The Los Angeles Rams edged out the Seattle Seahawks for the NFC West title final season through tiebreaker as each groups completed with 10 victories. A tiebreaker to find out the division champion could also be wanted once more this 12 months because the rivals enter their Week 16 showdown at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday Evening Soccer at Lumen Subject with 11 wins apiece.
Whereas the San Francisco 49ers (10-4) nonetheless are within the combine for the NFC West crown, it is seemingly that both the Rams or Seahawks will seize the title — and probably the No. 1 seed within the convention. The Rams and Seahawks each have received eight of their final 9 video games, and Seattle enters Thursday’s rematch with a four-game profitable streak that has adopted a 21-19 loss at Los Angeles in Week 11.
The Rams, who seemingly will likely be with out NFL receiving touchdowns chief Davante Adams (14), as he’s listed as uncertain with a hamstring damage, are coming off a 41-34 overcome the Detroit Lions wherein Puka Nacua matched his profession excessive with 181 receiving yards, Matthew Stafford threw for 368 yards with a pair of TD passes to Colby Parkinson, and Kyren Williams rushed for 2 scores.
Seattle failed to search out the tip zone final week however nonetheless managed to edge the Indianapolis Colts 18-16 as Jason Myers set a franchise report with six area objectives. Wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba posted his ninth 100-yard efficiency of the season, hauling in seven passes for 113 yards to extend his league-leading whole to 1,541.
A dozen video games are on Thursday’s NBA schedule, together with a matchup between the Houston Rockets (16-7) and New Orleans Pelicans (5-22) at 8 p.m. ET on the Smoothie King Heart. Houston kicked off its six-game highway journey Monday with a 128-125 extra time loss to the Denver Nuggets, whereas New Orleans has adopted a seven-game shedding streak with back-to-back victories over the Portland Path Blazers and Chicago Bulls.
The NHL has 10 contests on its slate, considered one of which has the Dallas Stars (22-7-5) visiting the SAP Heart to face off in opposition to the San Jose Sharks (17-14-3) at 10 p.m. ET. Dallas is a formidable 11-2-4 on the highway this season however was overwhelmed 5-2 by the Minnesota Wild in its final away sport, whereas San Jose is using a three-game profitable streak and has scored six objectives in every of its final two outings.
School soccer bowl season continues Thursday with Missouri State (7-5) taking up Arkansas State (6-6) at 9 p.m. ET within the inaugural Xbox Bowl on the Ford Heart on the Star in Frisco, Texas. The Bears, who misplaced their last two regular-season video games, are 0-4 in bowl video games and are making their first look in a single since being trounced 55-25 by Stephen F. Austin within the 1989 Pecan Bowl. The Crimson Wolves are searching for their second straight bowl victory after defeating Bowling Inexperienced 38-31 in final 12 months’s 68 Ventures Bowl.
Thursday’s faculty basketball schedule is rife with video games and concludes when Lengthy Seaside State (2-9) hosts Pepperdine (4-7) at 10 p.m. ET on the LBS Monetary Credit score Union Pyramid. The Seaside are within the midst of a three-game slide throughout which they misplaced twice in extra time, whereas the Waves ended their five-game skid with a 70-62 overcome Cal State Bakersfield final trip.
The Seahawks are 1.5-point favorites in opposition to the Rams within the newest consensus NFL odds. In the meantime, the Rockets are 9.5-point favorites in opposition to the Pelicans, the Stars are -206 favorites on the cash line versus the Sharks, Arkansas State is a 1.5-point favourite in opposition to Missouri State and Lengthy Seaside State is a 3.5-point favourite in opposition to Pepperdine.
Beneath is a snapshot of what to observe and wager for Thursday, Dec. 18. All instances Jap
NFL greatest bets, the place to observe
Rams at Seahawks
Time: 8:15 p.m. | Location: Seattle | TV: Prime Video | Stream: Fubo (Strive totally free)
SportsLine picks — Mannequin: Seahawks -1.5 (-108) | Skilled: Puka Nacua Beneath 93.5 receiving yards (-112, R.J. White)
The primary showdown between the NFC West rivals was an in depth one, and this rematch figures to be no completely different. The Seahawks have received 4 straight each general and at residence, so they’re slight favorites. Every of the Rams’ three losses this season had been by one rating, with each of the final two being by three factors. Seattle in all probability will not must take care of Davante Adams (hamstring), so it may possibly put most of its deal with Puka Nacua. The Sportsline Projection Mannequin sees the Seahawks overlaying the unfold, as they accomplish that in 54% of its simulations. SportsLine NFL knowledgeable R.J. White (21-11, +883 on his final 32 NFL participant prop picks) believes Seattle’s protection will do a stable job containing Nacua, because it hasn’t allowed a large receiver to achieve greater than 90 yards since Week 5 and restricted the Los Angeles star to 75 of their first assembly this 12 months.
NBA greatest bets, the place to observe
Rockets at Pelicans
Time: 8 p.m. | Location: New Orleans | TV: League Go | Stream: Fubo (Strive totally free)
SportsLine picks — Mannequin: Rockets -9.5 (-110) | Skilled: Zion Williamson Over 17.5 factors (-125, Matt Severance)
The Rockets are the fourth-highest scoring workforce within the NBA with a mean of 120.8 factors per sport. Additionally they are one of many stingiest golf equipment within the league, as they permit the third-fewest factors per contest (111.2). That does not bode effectively for the Pelicans, who’re twenty third in scoring (114.2 factors) and twenty eighth in factors allowed (122.8). The SportsLine Projection Mannequin believes that may translate into an enormous win for Houston, as its simulations say the Rockets cowl the big unfold 66% of the time. Nonetheless, SportsLine knowledgeable Matt Severance (9-6 on his final 15 NBA participant prop picks) thinks Zion Williamson will likely be motivated to go up in opposition to considered one of his idols in Kevin Durant and be productive in his second sport again from a hip damage. The 2019 first general draft choose got here off the bench versus the Chicago Bulls on Sunday and scored 18 factors.
NHL greatest bets, the place to observe
Stars at Sharks
Time: 10 p.m. | Location: San Jose, Cal. | TV: ESPN+ | Stream: Fubo (Strive totally free)
SportsLine choose — Mannequin: Sharks +1.5 (-150)
After struggling consecutive regulation losses for simply the second time this season, the Stars bounced again to publish a 4-1 victory in opposition to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. They defeated the Sharks at residence by the identical rating earlier this month, however San Jose has received 4 of its final 5 on the SAP Heart, together with Tuesday’s 6-3 overcome the Calgary Flames. Dallas might prolong its profitable streak within the all-time collection to eight video games, however the SportsLine Projection Mannequin feels San Jose will at the least hold it shut Thursday because the Sharks cowl the unfold in 67% of its simulations.
CFB greatest bets, the place to observe
Missouri State vs. Arkansas State
Time: 9 p.m. | Location: Frisco, Texas | TV: ESPN2 | Stream: Fubo (Strive totally free)
SportsLine choose — Mannequin: Missouri State -104
Arkansas State received 5 of its last seven regular-season video games, whereas Missouri State ended the marketing campaign with back-to-back losses to Kennesaw State and Louisiana Tech. However the Bears received 5 straight previous to that and will likely be wanting to play for offensive coordinator Nick Petrino, who took over as interim head coach after Ryan Beard left this system earlier this month to take the identical place at Coastal Carolina. Missouri State is making its first look in a bowl sport in 36 years, and the SportsLine Projection Mannequin believes the Bears will report the college’s first bowl victory in 5 tries, as its simulations say they win 53% of the time.
CBB greatest bets, the place to observe
Pepperdine at Lengthy Seaside State
Time: 10 p.m. | Location: Lengthy Seaside, Cal. | TV: ESPN+ | Stream: Fubo (Strive totally free)
SportsLine picks — Mannequin: Over 140.5 (-112) | Skilled: Lengthy Seaside State -3.5 (-110, Bruce Marshall)
Lengthy Seaside State has been a frequent participant in high-scoring affairs this season, as 9 of its 11 video games, together with every of the final eight, went Over the whole projected for this matchup in opposition to Pepperdine. Despite the fact that fewer than 135 mixed factors had been scored in every of their final three contests, the Waves additionally aren’t any strangers to shootouts, as the whole exceeded 151 factors in 5 of their video games. With Pepperdine averaging 73.3 factors this marketing campaign and the Seaside permitting 78.2, the SportsLine Projection Mannequin’s simulations say the Over hits greater than 65% of the time. SportsLine knowledgeable Bruce Marshall (+337 on his final 18 faculty basketball picks) likes Lengthy Seaside State to finish its three-game shedding streak and canopy the unfold, because it has executed simply that in every of its final 4 contests.
