Sports Picks And Analysis-ESPN Streak For The Cash, January 27

In one of the best Streak for the Cash picks, The Oklahoma City Thunder roll into LA today to take on the Lakers. The Thunder will be led by forward Kevin Durant (35) and guard Russell Westbrook (0). Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Even without the NFL, ESPN Streak for the Cash has plenty of options on this Sunday, January 27. There’s early soccer picks from England and Africa and then plenty of hoops and hockey for the rest of the day. Tiger Woods’ prop from yesterday’s postponed round 3 has been rescheduled for today and tomorrow’s Monday finish at the Farmers Insurance Open will give us even more options tomorrow. Before that though, here’s the picks I like the most on this action-packed Sunday.

1/27 Streak Picks

9:00- Tottenham Hotspur: The Spurs are heavily favored as they go on the road to face off with Leeds who is currently mid-table in the Championship League (the league below EPL). Tottenham has the better team and is expected to play enough regulars to get the win here. Confidence Meter: 6

12:00- Cape Verde win or Draw: Cape Verde has surprised in the Afica Cup playing close matches with South Africa and Morocco that ended in draws. Angola has struggled to a draw against Morocco and a 2-0 loss to South Africa. I’m not entirely sure why Cape Verde is getting the draw since they’ve played better than Angola, but I think they’re a good pick getting it. Confidence Meter: 5

12:10- 68 or more: Here’s what I wrote about this prop yesterday. Tiger shot a 68 in round one on the South Course which he plays on today. He torched the Torrey Pines North Course yesterday, but a 68 would be a solid score and probably keep him in the lead going into Sunday. I think he’ll win the tournament but I don’t think its smart to pick him to go super-low (-5 or lower) Saturday. Confidence Meter: 4

January 24, 2013; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Mitch McGary (4) goes to the basket on Purdue Boilermakers guard Anthony Johnson (1) in the second half at Crisler Center. Michigan won 68-53. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

1:05- Michigan State wins or Single Digit Loss: The Indiana Hoosiers host the Spartans and come in as nine point favorites in this big 10 game. MSU has won six in a row and 12 of their last 13 including wins on the road at Penn State, Iowa, and earlier this week at Wisconsin. They’ve only lost one game by double-digits this season and that was at #9 Minnesota on New Years Eve. Indiana has won their last two over Penn State and Northwestern but did lose at home to Wisconsin in their last challenge at home. In Big Ten play, Indiana is 5-1 but the Penn State is the only team they’ve beaten by double-digits. Confidence Meter: 4.5

1:05- Miami Heat: The Heat have won four in a row and seem to have refocused after slipping a bit earlier this month. The Celtics meanwhile are in free fall having lost six in a row. It should be a good game, but there’s no way to be confident in Boston after their recent struggles. Confidence Meter: 5

3:00– Washington Capitals: The Caps are still looking for their first win of the season and were able to get their first point in an overtime loss at New Jersey. They’ll host Buffalo this afternoon who started strong but has dropped consecutive games to the Carolina Hurricanes. Washington will be desperate to get a win and catch Buffalo in a bit of a slump so I think they’ll come out on top. Confidence Meter: 3

3:35- Oklahoma City Thunder: The Thunder head to the Staples Center to take on the Lakers. OKC has taken the first two meetings between the teams and are playing well on their west coast trip. They’ve taken nine of the last 11 meetings against the Lakers and eight of ten overall. LA, on the other hand, is sliding winning just three of their last 10 although they did play better in their win over Utah on Friday. Confidence Meter: 6

January 25, 2013; Tampa FL, USA; Ottawa Senators right wing Erik Condra (22) is congratulated by teammates after he scored a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the second period at Tampa Times Forum. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

5:00- Ottawa Senators: The Senators have gotten off to a great start as they welcome the Penguins this afternoon to Scotiabank Place. The Senators lone loss was in their last game at Tampa where they went down 6-4 but they still rank in the top five both in fewest goals against and most goals scored. Especially since they’re at home, I think Ottawa is the way to go in this one. Confidence Meter: 4

6:35- Hawks 3-pointers made: New York came out flat last night and lost in Philadelphia but won’t have long to turn things around quickly as they face Atlanta back in Madison Square Garden tonight. Atlanta has won their last three and their last victory was highlighted by an epic comeback against the Celtics to force double-overtime in which they crushed Boston to win by 12. They average 8.8 3’s per game and that should be enough to cover the Knicks margin in a winnable game for Atlanta. Kyle Korver’s return from injury helps their three-point shooting as well. The Knicks have won just three of their last eight including home losses to Chicago and Brooklyn, and I could see them going down in this one as well. If they do win, I’m not at all convinced they’ll cover against the Hawks. Confidence Meter: 3

7:00- Chicago Blackhawks: The Blackhawks are off to a great start coming into play today at 5-0-0. They’ll host Detroit who has started 2-2-0 and are missing retired stars Lidstrom and Holmstrom in the early going. I think Detroit will get into the playoffs, but they are far from the dominating force they have been in the recent past. The dominating force in this one is on the other sidelines as Chicago is making an early run at “best team” status in the NHL. Confidence Meter: 6

January 26, 2013; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks left winger Patrick Marleau (12) skates down ice in the third period against the Colorado Avalanche at HP Pavilion. San Jose won 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton.

8:00- San Jose Sharks: The Sharks are another early contender for teh top team in the NHL mantle as they welcome Vancouver tonight. San Jose is 4-0-0 and are riding a red hot Patrick Marleau. The Canucks have dominated the recent series between the two teams, but they’ve struggled to kill penalties early in the season and are just 2-1-1. They are coming off a nice road win in Anaheim, but the Sharks are a much tougher opponent. Confidence Meter: 5

9:00- Stanford:  The Cardinal travel to Salt Lake City to take on Utah who is just 1-6 in Pac-12 play. Stanford has also struggled to a 2-4 conference record but still come in as 2 1/2 point favorites. Utah has lost six of seven including their last three at home with their lone win being a win on the road at Washington which ended plenty of streaks (including mine). Stanford’s two wins in conference have come against Cal and Washington State who both beat Utah, so I think the Cardinal can go on the road and get the win. The one cautionary note is that Stanford has struggled on the road. They’re just 1-3 in true road games losing at USC, UCLA, NC State, and most recently at Colorado. Confidence Meter: 4

January Scoreboard

Yesterday’s picks: 8-10

Overall Record: 141-135

Confident Picks (5+): 48-34 

Current Personal Streak: W1 (BYU got me back in the green after the Knicks broke my streak)

Longest Personal Streak of January: W5