January 10, 2021 Results:
What we got right:
College Basketball:
Notre Dame at #19 Virginia Tech - The Hokies held the Fighting Irish to 21 points in the second half in the 77-63 win on Sunday. After being behind 42-35 at halftime, Virginia Tech put the clamps on Notre Dame. For the whole game Notre Dame shot just 38% from the field and 26% from three. Virginia Tech, like Virginia, takes pride in their defense and this will be a game they talk about as they put on a clinic in the second half.
Maryland at #12 Illinois - We were right in saying that Maryland was going to cover but wrong in saying that they were going to lose. The Terrapins held off Illinois 66-63, earning a huge conference road win. The Big Ten has a lot of firepower at the top, but what makes them the best league in the country is their depth. On any given night anyone, except Nebraska, can beat anyone else.
NBA:
Utah at Detroit - Utah didn’t shoot the lights out like we expected in this game. The went 11-35 from beyond the arc, but it didn’t matter because their defense was outstanding. The Jazz held the Piston to 33% shooting in the 96-86 win. Utah is a balanced, well coached team. They can win games with their offense or their defense on any given night.
Oklahoma City at Brooklyn - Kevin Durant returned and scored 36 points, but it wasn’t enough for the Nets, as they lost to the Thunder 129-116. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points in the victory, leading six Thunder players in double figures. The Nets outrebounded the Thunder by ten, shot 50% from the field, and still lost. You won’t find many games where that will happen.
Denver at New York - The Denver Nuggets reached .500 for the first time this season, beating the Knicks in New York 114-89. Julius Randle had 29 points and 10 rebounds in the loss, his eighth consecutive double double. He was the lone bright spot for the Knicks, as they drop to 5-5 this season. Nikola Jokic had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the victory for the Nuggets.
Los Angeles Lakers at Houston - The Lakers improved to 8-3 on the young season with a 120-102 victory over the Rockets. Los Angeles overmatched Houston, out rebounding them 60-51 and forcing 21 turnovers. Anthony Davis led the way with 27 points for the Lakers, while Christian Wood paced the Rockets with 23 points in the loss.
San Antonio at Minnesota - The Timberwolves finally snapped their seven game losing streak with a 96-88 victory over the Spurs. Like we predicted, the Spurs didn’t have enough gas playing their second night in a row. San Antonio scored just 39 points in the second half, and were outscored by 11 points in the fourth quarter alone.
Toronto at Golden State - Steph Curry had one of his worst games as a pro, but it didn’t matter as the Warriors beat the Raptors 106-105. Curry went just 2-16 from the field, including 1-10 from three, but Damion Lee hit two clutch free throws with three seconds left to give the Warriors the win. The Raptors start continues to confuse us, as they now drop to 2-7 with the loss.
NFL:
Chicago at New Orleans - The Saints held the Bears to 239 total yards in the 21-9 win on Sunday. Chicago had eleven first downs and seven punts in this game. The only reason why the score was as close as it finished was because Jimmie Graham scored a touchdown on the last play of the game for the Bears. In fact, 99 of those 239 yards the Bears got were on the final drive, when the game was already decided. Drew Brees went 28-39 for 265 yards in the victory, but most importantly did not turn the ball over. New Orleans now hosts Tampa Bay in the Divisional Round while the Bears go home and try to improve on an offense that looked anemic in the loss.
What we got wrong:
College Basketball:
#16 Minnesota at #5 Iowa - Ten points was not too big of a spread it appears, as Luka Garza scored 33 points in leading the Hawkeyes to an 86-71 victory over the Golden Gophers. That is Minnesota’s second bad defeat in a row, after losing by 25 to Michigan earlier in the week. The Golden Gophers have started out strong only to fade in years past. They need to turn it around now to avoid the same fate.
NBA:
Chicago at Los Angeles Clippers - Looks like the Clippers weren’t as pissed off as we thought they would be after a double digit loss to the Warriors earlier in the week. Los Angeles won, but has major questions about their defense as they allowed Zach Lavine to torch them for 45 points. The 13-127 win for Los Angeles did nothing to prove to us that they have the fortitude to lock down and just play when times are tough.
NFL:
Baltimore at Tennessee - The Ravens exercised some demons in knocking out the Titans, a year after Tennessee came into Baltimore and knocked them off. The question we asked was if the Ravens could keep Derrick Henry in check. They held the rushing champ to 40 yards on 18 carries. That is getting the job done. Lamar did most of his damage on the ground, rushing for 136 yards and one of the prettiest touchdowns you will see this season. The Ravens now head to Buffalo for a Divisional clash against the Bills.
Cleveland at Pittsburgh - When you score a defensive touchdown on the first play of the game it is probably going to be your night. That is what the Browns did to the Steelers, leading the way for a 48-37 win. Cleveland raced off to a 28-0 lead after the end of the first quarter as Pittsburgh turned the ball over two more times. The game got interesting late in the third quarter, after a Pittsburgh touchdown made it 35-23. Baker Mayfield and the Browns immediately ended all thoughts of a collapse with a touchdown drive right after. The Browns now head to Kansas City to play the #1 seeded Chiefs, and have to be flying high.
* Please note that the Boston Celtics - Miami Heat matchup was postponed because of Covid concerns within the Miami organization.