NBA Excitement: Clippers vs Thunder & Key Player Insights

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00:00sort of flip it over to the hardcourt tonight. Some really good games in the NBA, which includes

00:04the Clippers and the Thunder tonight. The FanDuel Sportsbook posting a nine and a half point favorite

00:08for the home team here, Oklahoma City, and a total that's now up to 218. Tom, any looks? Clippers,

00:12Thunder? Yeah, this game is obviously super exciting from just like a standings perspective.

00:17The star power SGA has been absolutely unbelievable for OKC as a late ball. Let's go to Jalen Williams

00:22under 20 and a half points. He's been over this mark one time in the last 10 games, one single

00:28time. So I'm just not going to be, I don't know, what is minus 115 I think on the over? It's slightly

00:32a little bit less on the under. I'm just going to be siding with what we've been seeing recently

00:35combined with the fact that the Clippers, their bottom 10 in offensive pace. This is an SGA-led

00:40offense and the other players can have big games at times. It's just not Jalen Williams right now.

00:45So when you look at OKC, 27 and 5, best record in the Western Conference,

00:49second best in the NBA, winners of 12 consecutive. Vecchio, we got to get the

00:54props from you though. And we call you the Jack of all trades. There's an NBA pick under Jalen

00:59Williams. Points, some action on the ice to start a new year that you can detail for us. And an early

01:05prop you would keep an eye on for the start of week number 18 in Pittsburgh. Yeah, it's gonna be

01:11Joe Burrow. The fact that Chase Brown didn't practice on Wednesday. We're waiting for an

01:14update on him. The Bengals that come with a 64.42 pass play percentage. That's the second highest

01:19in the league. It's a, they're just gonna put the ball in Burrow's hands. That's what it comes down

01:21to. And then on the ice, Kyle Connor, over three and a half shots on goal for the Winnipeg Jets

01:25tonight. He has 131 shots this season. It's the seventh most the entire league. And when we look

01:30at the Jets specifically, the next highest player on the Jets is 88. He has nearly 50 more shots

01:34than the next player. So we'll look there. I also specifically like the Ravens first half. They get

01:40out to a big lead first half spread. And then also the Texans first half, if they're starting

01:44their starters, they need to have some offensive consistency and momentum going into the playoff

01:48set. They're scoring two points last week. It's a really good point, Vecchio. It always is when

01:53you are here on the early line. Thank you very much. More of TEL up next. Live right here on the

01:59early line. We have talked so much college football on this Thursday, the National Football League

02:04entering week number 18. But one of the issues with the college football playoff about to reach

02:10the semifinal round and bowl season dwindling down to its final few games and the regular season

02:16finale weekend in the NFL. Football is coming to a close before we know it. But basketball and some

02:24hard hardwood hoops action is starting to ramp up, especially in college basketball conference

02:33action. Donnie's favorite time of the year really starting to get underway. We have seen the Big

02:39East already play multiple games in conference flow. We have also seen the Big 12 start their

02:45conference slate this week leading into a new year. And the Big Ten has played a few games

02:51in conference action. But now it's conference slates for the remainder of this season, including

02:58a couple of good ones on this Thursday evening. Yeah, it's a Big Ten battle now between Oregon

03:04and Illinois. Top 25 tilt out in Eugene as the number nine Oregon team led by its point guard

03:12Jackson Shelstad. And of course, longtime head coach Dana Altman is a four and a half point

03:17favorite against Brad Underwood and Illinois. One of the better games the IRS on this Thursday in

03:23college basketball. Yeah, it is. It is a pretty good game as it matches up. And some of these

03:27teams already have some games under the belt in conference. You know me, Ben, that sweet spot,

03:30give me six, give me seven, give me eight games in conference play. Then through the rest of the way,

03:34we got a really good look because I like like first like competition. Give me the teams that

03:38are going to be lined up with equal athletes on both sides. Then you can make it certainly an

03:42honest assessment. But if you're looking at the totality of the season, both of these teams, Ben,

03:46according to Ken Palm, top 25 in defensive efficiency, which is great to see. Also,

03:51take a look at Illinois, where they focus in. How about fourth in the country at defending

03:55the three point line ninth in the country at defending inside the arc? And also,

03:59if you're looking at turnover percentages here, they don't do that all that well,

04:02which is interesting, because typically, if you're turning the other team over,

04:05it's a little bit more helter skelter. They're actually settling into defense and playing

04:09fantastic defense. So for my money tonight, Illinois, with the slightly better defense.

04:13So therefore, earlier in the season, I'm going to lean towards the defensive team,

04:17which would be Illinois in this one. Interesting spot on the road. You will start to see a lot of

04:23these spreads in conference slate, not look like double digits, especially at the high major

04:29or power conference level. For instance, Minnesota's not a great basketball team this year

04:33under Ben Johnson in the Twin Cities, and yet is only getting six and a half

04:37from a Purdue team that did struggle in the tail end of its non-conference slate,

04:42but against some of the best programs in the power conference level. But home for advantage can be

04:47wonky and every single conference certainly is in Big Ten hoops. Indiana, four and a half point

04:52favorite against Minnesota in uneasy season for IU and Mike Woodson, despite some early season

05:00optimism, Penn State off to a great second year under Mike Rhodes, laying five and a half tonight

05:07at home against Northwestern Gonzaga in Portland, also a conference game, 34 and a half in favor of

05:13the Zags, FAU in Memphis, two solid programs out of the American, the Owls three and a half point

05:19favorite in Boca Raton. Let's get to some NBA action on this Thursday. Listen, you know, I

05:26love our producer, Joe Friese. I think he does sensational work. I don't know if I agree with

05:31this headline, DRS, and I want to get your thoughts. Finals preview? Listen, the Celtics, absolutely,

05:38right? 24 and 9, reigning NBA champs, second best team in the Eastern Conference, only behind the

05:44NBA's best at Cleveland Cavaliers. I understand the Timberwolves played in the Western Conference

05:50Finals last year, still had a shorter price to win the Western Conference this year. It's a

05:56Minnesota team that's really been flirt with .500 all season long, 17 and 15. I'm not sure that

06:02Anthony Edwards and the T-Wolves deserve that billing, just by two cents. No, you're right

06:07about it. I mean, what's next? We're going to use Midwest preview in this one or Midwest, you know,

06:10tilt in this game, Minnesota up there and Boston there, but I guess when you're looking for Boston

06:15in total talent, you know they have the top picture there. If you're looking at the estimated

06:18starting lineup, poor Zingas is actually supposed to be back tonight for the Celtics, so full gas

06:23Celtics team, they're hard to pass up because if you say to yourself, Ben, the old adage,

06:27who do you think wins this game? Oh, I think the Celtics win it, but Minnesota covers, it's four,

06:31stop it. Just pick the winner here. I think it's going to be the Celtics. They should win in cover.

06:36It actually seems like a shorter line, perhaps, than you would expect. Boston has been a favorite

06:41in 32 of 34 games this year, 32 of 35, I should say. They haven't been great covering numbers as

06:47of late. 13 and 19 against the spread. Six game NBA slate on this Thursday that does feature

06:55a Midwest matchup, something I also hate because the game is in Oklahoma City. Don't consider the

07:00state of Oklahoma in the Midwest. Hate all these headlines. What's next? East versus West

07:05out in San Francisco? Oh, would you look at that? The Sixers and the Warriors there. Golden State

07:12struggling by the way, as of late.

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