Golden Globes and NFL Playoff Odds

The NFL will finish its Divisional Playoffs on Sunday afternoon, with Philadelphia at the Giants, and San Diego at Pittsburgh. Here’s your Daily Sports Roundup and the objective rundown of who is hot and who has the big plays.

The Gridiron Spotlight

The Giants and Eagles split their season series, with both teams winning on the road. The Giants (12-4 straight-up, 12-4 against-the-spread during the regular season) won 36-31 in Philadelphia in Week 10. The Eagles (9-6-1 SU, 10-6 ATS) grabbed a 20-14 win in New York in Week 14. Donovan McNabb threw for 191 yards and one TD in that victory, while Eli Manning was held to just 123 yards passing with a single TD strike. For Sunday afternoon the oddsmakers have set the Giants as a 4-point home favorite, while the total for the contest is 40 points.

The Steelers beat the Chargers 11-10 in their infamous meeting in San Diego back in Week 11, with a late Pittsburgh touchdown overturned and costing the team the cover. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 308 yards in that win, and Jeff Reed booted three field goals. Philip Rivers had just 159 yards passing in the loss, and was picked off twice by the Steelers defense. Pittsburgh went 12-4 SU and 9-7 ATS on the year, while San Diego finished the regular season at 8-8 SU and 7-8-1 ATS. The Steelers are 6-point favorites Sunday, with the total at 37.5.

Other Notable Events

Top-ranked Pittsburgh got past Georgetown 70-54 in their last outing, and they’ll be looking to secure their spot atop the rankings for another week with a win over St. John’s on Sunday afternoon (12:00pm ET tipoff). The Panthers are 14-0 SU and 6-3 ATS on the season, while the Red Storm sit at 10-4 SU and 4-4-1 ATS.

The big college hoops matchup on Sunday, though, sees No. 3 North Carolina heading to Winston-Salem for a game against No. 4 Wake Forest (8:00pm ET). The Tar Heels are 14-1 SU and 7-7 ATS on the season, while the Demon Deacons have posted records of 13-0 SU and 5-4 ATS. The only other Top-10 team in action on Sunday is No. 10 UCLA, who will play at USC at 10:30pm ET.

The Rest of the Schedule

The San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Clippers 106-84 on Thursday to move to 24-11 SU and 17-17-1 ATS on the season, and they’ll return to action on Sunday night with a home game against the Orlando Magic. A dozen other teams will take the court around the NBA on Sunday, including the Celtics on the road in Toronto in a 12:30pm ET tipoff. Rounding out the slate: Philadelphia at Atlanta, Phoenix at the Clippers, Indiana at Golden State, and Dallas at Sacramento, while Kobe Bryant and the Lakers will host Dwyane Wade’s Heat.

Rounding out the week’s schedule, the NHL offers up three games on Sunday. That slate includes Nashville at Chicago in the second of back-to-back games between the teams. That contest will get underway at 7:00pm ET. The other two games on the NHL docket: St.  Louis at Edmonton, and New Jersey at Anaheim.

A Peek at the Future

The NFL’s conference championships are scheduled for 3:00pm ET (NFC) and 6:30pm ET (AFC) next Sunday, with Super Bowl XLIII set for 6:00pm ET at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on February 1 . . . the Celtics will play host to the Raptors in NBA action on Monday night, while Greg Oden and the Blazers will visit Chicago . . . the NHL’s All-Star Break will get underway on January 22.

Golden Globes Betting

Sharp money is on Ron Howard and Frost/Nixon to be the long shot winner in either the Best Director or Best Motion Picture Drama. His anti-George Bush rants certainly endeared himself to the Hollywood elite which generally rewards for such.

Currently Danny Boyle is the favorite for both categories with his flick Slumdog Millionaire according to the entertainment and political betting odds. It’s -175 to win Best Picture followed by The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at +280 and Revolutionary Road at +375.

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