The Bears and Saints will both be looking to improve their playoff outlook on Thursday when they meet in New Orleans. Here’s your Daily Sports Roundup.

The Gridiron Spotlight

The Bears enter the week a single game behind the Vikings in the NFC North division standings with a 7-6 record (6-6-1 against-the-spread). Chicago took a 20-3 lead into halftime against the Jaguars last week and cruised from there to a 23-10 victory. Kyle Orton went 20-of-34 for 219 yards passing that day with a pair of touchdown strikes and an INT, while Matt Forte ran for 69 yards on 21 carries.

The Saints find themselves in last place in the NFC South division right now despite a 7-6 mark (and a lucrative 9-4 record ATS). New Orleans kept themselves in the conference’s Wild Card picture with a 29-25 win over the Falcons last week. Drew Brees threw for 230 yards and two TDs in that victory, while Pierre Thomas rushed for the game-winning score during the fourth quarter.

Oddsmakers have Chicago set as a 3-point home favorite for Thursday night, with the game’s total at 45 points by BetUs Sportsbook . The Bears are 5-8 on the OVER/UNDER so far this season, while the Saints are sitting at 8-5 OU through their first 13 contests.

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Other Notable Events

The NBA’s top matchup on Thursday night takes place out west, as the Utah Jazz play host to the Portland Trail Blazers. Utah knocked off Minnesota 99-96 on the road last time out, and they beat Portland 103-96 when the teams last met on November 5. The Blazers were edged 109-108 at home by the Magic in their last contest, despite getting 30 points from Brandon Roy and 25 points and 13 boards from LaMarcus Aldridge. Greg Oden was held to two points in that defeat.

There are just two other games on the NBA’s schedule for Thursday night, as Boston hits the road to play Washington, and Dallas gets a visit from the Bobcats.

The Rest of the Schedule

The NHL offers up eight games on Thursday, including the San Jose Sharks at home against the Anaheim Ducks. Also on the slate: Tampa Bay at Montreal, Carolina at Philadelphia, Nashville at Columbus, the Islanders at Pittsburgh, Florida at Edmonton, Minnesota at Phoenix, and then St. Louis at Los Angeles.

Finally, a slow night in college basketball on Thursday sees only one ranked team in action, with No. 15 Villanova playing host to St. Joseph’s at The Pavilion.

News from the Wire

Niners running back Frank Gore (ankle) is expected to come down to a game-time decision this weekend . . . Bills quarterback Trent Edwards (groin) might have to give way to embattled J.P. Losman once again this week . . . Redskins running back Clinton Portis is expected to see a full workload this weekend despite a very public spat with head coach Jim Zorn over the last couple of days…C.C. Sabathia is a New York Yankee, what a shock. A.J. Burnett is next…Jason Richardson, Raja Bell, and Boris Diaw headline a major trade between the Suns and Bobcats…Manny Pacquiao’s victory over Oscar De la Hoya was a huge success selling 1.25 million PPVs…Petty Enterprises releases Bobby LaBonte and is seeking a merger…Corey Pavin is the 2010 Ryder Cup captain for the United States…Tim Tebow, Colton McCoy, and Sam Bradford headline the Heisman Trophy finalists. Graham Harrell was a noticeable name not among the hopefuls announced yesterday.

A Peek at the Future

Friday’s NBA slate features notable matchups Philadelphia at Cleveland, New Orleans at Boston, and Orlando at Phoenix . . . the Rangers and Devils will renew their on-ice rivalry with a game in New Jersey on Friday night, while Ottawa and Washington meet in a capital clash . . . Maryland hosts Delaware State in college hoops on Friday night, while Iowa will take on rival Iowa State.