a career-high 54 in a 127-121 home victory.

Oklahoma City (12-13) has predictably gotten on track with its two best players back on the court. Westbrook is averaging 27.8 points and 50.9 percent shooting in nine games since returning from a fractured right hand.

Durant (fractured foot) is still rounding back into superstar form, averaging 21.5 points - down from his career mark of 27.3 - in eight games since debuting.

The Thunder stayed hot with Tuesday's 104-92 victory over Sacramento, their fourth consecutive road win. Westbrook scored 32 points and Durant added 26 as Oklahoma City retook control after blowing a 16-point lead.

The Thunder have limited opponents to 93.1 points and 40.2 percent shooting during their seven-game run.

"We just stayed poised because we've been there before. It's not our first time," Durant said. "We've just been trying to get better every single day. I can't keep preaching that enough. Defensively we've been locking in."

The 26-year-old Durant became the second-youngest player to surpass 15,000 points. He's averaging 30.8 against the Warriors for his second-highest mark against any team.

The Thunder will again be without rookie forward Mitch McGary, who's expected to miss at least two weeks due to inflammation in his left tibia. He played seven minutes in his NBA debut against Phoenix on Sunday after working his way back from a fractured foot.

David Lee (hamstring) and Andrew Bogut (knee tendinitis) are out for Golden State, which has won six straight and eight of nine at home.

Joakim Noah says he'll play Thursday

Bulls All-Star center Joakim Noah says he will play Thursday night against the New York Knicks after missing the past four games because of lingering issues with his ankle and knee. Noah, who is still recovering from offseason knee surgery, initially sprained his right ankle on Dec.

Bulls defense faltering at home this season
Justin Hartling

The Chicago Bulls have posted a 7-2 over/under record at home this season. The Bulls are allowing an average of 103 points at the United Center, which is a full four points higher than their season average.

Offensively, Chicago has averaged a slightly higher amount of 105 points.

The Bulls host the New York Knicks Thursday.

Rockets no weaker on no days rest
Justin Hartling

The Houston Rockets are 5-1 straight up and against the spread when they play without a days rest this season. The Rockets have been topping their opponents by a mere three points in those contests though.

Houston has also managed to hold opponents to double-digits points in four of those six games.

The Rockets will welcome the New Orleans Pelicans Thursday.

See spot. See spot bet: This week's best spot bet opportunities
By BEN BURNS

Spot bets are classic handicapping practices that have proven profitable no matter what sport you're betting. Whether it's a team looking past this week's opponent, one coming off a hard-fought victory, or a rough patch of schedule, bettors can find value picking their spots. Ben Burns points out his favorites:

Lookahead spot

The Toronto Raptors aren’t home for the holidays this season, kicking off a six-game road trip that extends into the New Year in Chicago Monday. The Raptors play the Bulls, then have some time off for Christmas before picking back up in L.A. on December 27. But before Toronto escapes the cold Canadian winter for stops in Los Angeles, Denver, Portland, Golden State and Phoenix, it hosts the New York Knicks at the Air Canada Centre this Sunday.

It’s a tough spot for the Dinos, who not only look ahead to Monday’s date in the Windy City, but will undoubtedly have plenty of players trying to organize their holiday plays before this home game. Toronto plays in Detroit Friday then has a day off before Sunday’s contest against the Knicks – not a lot of time to fit in family and basketball.

Letdown spot

You’ve done it. You’ve made the grade and been rewarded with a nice year-end bonus and a bowl game. The UTEP Miners are enjoying this warm fuzzy feeling for the first time since 2010, snapping a five-year bowl drought with a spot in the New Mexico Bowl against Utah State on Dec. 20 – the opening weekend of college football’s bowl season.

The Miners are 10-point underdogs – one of three double-digit bowl dogs – and for good reason. Texas El Paso, which scrapes in bowl season on a 7-5 SU record (9-3 ATS), is 1-5 SU away from home and went 3-3 ATS on the road, compared to a perfect 6-0 ATS mark at home. The Miners punched their ticket to the postseason with a thrilling 3-point victory over Middle Tennessee in the season finale and may be just happy to finally be bowling come Saturday.

Schedule spot

The St. Mary’s Gaels are putting some miles on their frequent flyer card this month. The Gaels just returned from Omaha, Nebraska with an OT win over Creighton and host Northern Arizona in Moraga Tuesday before jumping on other plane, crossing the country for a showdown with the St. John’s Red Storm in New York City Friday.

St. Mary’s is scheduled to play the Johnnies at Carnesecca Arena for a 7 p.m. ET start – 4 p.m. back home in California. The Gaels have played outside of the Golden State just once this season – at Creighton – and only went as far East as Minnesota last season, losing to the Golden Gophers in the NIT. It's been a very long time since St. Mary's made a trip this far away from home. The Red Storm are one of the hottest teams in college hoops and will have a heavy home-court edge Friday.

College Basketball Betting: TOP-25 from a Vegas Perspective
Scott Spreitzer

MOST OVERRATED RANKED TEAM: Villanova Wildcats

Jay Wright's team is out of the gates with a bang, ranked 7th in this week's AP Top-25 and off to a 10-0 SU start. We believe they should be ranked in the 15-20 range and here are some reasons backing it up: The schedule has been less than daunting. The Wildcats, according to KenPom are playing the nation's 209th ranked non-conference schedule. Their biggest win came against VCU, who got off to a mediocre 5-3 SU start and are a 2-OT win over Northern Iowa from suffering four losses in eight games. Villanova's 60-55 win over Michigan on November 25 means little with the Wolverines in a current 3-game losing skid, suffering losses to NJIT, Eastern Michigan, and Arizona. In fact, with the way Michigan has played of late, the 5-point win may take more from Villanova's resume than adding to it.

Phil Booth gives the team about 12 minutes per game, but only seven other players see more time on the floor than he does. The Cats own a 3-guard tandem at the top of their scoring charts, with Dylan Ennis leading the way at just over 12 ppg. They don't have a true go-to-guy on the offensive end and I do believe it'll cost them on occasion this season. And look who's next – a date on December 20 with Syracuse. The Orange may not be at their typical level at this point, but they will be looking for a signature, jump-starting win and could give Villanova more than they can handle, especially when Syracuse is on the defensive end of the floor. Of course, that game is a couple days away from the time of this post and we'll wait for the line to see if we get involved. But the point is, at 7th in the AP rankings, Villanova is our most overrated team in this week's rankings.


MOST UNDERRATED TEAM: Gonzaga Bulldogs

It's often tough to call a top-10 ranked team underrated, but we believe the Gonzaga Bulldogs could lay claim to being the fourth best team in college basketball. Only Kentucky, Duke, and Arizona, rank higher than the Zags in our power ratings. And Gonzaga “just missed” in a 66-63 OT loss in Tucson on December 6.

This may be Mark Few's best team yet in Spokane. The Bulldogs can go nine-deep and have six players averaging between 17.5 ppg and 9.2 ppg. Of course, Kevin Pangos directs traffic on a team that scores 85.5 ppg with the nation's 2nd best shooting percentage of 54.3. They're just as tough on the defensive end, holding teams to less than 39% shooting, while out-scoring the opposition by an average of more than 25 ppg thus far.

We should note that Gonzaga is not afraid of all-comers. They beat a very good St. John's team at Madison Square Garden. And by the way, the 7-point win remains the only loss thus far on the Red Storm's schedule. The Zags whipped UCLA 87-74 at Pauley Pavilion, and as mentioned, came just short in Tucson against Arizona.

Besides (PG) Pangos, Gonzaga can be dominant up front with Domantas Sabonis, Przemek Karnowski, and leading scorer Kyle Wiltjer, along with the extremely deep backcourt. After a home game against Cal Poly this weekend, the Bulldogs take on BYU in Provo on Saturday, December 27. That may be a very nice spot to back the road team Zags, quite possibly under-valued, thanks to BYU's home court history. For now, Gonzaga is this week's most underrated ranked team.


UNRANKED “SNUBBED” TEAM: Northern Iowa

The gang from Cedar Falls came close to being installed as my “Snubbed” team two weeks ago. But here they are, sporting a 9-1 SU mark with their only loss coming in OT to VCU, finally making the list. Like usual, the Panthers don't have a plethora of scorers. In fact, just two players average in double figures. But the team is once again fundamentally sound and play a fierce brand of basketball on the defensive end where they allow just 59 ppg.

Ben Jacobsen is able to employ tough defense because he has recruited the perfect players for his style. No less than nine players average at least 15 minutes played per game and not a single player clocks as much as 29 minutes of action. And while they're known for lower scoring games, the Panthers can shoot the rock, making 48% of their FGA, while canning 38.5% of their 3-pointers.

This is team-workaholic and their next opponent, the Iowa Hawkeyes better be careful on Saturday. UNI hasn't faced the Hawkeyes since an 80-73 loss to the Hawkeyes in December of 2012, getting out-scored 26-14 at the FT line...more than the difference in the game. But the game means a lot to Jacobsen's troops and the Northern Iowa program has split the last four games with their “big brothers” from the Big-10. Iowa has their issues on the offensive end and we may jump in with Northern Iowa in this weekend's clash. The Northern Iowa Panthers can get into the top-25 with a win on Saturday. For now, they are this week's snubbed team. Good luck! Scott Spreitzer

Handicapped by Chatsworth Consortium at Dover Downs

Always check program numbers.
Odds shown are morning line odds.


Race 14 - Post: 8:50 - 1 mile. PACE - Class Rating: 89 - Purse:$8000 - HORSES/COLTS/GELDINGS NON WINNERS $9,001 IN LAST 6 STARTS THAT ARE NON WINNERS $60,001 IN 2014


CONSORTIUM CHOICES


Chatsworth Consortium

# 3 ONLY THE LONELY 6/5


# 4 TAURANGA 3/1


# 1 ERIDANUS N 6/1

Hard not to lean toward ONLY THE LONELY as the top play in this event. His 91 avg has this horse among the most competitive speed ratings here. A respectable class horse can't be glossed over. With an average class stat of 91 all signs point to yes. Certainly did like this horse's last race. Ran a big 91 TrackMaster SR. Major player. TAURANGA - Not many knocks against this interesting entrant, let's give him a shot. ERIDANUS N - He has been performing sharply and the speed figures are among the strongest in the group of horses. Kirby and Hundertpfund have a respectable working relationship. Amazing results from their contests.

Handicapped by Chatsworth Consortium at Maywood Park

Always check program numbers.
Odds shown are morning line odds.


Race 9 - Post: 9:50 - 1 mile. PACE - Class Rating: 71 - Purse:$3300 - NON-WINNERS OF 4 RACES OR $17,500 LIFETIME TO BE CLAIMED FOR $8,000


CONSORTIUM CHOICES


Chatsworth Consortium

# 5 STANDINGARTFECTION 12/1


# 7 ELECTRIC INTENSITY 5/2


# 1 MANNY'S Z TAM 3/1


STANDINGARTFECTION will have you running to the cashier's window today and the morning line makes this a dynamite value bet. Has a huge shot in this contest, if he can race to his back racing class. Should be considered here if only for the very good TrackMaster speed fig achieved in the most recent contest. Have to give the nod to a nice horse coming out of the Maywood Park 5 hole. The win percent is excellent, way above normal. ELECTRIC INTENSITY - Had one of the most competitive TrackMaster Speed Ratings of the group of animals in his last competition. I'd recommend using in your wagers. The handicapping team has Warren on its list of drivers who are winning with a flourish lately. Last 30 days win figure is stellar. MANNY'S Z TAM - Some trainers just fit better with certain contenders. That seems to be the case right here with Mc Caffrey. A really strong bet.