NBA Props for Thursday Nov. 16: Light slate, but heavy on the action
Once again we lost a play last night. Kyrie Irving did not play for the Mavs and given it was Tim Hardaway who led them in scoring not Luka Doncic, maybe we were robbed. Maybe!
Nevertheless, it was another winning day with a 2-1 record overall.
Tonight it is a typical Thursday with just a couple of games on the schedule: Brooklyn at Miami and Oklahoma City against shorthanded Golden State.
Let’s pluck out some winners.
Results to Date: 22-28, +97 Units (so close to 100 units … again)
NBA Props for Thursday, November 16
Dennis Smith Jr. Over 2.5 Rebounds (+140)
Who? What? Smith is a reserve guard, but he is averaging about 20 mpg. He has a bit less competition with Cam Thomas out and has been effective in giving the second unit some energy. He has at least three rebounds in his last three games too, making this a great payoff for a fairly normal occurrence.
Spencer Dinwiddie 18+ Points (+170) Alt Line
Dinwiddie has had a sneaky productive career. He scored 28 points in his last game and the matchup against Miami (primarily Kyle Lowry) is a good one for him to have another high-scoring game. Maybe not that high but he can be very effective. He is shooting it as well from deep this season as he ever has.
Andrew Wiggins 18+ Points (+175) Alt line
Wiggins is not off to a good start, but other than Steph Curry, nobody on the Warriors is. Curry is out tonight and so is Draymond Green so they are going to be leaning on Wiggins even more than ever. Oklahoma City has a strong wing defender in Lu Dort but I think he might spend more time on the ball to make sure that Chris Paul does not dice up the Thunder too much. Wiggins has lots of appealing alt lines tonight but I went with points.
Jalen Williams Over 1.5 Three Pointers +180
When these teams met earlier in the month Williams did not attempt a three. He did shred the Warriors inside the arc shooting 8 for 12. In five games since he has twice made more than one three-pointer in a game and I think Golden State will be more inclined to have him prove he can make an outside shot and sag off SGA, who missed that game. That price is hard to beat.
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NBA
Nick Nurse addresses speculation on alleged Kelly Oubre Jr. hit-and-run
Some speculation has emerged regarding the alleged hit-and-run that wounded Philadelphia 76ers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse is not listening to any of the outside noise. Oubre was reportedly struck by a vehicle and suffered serious injuries that will likely keep him out for a significant amount of time. Details of the incident can be found here. However, the Philadelphia Police Department revealed that there remains no video or photographic evidence that the accident happened at the time and place Oubre stated. Nurse was asked about the report that put Oubre’s account into question prior to the 76ers’ Wednesday contest against the Boston Celtics. The Sixers coach did not see any logical reason as to why Oubre would fabricate a story. “I don’t think it’s very fair to him to say that he made up some story,” Nurse said, per the Associated Press (h/t NBA News). “I just don’t. I’m going to believe him at his word. He’s one of our players and we’re going to stand behind him. And so am I. … I don’t have any reason not to believe him.” A video has surfaced that showed Oubre returning to his apartment seemingly in pain and out of breath. But there is still no footage of the alleged incident itself. Oubre was averaging 16.3 points and 5.1 rebounds a game on 50% shooting from the field over the 76ers’ first eight games. Oubre has started five games.
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NFL
Julian Edelman admits to being totally wrong about one NFL QB
Former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman offered up a public apology to one quarterback on Thursday. In an appearance on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” Edelman admitted he was wrong about Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud coming out of the NFL Draft. Edelman said he held Stroud’s status as an Ohio State quarterback against him given the program’s previous failures to produce leading NFL signal-callers. “I want to apologize to C.J. Stroud because as soon as he got drafted I was sitting there like, oh, another Ohio State quarterback, we’ve already seen this a few times,” Edelman said. “When you play at a school like that, you have the best players, so it’s hard to evaluate that position. It was very surprising to me, but they’ve done a good job of keeping things simple. They’ve done a good job of playcaller-to-quarterback relationship where it seems like he always knows where to go with the football.” Edelman was hardly the only Stroud skeptic prior to the draft. The Texans rookie was the subject of some negative reports and faced questions about poor test scores. So far, Stroud has quite thoroughly proved his critics wrong. Through nine games, he has thrown for 2,626 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions, and the Texans are a surprising 5-4 because of it.
After fierce denials, why did Michigan pass on its day in court?
NFL
Doug Pederson explains how Trevor Lawrence is holding Jaguars offense back
One season after ranking 10th in the NFL in both total offense and scoring offense, the Jacksonville Jaguars have regressed. While averaging 30 fewer yards and two fewer points per game this year may not seem like a such a big drop off, the Jags have scored 21 or fewer points in five of their nine games – including a combined 23 points in their last two outings. Their offensive ineptitude was front and center during the team’s 34-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. With some seeking answers for Jacksonville’s recent offensive struggles, head coach Doug Pederson said it’s actually because of quarterback Trevor Lawrence. “Sure, one of the things that we haven’t been able to do (much) because of Trevor’s condition with his knee is just move him a little bit more,” Pederson told reporters on Wednesday. “Sometimes, you can create things off of that, but he’s been limited that way. Play-action passes can be an opportunity to shoot the ball down the field on first or second down, the screen game — you’ve seen hit a little bit — those are ways to create some explosives (with Lawrence’s limited mobility).” Lawrence injured his knee in a 37-20 Week 6 win over the Indianapolis Colts. In the three games since, he has averaged 227 yards passing per outing and thrown two touchdowns to three interceptions. He’s also been sacked eight times. The 24-year-old QB has worn a brace on his knee since the injury occurred, but he seemed optimistic it’s finally beginning to heal and that he won’t be limited as much in what plays he can run. “[My knee is] feeling better,” Lawrence told reporters. “It’s finally getting to where I’m not going to really think about it as much and won’t be as much as an issue. I feel like I’m starting to move pretty fluid and it’s not bothering when I do much. … We’ve been able to protect it the last few weeks and I’m excited to hopefully finally get going and just play normal, move around, all that stuff.”
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Tennis
ATP Finals Day 6 Predictions Including Carlos Alcaraz vs Daniil Medvedev
The Green Group at the ATP Finals has been wrapped up on Thursday and now it’s time for the other four players to have their fate determined. In fact it’s just two as Daniil Medvedev is already through and Andrey Rublev can’t make the semifinals anymore. But Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev still have plenty to play for and even Medvedev can top the group or come second in it. Who do you think will win the last round robin ties? ATP Finals Day 6 Predictions Andrey Rublev vs Alexander Zverev Head-to-head: Zverev 5-4 Andrey Rublev has already been eliminated, but plenty of money and 200 points are still on offer for him. He caught a cold at the beginning of his week in Turin, which probably impacted his lackluster performances against both Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz. Alexander Zverev will need to win this match and hope that Medvedev defeats Alcaraz earlier, so by the time he comes out onto the court it might be all said and done for him too. The German loves these Turin courts and has already won this event in 2021 (also in 2018 when it was held in London). His performances so far have been better than anything he had done in the last few weeks. Expect him to keep overperforming. Prediction: Zverev in 3 Carlos Alcaraz vs Daniil Medvedev Head-to-head: 2-2 Daniil Medvedev has already qualified for the semifinals, while Carlos Alcaraz needs a win or some help from Andrey Rublev later in the day. Dead rubbers can be tricky to focus for but as we saw in the case of Jannik Sinner, the players would never allow themselves to give up and they fight for every match regardless of the stakes. There was a point in 2023 when this rivalry seemed heavily lopsided in Alcaraz’s favor, but Medvedev turned it around at the US Open. Some of the issues are still there with the Spaniard knowing how to abuse his opponent’s deep positioning, but it’s not going to be easy to utilize that on such a quick court. The serve edge for Medvedev will be more important as well. Prediction: Medvedev in 3
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MLB
Insiders update Phillies’ pursuit of pitching this offseason
Aaron Nola unsurprisingly rejected the Phillies’ one-year qualifying offer and is now on the open market in search of a long-term contract. The Phils haven’t been shy about their hope to bring him back, with president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski saying in an appearance on MLB Network’s “Hot Stove” that the team “loves” Nola and remains hopeful of workin
