Who’s hotNBA: Phoenix has covered in seven of its last eight.
NBA: Cleveland is 9-4 against the spread in its last 13 meetings with Philadelphia.
NHL: Buffalo has won four straight and six of its last seven when favored.
NHL: The New York Rangers is 26-10 in its last 36 games against sub-.500 teams.
NCAAB: Minnesota has covered in seven straight games and its last seven when set as an underdog.
Who’s notNBA: Memphis is 1-6 against the spread in its last seven overall.
NHL: Minnesota is 4-10 in its last 14 home games.
NHL: New Jersey has lost four of its last five.
NCAAB: Washington is 1-6 against the spread in its last seven neutral site games as a favorite.
Key stat 17 – The UMass Minutemen crawled back from a 17-point deficit in the second half to beat Drexel and advance to Tuesday’s NIT semifinal matchup with Stanford. The Minutemen, who have now covered in four of their last five, are set as 2.5-point underdogs against the Cardinal.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlookedAndre Iguodala, Philadelphia 76ers – Iguodala is listed as a game-time decision for Tuesday’s matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Philly’s swingman has been dealing with left knee tendinitis for about a month.
Game of the dayHouston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks (-6.5, 193.5)
Notable quotable
"If you guys are looking for a story, I'm not going to give you one. I can't sit here and criticize his (coach Mike Brown's) decisions. I'm not leading this ballclub. That's not something I can afford to do. I have to have his back. I've had his back the whole season. I can't start doing something crazy now. It makes no sense." – Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant after being benched in Sunday’s loss to Memphis. Bryant scored just 18 points in the loss as the Lakers dropped the cash for the fifth time in six games. Los Angeles is set as a 6-point favorite at Golden State on Tuesday.
Notes and tipsNew York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire is out indefinitely with a bulging disk in his lower back. The team announced his status Monday after an MRI revealed the damage. Stoudemire is slated to undergo non-surgical treatment for the injury followed by rehabilitation, the Knicks said. Stoudemire was originally injured during the second half of Saturday's win against Detroit. The 29-year-old Stoudemire is averaging 17.6 points and 8.0 rebounds in his second season with the Knicks.
After Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love recorded at least 30 points and 20 rebounds for the third time in a game this season, oddsmakers started to take notice. Love, who leads the NBA averaging 30.9 points over the month of March has seen his odds drop from 25/1 last week at Sportsbook.com to 12/1 this week.
Suspended New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton has had discussions with former boss and mentor Bill Parcells about becoming the Saints’ interim coach, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported on Monday, citing league sources. Payton and Parcells have reportedly spoken on a couple of occasions since NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended the Saints coach for the year following his involvement in the team's bounty program. The two worked together with the Dallas Cowboys in 2003-05 - when Payton was the assistant head coach under Parcells. Payton's suspension will take effect on April 1, but reports also surfaced later Monday that Payton may be able to coach during an appeal process, if he chooses that route.