🏈 The Tortured Points Department

Dear Reader, the NFL's End Game is just three days away. Fifteen in Red is currently watching the all-22 in hopes of cementing The Last Great American Dynasty. But the 49ers’ gold rush is seeking something Better Than Revenge. The Lucky One will achieve their Wildest Dreams. Yet a Cruel Summer awaits the Anti-Hero. While Andy Reid and Kyle Shanahan Mastermind game plans to get their running backs in Blank Space, we’ll outline a Delicate activity that some of you know All Too Well. Today’s Super Bowl Gambling Guide has something for everyone — even the Swifties — as we have a Mean slate of bets for Sunday’s game, ranging from moneyline to octopus. But before we talk illicit affairs, we’ll recap last night’s action. Donovan Mitchell verified that he’s The Man in Cleveland. The struggling Badgers couldn’t Shake It Off in Ann Arbor. Karma sided with Auburn in the Iron Ball. And Welcome To New York! The Rangers’ push for the Presidents’ Trophy is starting to Begin Again… Ready For It?

Note: I’m so sorry for making you read that.

WTF Stat: Dating Back To December 31, the Cavaliers have amassed an NBA-best 15-2 record - okay, that was the last Taylor Swift reference, I promise.

⛳️ Tiger Woods announced that he will make his 2024 season debut at The Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles next week - Woods hosts the annual tournament to benefit his TGR Foundation, and it will be his first full-field PGA event since the 2023 Masters

🏈 Former Alabama HC Nick Saban will serve as an analyst on ESPN’s “College GameDay” next fall and also contribute to the network’s NFL Draft coverage - Saban, 72, retired from coaching last month after 17 seasons with the Crimson Tide

🏀 NBA trade deadline closes today at 3:00pm ET - the league-wide buzz is not to expect any big names to be on the move… famous last words

NBA - Top Games

• Cleveland Cavaliers 114, Washington Wizards 106: “Cleveland… This is for you!” Donovan Mitchell (40 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST) continues to put the ball in the basket at an alarming pace, and the Cavs handled business against Kyle Kuzma (28 PTS, 4 REB) and the lowly Wizards for their seventh straight dub - Cleveland (33-16) has won 15 of their past 16 games

• New Orleans Pelicans 117, Los Angeles Clippers 106: James Harden (19 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST) and the Clippers came into this one red-hot, but it was all Pelicans all night as Zion Williamson (21 PTS, 10 REB), CJ McCollum (25 PTS, 7 REB) and NOLA rolled to a wire-to-wire victory at Crypto.com Arena, snapping Los Angeles’ five-game winning streak

• Toronto Raptors 123, Charlotte Hornets 117: After dropping 41 against the Lakers, Miles Bridges (45 PTS, 6-11 3PT, 8 REB, 7 AST) posted his second consecutive 40-piece, but RJ Barrett (23 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST) and the Raptors got the win to halt their three-game skid

• Detroit Pistons 133, Sacramento Kings 120: BREAKING: The Detroit Pistons won a game! Jaden Ivey (37 PTS, 6 REB, 7 AST) was feeling himself, and Detroit outscored Sacramento 36-21 to stun Domantas Sabonis (30 PTS, 12 REB, 7 AST) and the Kings on their home floor - the Pistons have the worst record in the NBA at 7-43

See the full NBA scoreboard here and the current standings here.

College Basketball - Top Games

• NCAAM | Michigan 72, #11 Wisconsin 68: The Wolverines entered Wednesday with a 1-10 record in their past 11 games and had lost five in a row, but they got the best of another slumping squad, as Dug McDaniel (16 PTS) and Tarris Reed Jr. (12 PTS, 6 REB) helped stave off AJ Storr (20 PTS, 3 REB) and a late Wisconsin charge for a much-needed confidence boost in Ann Arbor - Wisconsin (16-7) has now lost three straight games

• NCAAM | #12 Auburn 99, #16 Alabama 81: In this year’s second edition of the Iron Ball, Auburn’s Jaylin Williams (26 PTS, 6 REB) and Johni Broome (24 PTS, 7 REB) ignited a monster 16-2 run to close the first half, which turned a tie game into a 14-point lead that the Tigers never relinquished, as War Eagle rolled the Tide to avenge January’s 79-75 loss in Tuscaloosa - Mark Sears (25 PTS, 9 REB) had a strong second half for Alabama but the damage was already done

• NCAAW | #11 UConn 67, Seton Hall 34: Not a single player for Seton Hall scored in double digits, while UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards (18 PTS, 15 REB) and Ashlynn Shade (17 PTS, 5-10 3PT) had their way offensively to give the Huskies an easy win at the XL Center - UConn (20-4) is 16-1 since Dec. 4

See the full men’s scoreboard here and the current rankings here. See the full women’s scoreboard here and the current rankings here.

NHL - All Games

• New York Rangers 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 1: Jimmy Vesey (2 G) opened the scoring with a nifty backhand in the 2nd period and closed it with an empty-netter in the 3rd, as the Rangers topped Brandon Hagel (1 G) and the Lightning at the Garden for their third straight victory - New York (32-16-3) is now tied with Colorado (32-15-4) for the most wins in the NHL

• Toronto Maple Leafs 5, Dallas Stars 4: Auston Matthews (1 G, 1 A) netted his NHL-leading 41st goal, Mitch Marner (1 G) and William Nylander (2 G, 1 A) scored 20 seconds apart in the 3rd period to take a 5-3 lead, and the Leafs outpaced Evgenii Dadonov (2 G) and the Stars in a high-scoring affair above the border

• Minnesota Wild 2, Chicago Blackhawks 1: Things are bad in Chicago right now. Marcus Foligno (1 G) tied the game for the Blackhawks in the 2nd period, but Marcus Foligno (1 G) buried the go-ahead bingo midway through the 3rd, as the Wild handed the Hawks their fifth loss in a row - some good news for Chicago: Connor Bedard is expected to return to practice next week after breaking his jaw in early January

See the full NHL scoreboard here and the current standings here.

🏈 Super Bowl Gambling Guide

Only three more sleeps until Super Bowl Sunday, and that means it's time to study up on all the best gambling lines for you to lose your money on this weekend. Tomorrow we'll break down the actual game, but in the meantime, here are some of the most popular — and most funsie — bets!

Super Bowl 57 (LVIII)

#3 Kansas City Chiefs (11-6) vs. #1 San Francisco 49ers (12-5)

• When: Sunday, Feb. 11, 6:30pm ET

• Where: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV - home of the Raiders

• How to Watch: CBS

Basic Bets

Note: Unspecified odds range from -105 to -120

• Spread: 49ers -2.5 (-105), Chiefs +2.5 (-115)

• Moneyline: 49ers (-130), Chiefs (+110)

• Over/Under: 47.5 points

• Total Team Points: 49ers O/U 24.5, Chiefs O/U 23.5

• Total Touchdowns: O/U 5.5

Player Props

Anytime Touchdown Scorer

• SF RB Christian McCaffrey (-230)

• KC RB Isiah Pacheco (-130)

• KC RB Travis Kelce (+100)

• SF WR Deebo Samuel (+140)

• KC WR Rashee Rice (+140)

• SF WR Brandon Aiyuk (+155)

• SF TE George Kittle (+185)

• KC QB Patrick Mahomes (+370)

• SF QB Brock Purdy (+850)

Passing Props

• KC QB Patrick Mahomes Yards: O/U 262.5

• KC QB Patrick Mahomes TD Passes: O/U 1.5

• Will Mahomes Throw an Interception? Yes (-130), No (+100)

• SF QB Brock Purdy Yards: O/U 246.5

• SF QB Brock Purdy TD Passes: O/U 1.5

• Will Purdy Throw an Interception? Yes (+100), No (-135)

Rushing Yards

• SF RB Christian McCaffrey: O/U 91.5

• KC RB Isiah Pacheco: O/U 67.5

• KC QB Patrick Mahomes: O/U 26.5

• SF WR Deebo Samuel: O/U 16.5

• SF QB Brock Purdy: O/U 12.5

Receiving Yards

• KC TE Travis Kelce: O/U 72.5

• KC WR Rashee Rice: O/U 67.5

• SF WR Brandon Aiyuk: O/U 63.5

• SF WR Deebo Samuel: O/U 58.5

• SF TE George Kittle: O/U 49.5

• SF RB Christian McCaffrey: O/U 33.5

• KC WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling: O/U 20.5

• KC RB Isiah Pacheco: O/U 16.5

Kicking Points

• KC K Harrison Butker: O/U 7.5

• SF K Jake Moody: O/U 7.5

Super Bowl Specials

• Coin Toss: Heads (+100), Tails (+100)

• National Anthem O/U 90.5 Seconds: Over (+100), Under (-130)

• Opening Kickoff Touchback: Yes (-310), No (+245)

• First Play from Scrimmage: Run (-110), Pass (-110)

• First Drive Result: Punt (+130), Touchdown (+215), Field Goal Attempt (+335), Turnover, Turnover on Downs or Safety (+650)

• Jersey Number of First Touchdown Scorer: O/U 22.5

• Longest Touchdown Scored: O/U 35.5 YDS

• Both Teams to Score 20+ Points: Yes (-110), No (-120)

• Both Teams Successful 4th Down Conversion: Yes (+290), No (-385)

• Any Player to Record an Octopus (TD + 2PT Conversion on Same Drive): Yes (+980), No (-2500)

• Last Play of Game to be a QB Kneel: Yes (-225), No (+176)

• Usher Halftime Show O/U 8.5 Total Songs: Over (-130), Under (-110)

• Gatorade Bath Color: Purple (+275), Orange (+325), Blue (+375), Yellow (+375), Red (+400)

Taylor Swift Specials - DraftKings

• Fifteen: P. Mahomes 15+ Rush Yards and 215+ Pass Yards (-140)

• You Belong With Rashee: T. Kelce or R. Rice to Score a TD in the First Half (+120)

• I Knew You Were Trouble: C. McCaffrey 150+ Rush/Rec Yards (+160)

• Mine: T. Kelce 87+ Receiving Yards (+190)

• Anti-Hero: B. Purdy 250+ Pass Yards and 2+ Pass TDs (+200)

• Today Was a Fairytale: T. Kelce to Score a TD and Chiefs to Win (+240)

• Is It Over Now?: Chiefs to Lead by 14+ Points (+250)

• Shake it Off: 49ers to Score First, Chiefs to Win (+350)

• 22: Any Quarter to Have 22+ Points Scored (+400)

• Look What You Made Me Do: Chiefs to Trail in 4th Quarter and Win Game (+500)

• You Need To Calm Down: B. Purdy 200+ Pass Yards in First Half (+800)

• Wildest Dreams: T. Kelce to Score the First and Last TD (+2500)

• Deja Vu: Chiefs to Win by Exactly 11 Points (+3000)

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What color was HC Andy Reid’s Gatorade bath when the Chiefs won the Super Bowl last year?

A. Purple

B. Blue

C. Red

D. Orange

On February 8, 1936, the first-ever NFL Draft was held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The draft was instituted to end bidding wars among teams who, to that point, would arbitrarily negotiate rights to amateur players. The league decided that the last-place team from the previous season would get the first selection, and the process would continue in reverse order of the standings. University of Chicago RB Jay Berwanger, who was also the first recipient of the Heisman Trophy, was taken by the Philadelphia Eagles as the first selection in the inaugural draft. Berwanger ended up getting traded to the Bears after Philly couldn't meet his salary demands of $1,000 per game. But the tailback chose not to sign with Chicago to preserve his amateur status so he could compete for a spot on Team USA's decathlon team in the 1936 Summer Olympics. After failing to qualify, he and the Bears were also unable to reach an agreement on salary. He then took a job with a Chicago rubber company and never played football again. This made Alabama QB Riley Smith, the second overall pick, the first player drafted to play in the NFL. In total, 81 players were selected throughout the nine-round draft. For about 30 years, the draft was held in various cities until the league settled on New York City in 1965, where it remained until 2015, when draft locations started changing through a yearly bidding process.

Also, on this day last year, LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with 38,388 career points.

NBA

• Dallas Mavericks @ New York Knicks 7:30pm ET, TNT

• Minnesota Timberwolves @ Milwaukee Bucks 8:00pm ET, Locl

• Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Lakers 10:00pm ET, TNT

• Full Schedule

NHL

• Vancouver Canucks @ Boston Bruins 7:00pm ET, NHLPP / ESPN+

• Winnipeg Jets @ Philadelphia Flyers 7:00pm ET, NHLPP / ESPN+

• Tampa Bay Lightning @ New York Islanders 8:00pm ET, ESPN

College Basketball

• NCAAM: Memphis @ Temple 7:00pm ET, ESPN2

• NCAAM: #8 Arizona @ Utah 8:00pm ET, Pac-12

• NCAAM: #20 Florida Atlantic @ UAB 9:00pm ET, ESPN2

• NCAAM: Full Schedule

• NCAAW: #12 Notre Dame @ #15 Louisville 6:00pm ET, ESPN

• NCAAW: #16 Virginia Tech @ #3 NC State 8:00pm ET, ACCN

• NCAAW: Penn State @ #2 Iowa 9:00pm ET, BTN

• NCAAW: Full Schedule

PGA Tour - Waste Management Phoenix Open

• Round 1 4:00-8:00pm ET, Golf Channel / ESPN+

NFL - Awards Show

• NFL 2024 Honors 9:00pm ET, CBS

Grab $20 off tickets to your favorite games, concerts and events using code TORCH20 at Vivid Seats - Promo is for first-time buyers and orders over $200!

Trivia Time Answer

A. Purple. Andy Reid was doused with purple Gatorade last year when the Chiefs defeated the Eagles in Super Bowl 57. It was the first time purple Gatorade was poured on the winning coach since Tom Coughlin tasted the “Fierce Grape” in 2012 when the Giants beat the Patriots in Super Bowl 46. Since 2001, orange has been used five times, the most of any other color - what color will the Gatorade bath be this year? Give us your answer in the poll below!

Die-hard Florida State Seminoles fan? The below newsletter is an absolute no-brainer!

Prime Lock of the Day

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Full Super Bowl preview coming tomorrow. See ya then!