NBA Games of the Week
Slow week (you’ll recognize a theme here) but Christmas Day always brings some awesome match ups so next week’s edition will be a lot more meaty.
Tuesday, December 19: Cleveland at Milwaukee (8:00 PM EST, NBATV)
NBA Power Rankings (Last Week’s Rankings in Parentheses)
1. Golden State Warriors (1)
2. Houston Rockets (2)
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (4)
4. Boston Celtics (3)
5. San Antonio Spurs (5)
6. Toronto Raptors (6)
7. Minnesota Timberwolves (9)
8. Washington Wizards (8)
9. Denver Nuggets (NR)
10. Detroit Pistons (10)
NHL Games of the Week
The NHL “Christmas break” starts on Sunday and lasts through the 27th so not a whole lot going on.
Matty D’s NHL Power Rankings
1. Tampa Bay: The Bolts are ahead of the rest of the league by a wide margin at this point of the season. They are staying healthy and the wins keep on coming in. Make it seven straight for Tampa.
2. Nashville: Bridgestone Arena will keep the same namesake through 2025, which is good news. They hold an 11-2-2 record at home at their historically friendly confines.
3. St Louis: The Blues are going through the injury bug with league leading +/- player Jaden Schwartz being place on IR. They need to weather the storm to stay near the top of the standings in the ultra competitive Central Division.
4. Washington: The Caps are looking forward to the return of forward TJ Oshie. He missed six straight with a concussion but has been cleared and reactivated off of IR.
5. Winnipeg: The Jets are coming off a two game, back to back with STL that saw them get blanked on night one and then return the favor with a shutout of their own on night two.
6. Vegas: Well, almost half way through the season and the Knights are hanging around…
7. Los Angeles: The Kings of old are continuing to play their stingy style that isn’t necessarily the most entertaining but then again, sitting at home come playoff time isn’t either.
8. Chicago: Here comes the Hawks. Winners of five straight and it looks like Patrick Kane is starting to hit his stride. The rest of the Central better be on watch.
9. Columbus: Brandon Dubinsky broke his orbital bone in a fight with Edmonton’s Zack Kassian, the forward is slated to miss six to eight weeks.
10. Toronto: The Leafs have a home game vs Carolina before heading on a five game roadie. It would be nice to get a W before leaving the great white north.
College Basketball Games of the Week
Slooow weak in college basketball but conference play starts up in the New Year so stay tuned.
Mark
