Sak Sports Blog

The NFL regular season is nearing it's halfway point. The Rams and Chiefs are pacing the league and continuing to excite week in and week out. The Patriots, Chargers, Panthers, Saints and Vikings have also formed winning habits through Week 7. Besides that? Most teams are vulnerable enough to be beaten by anyone on any given Sunday. I'm on a hot streak making picks after a slow start to the season. Week 5 brought me a 9-6 record, Week 6 was my strongest with 11 wins and 4 losses, and in Week 7 I stayed positive with a (9-4 before MNF) The highlights of Week 8 include the London game between the Eagles and Jaguars, the Rams getting a potential test from the Packers, and an NFC playoff rematch between the Saints and Vikings. Thursday Night Miami Dolphins (4-3) at Houston Texans (4-3) Before DeShaun Watson tore his ACL last October, he was taking the league by storm. The Texans got off to a rocky 0-3 start, but are now one of the hottest teams in the league with

No one said LeBron James' arrival in Los Angeles would be smooth. The Big Three era in Miami had a shaky start, so its reasonable that the Lakers need some time to adjust with the King. The Lakers early schedule also hasn't been kind, as tonight they play their third straight Western Conference playoff team. The San Antonio Spurs (1-1) are looking good with DeMar DeRozan in tow. Vegas lists the Lakers as 1.0 home point favorites despite the fact that they're down two starters: Rajan Rondo and Brandon Ingram, after Saturday night's scuffle with Chris Paul and the Houston Rockets. Over his first two games, LeBron is averaging 25 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. His most reliable teammates have been Josh Hart (15.5 PPG) and JaVale McGee (14.5 PPG). As the season progresses, James should be building more chemistry with Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Ingram. Josh Hart is the Lakers 2nd-leading scorer at 15.5 points per game. His threes off the

In Week 6, the Los Angeles Rams stayed undefeated, the New England Patriots handed the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss, and the Dallas Cowboys blew out the Jacksonville Jaguars. Week 7 sees more important matchups on the field. The Chiefs have another test, against a strong 4-2 Cincinnati Bengals team. The New York Jets can stay in the AFC East win with a third straight home win, but a hot Minnesota Vikings team comes to town this week. And the Jaguars need to get back on track, as a loss to the Houston Texans would put them behind in the AFC South. Week 5 was my strongest picks week of the season (9-6) but I improved again in Week 6, going 11-4. This brings my season total to 50-41-2 Thursday Night Denver Broncos (2-4) at Arizona Cardinals (1-5) The Cardinals are 1-1 over the past two weeks, showing signs of life in both games. The Broncos are winless on the road this season, and are on a four-game losing streak. Signs point in Arizona's favor. Then why is D

The 2018-19 NBA season brings some much desired intrigue to the regular season. Without LeBron James, the East will send a new team to the Finals for the first time in eight years. In the West, the Rockets try to close the gap on the Warriors with the addition of Carmelo Anthony. And of course the biggest story: how will LeBron James fare with the Los Angeles Lakers? A new Finals matchup, an exciting MVP race, fresh rookies, and stars on new teams give plenty of reasons to watch the NBA regular season. Here are my predictions for the 16 playoff teams, major awards, and NBA Finals outcome. Eastern Conference Playoff Teams Boston Celtics Philadelphia 76ers Toronto Raptors Indiana Pacers Miami Heat Milwaukee Bucks Detroit Pistons Washington Wizards Outside Looking In: Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks LeBron James is finally out of the Eastern Conference after 15 years. The teams must be rejoicing, and the East is totally up

The standings are beginning to take shape, and bring us some pivotal matchups in Week 6. The NFC East is muddled, and all four teams could be in play with a win this week. The Falcons are fighting for their lives in the NFC South, while the Panthers are fighting for a share of first. And New England looks to establish AFC dominance, but can the Chiefs beat the conference's de facto favorite to improve to 6-0? Week 5 was my strongest of the season so far, going 9-6. The tally brings my total record to 39-37-2, above the .500 mark for the first time. This week does bring a few difficult games but I'm confident in another winning week. (Header photo courtesy of NBC Sports) Thursday Night Philadelphia Eagles (2-3) at New York Giants (1-4) New York has been pretty bad about half this season, and in the other half, the offense has shown signs of aptitude. The loss to the Carolina Panthers was a heartbreaker that sent the Giants to 1-4: but no one in the NFC East has

Week 5 brings us some exciting matchups and chances for teams to get to 4 or 5 wins. Can the Chiefs stay undefeated as they host the Jacksonville Jaguars? Who surprises us with a 4-1 start: the Miami Dolphins or the Cincinnati Bengals? And can the the league's other undefeated team, the Los Angeles Rams, keep the pace against the Seahawks? In Week 4 I turned in my best performance of the season with a 10-5 record. On the season, I'm up to 30-31-2, so I'm still under .500. There's a few toss-ups this week and some underdogs with realistic chances to win. In other words it should be another challenging week. Thursday Night Indianapolis Colts (1-3) at New England Patriots (2-2) Andrew Luck lit up the Texans for 4 touchdowns in a losing effort last week, while the Patriots offense also got back on track with a 38-7 win over the previously undefeated Dolphins. Could be a recipe for a high-scoring Thursday night game. Would have to take Brady and Belichick, at h