Put it in park
The San Antonio Spurs likely will be without guard Tony Parker vs. Toronto due to a sore left ankle. Parker, averaging a team-high 14.8 points, will be replaced in the starting lineup by George Hill. The Spurs are favored by 6.5 points with a total of 202.
This one counts
Syracuse plays its season opener vs. Albany and is favored by 20.5 points. The line opened as large as 24 points at some books and has been bet down, presumably due to the Orange's inexplicable exhibition home loss to Division II LeMoyne last week that exposed some defensive lapses. Syracuse lost starters Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris from last year's NCAA Tournament squad.
All that Jazz
Coming off a home loss to Sacramento the Utah Jazz begin a four-game road trip against the New York Knicks. The home team has won the last seven meetings, and the Knicks have covered the last nine, eight of them as an underdog. New York is getting four points but is just 1-6 against the sprwad this season. The total is 210.
Not so great Scott
LSU will be without leading rusher Charles Scott for the rest of the season due to a fractured collarbone. Scott, who has 542 yards and four TDs, was hurt on a long run in Saturday's loss to Alabama. His carries likely will be divvied up among Keiland Williams and Russell Shepard. Next week, the Tigers have Louisiana Tech, which nearly upset Boise State. No line has been established.
The state of Ward
The reeling Carolina Hurricanes will be without goalie Cam Ward for four weeks due to a cut near his groin. Carolina (2-11-3) already is without playmaker Eric Staal for another 1-3 weeks. The Hurricanes have not scored more than two goals in their last seven games and have lost a dozen in a row overall since Oct. 9. They host Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Good news, bad news
The good news is the Denver Nuggets went 5-2 without supersub J.R. Smith, who was serving a seven-game league suspension and returns Tuesday at Chicago. The bad news is that the two losses were games that forward Kenyon Martin missed all or part of due to a bone bruise in his left leg. Martin is day-to-day. There is no line yet, but Denver lost by double digits as a 1.5-point favorite last season at Chicago.
Pondering a sub QB
Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder, among the national leaders in total offense, has a separated right shoulder and will miss Saturday's game at Wake Forest. Ponder has completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for 2,716 yards, 14 TDs and seven interceptions. The junior will be replaced by redshirt freshman E.J. Manuel, who is 1-of-4 for four yards this season. FSU (4-5) is 2-7 against the spread and 7-2 vs. the over. The Seminoles are getting 4.5 points from the Demon Deacons.
Losing a bit of their bite
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry may be out for the season with a broken left forearm suffered in Sunday's win over the Baltimore Ravens. Henry was averaging a team-high 19.7 yards per catch playing in multiple receiver packages. The Bengals (6-2) have a half-game lead over Pittsburgh (5-2) atop the AFC North. They visit the Steelers next week. No line has been established.
Notable quotable
"That's like getting stabbed in the heart right there. You grind it out for like 10 minutes and finally score, and then in like a minute and a half we come right back."
-- New England Patriots guard Logan Mankins, describing Randy Moss' go-ahead 71-yard touchdown catch that came three plays after a 10-minute TD drive by Miami and propelled the Pats to a 27-17 victory.