CHASERS LOUNGE

Much like the game versus the Grizzlies a week earlier, the Pacers totally shut down the Raptors, and Toronto wasn't able to get anything going offensively. Making matters worse, Rudy happy struggled through a back injury, eventually bowing out in the third quarter and lying on the sidelines receiving treatment. If happy is able to play Saturday, he certainly won't be at 100%.

The Bucks are clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot, and they are playing like a team that wants to go to the playoffs. Milwaukee has won back to back road games against two tough teams, Dallas and Houston. They have had a couple of rest days since winning on a buzzer beater in Houston, and they can put the Raptors playoff hopes to bed on Saturday night.

The Raptors come limping in playing their second game in as many nights, and their third game in four nights. With their star player ailing, they might not have a lot of fight left in them.

Last season Santa Clara stumbled to an awful 8-22 record but after returning all five starters for 2012-13, the Broncos have kicked up their heels en route to a 20-win campaign. Coach Kerry Keating's crew bid their seniors farewell in Thursday's home finale against LMU, then hit the road for a regular season-ending grudge match against the Gaels. Santa Clara was punished by 21 points as a 2.5-point home dog back on Feb. 7 and Keating just so happens to own a 6-0-1 ATS mark with same-season loss revenge of 20 or more points. Series history also backs the Broncos as they've compiled an impressive 10-3 ATS record playing at McKeon Pavilion - plus the visitor has gone 17-7 ATS in all Santa Clara games this season at press time. The Gaels are a not-so-fortunate 1-4 ATS as double-digit chalk in Last Home Games under Randy Bennett but we think the biggest obstacle to SMC's focus here is this: the hosts can neither improve nor decline in the WCC standings, having already clinched the No. 2 seed in the upcoming conference tourney. St. Mary's has dropped just a single game in its last 13 outings (against nemesis Gonzaga) but we're not asking Santa Clara to spring the outright upset here. To paraphrase the late Al Davis of Oakland Raiders' fame, “Just cover, baby.”