Fresh off a near record-setting comeback win against the Chiefs in the wild card round, the Colts now shift their focus to humbling the playoff savvy Patriots. Meanwhile, the Chargers are in search of their first playoff win since 2009 when they visit the top-seeded Broncos on Sunday.
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NBA – Knicks Cool Down Heat
The Knicks continued their resurgence with a 102-92 win against the defending champions, Miami. Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks’ by pouring on 29 points and adding 8 rebounds and 5 assists. The Knicks have now won four of their last five games.
NCAAB – Arizona Holds Off Rally, Beat UCLA
Top ranked Arizona managed to stave off the hot rally of UCLA and escaped with a close 79-75 win. The Wildcats have now tied their school record for the best start to the season with 16-0 SU.
NBA – Nuggets Humble Visiting Thunder
For the second night in a row, Randy Foye heated up the court hitting six 3-pointers on his way to a season high of 24 points as the Nuggets trounce the visiting Thunder 101-88.
Top Bet Games to Bet On
Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots (January 11, 8:15 PM ET)
No other team was talked about more this week than the Indianapolis Colts who accomplished a dramatic comeback in their wild card game vs. the Chiefs.
Down by 28 early in the third quarter, the Colts were staring at an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Kansas City. The Chiefs had a handicap after seeing star running back Jamaal Charles taken out of the game in the first quarter due to injury, but in Andrew Luck they trust.
Luck partnered with receiver T.Y. Hilton to take Indianapolis out of the brink of elimination. Luck was perfect with 4-of-4 completed passes to Hilton in the second half. This helped Hilton set a new franchise record with 13 receptions, the most by a Colt in any single playoff game. The Colts are 4-0 SU and ATS in their last four games overall.
Tom Brady and the Patriots are back in the playoffs for the fourth straight season and ninth time since 2003. The Patriots have secured their playoff spot despite being hobbled by numerous injuries of their key players throughout the season.
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Though Brady is still the heart of the Patriots, the team’s running game can’t be overlooked. Running back Stevan Ridley and LeGarrette Blount have unfailingly carried the ball for the Pats. Both RBs have near identical production on the ground with Ridley topping the team with 773 yards and 7 TDs and Blount with 772 yards and 7 TDs.
The Patriots are 8-0 SU in their last eight home games and 6-1 ATS in the last seven at Foxborough. If recent trends carry weight, then the Colts will be hard pressed to win at Gillette Stadium.
San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos (January 12, 4:40 PM ET)
Don’t ask the Chargers if they are wary of the Broncos’ home field advantage in the AFC divisional round. Instead, look at the two recent wins for San Diego – both on the road as a the underdog and you’ll get the idea.
Just last month, Philip Rivers and crew dealt the Broncos its first home loss since September of 2012. Three weeks later, the Chargers blasted Cincinnati (W 27-10) on the road in a wild card match-up. Recall that the Bengals were undefeated at home in both the regular season and straight-up against the spread.
If there is a team this season that could be the Kryptonite to Denver’s Superman, there’s a pretty good chance that its San Diego. We can call that Kryptonite, but the Chargers prefer to call it defense. Though the Chargers were beaten by Denver in Week 10 (L 28-20), they are the only team that has kept the godly Broncos offense to below 30 points – twice.
The Chargers are 3-0 SU and ATS in their last three trips to Denver.
Peyton Manning and the Broncos have set NFL records this season, and want to set the record straight that San Diego isn’t on their level.
Beaten by San Diego at home in Week 15, the Broncos know that the Chargers are confident in their chances of winning. Even the betting public is into some kind of frenzy for betting on the Chargers. The betting lines opened with the Broncos favored to win by 10 points. It has since gone down to nine points, which means bettors are investing a lot on Philip Rivers and the Chargers.
It remains undeniable that the Broncos are fully capable of dumping a large sum of points on any opponent, especially with the return of one of the team’s most potent weapons, Wes Welker. With Welker back in the lineup, Manning will have a complete set of targets.
The Broncos, No. 1 in the NFL in passing yards (340.3) and scoring (37.9 PPG) broke the league’s all-time record in a single-season scoring by being the first team to surpass the 600-point mark (606 points). Manning also set a new season record with 5,477 passing yards and 55 TD passes.
The Broncos are 4-1 SU and ATS in their last five games overall.
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