The Duke's Sports
Atlanta (-105) for 2.5 Units
After a slow start, the Braves' lineup has finally started to drive in runs; as a matter of fact, they've driven in more runs this month than any team in the Majors. We'll look for them to get the best of Ricky Nolasco who is 1-4 in his last 5 team starts at home. On the other hand, the resurgence of Tim Hudson continues. He is 5-1 with a 2.09 ERA. The Braves have gone 7-3 in Hudson's last 10 on the road moreover, they're 6-2 in Miami with Hudson as a matter of fact, Hudson sports an 8-2 mark with a 2.92 ERA in 15 starts vs FLA, including 6-1 in Miami. Atlanta the call.
Ben Burns
10* Lakers
Kelso
10 Units Phoenix Suns +7.5
25 Units Cincinnati Reds -1.5 +120
15 Units Atlanta Braves -105
5 Units Oakland Athletics -130
Mike Lineback
4* Phillies/Mets Under
4* Parlay Cincinnati Reds & Boston Red Sox
Rocketman
5* Oakland Athletics
Jeff Benton
40 DIME: LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Do you realize the L.A. Lakers actually shot better from the field than the Suns in the two most recent games in Phoenix?
Do you realize the L.A. Lakers actually made more three pointers (18-15) than the Suns in the two most recent games in Phoenix?
Do you realize the L.A. Lakers had more assists than the Suns in the two most recent games in Phoenix?
So how in the world did the L.A. Lakers not only lose both those contests, but lose them going away (both by nine points)? The answer is simple: They stopped attacking the basket on offense and protecting the basket on defense. That – and a whole lot of hometown officiating – is why the Suns attempted a whopping 74 free throws in Games 3 and 4 – or 41 more attempts than the Lakers had!
Do you really think that free-throw disparity is going to continue tonight with this series shifting back to Los Angeles? Do you really think the Suns are going to go unconscious from the three-point line, as they did in the second quarter of Game 4 when they drained 8 of 9 trifectas in a 41-point quarter? Do you really think the Lakers are going to play so passively again now that they’re back at home?
Finally, do you REALLY think Kobe Bryant – who has been an absolute beast this entire series, scoring 40, 21, 36 and 38 points while posting three straight double-doubles – is going to let his team lose? Not a freaking chance.
Of course, winning this game outright and covering the pointspread are two separate issues. I get that. But here’s what else I get:
The home team has owned this rivalry not only on the court (10-1 last 11 meetings), but at the betting window (9-1 ATS last 10). That includes six straight Lakers victories at the Staples Center, and they cashed in each of the last five. Now get a load of the final scores of those five most recent Lakers home wins over Phoenix:
132-106, 121-102, 108-88, 128-107, 124-112
I’ll do the math for you – that’s five double-digit routs and an average margin of victory of 20 points per game.
Here’s something else you might find interesting: The straight-up winner has covered the pointspread in each of the last 11 meetings in this rivalry and 15 of the last 16. On top of that, the winner has cashed in 23 straight games for Phoenix going back to the regular season and 12 of the Lakers 14 playoff contests.
Point being, if history holds – and by the way, all four games in this series so far have been decided by nine points or more – then whatever team prevails on the scoreboard tonight will get the cash cash. Do you honestly believe that team is going to be the Phoenix Suns? I sure as hell don’t!
Look for Kobe to up his game even more (especially on the defensive end), look for his teammates to follow the Mamba’s lead, and look for Los Angeles to score a sixth consecutive double-digit home win over Phoenix.
The Hammer Guaranteed Selections
MUST GO 2-0 BASEBALL PARLAY OF THE DAY
Cincinnati w/Cueto -174
Boston w/Matsuzak -205
TEDDY COVERS
LA Lakers -7.5
Joyce Sterling
10* Phoenix / Lakers Under 217.5
Champion Sports
Kansas City / Boston Under 9.5
Pitchers duel. Kansas City has a weak offense. Boston's hot streak coincided with the starting pitching stepping up, going 6-1 Under the total during their nice win streak. Expect another gem from Matsuzaka and the bats will stay hot.
O.C. Dooley
2 Units Royals +185
This pick has a similar feel to a week ago Friday when the heavily favored Tampa Bay Rays with baseball’s best overall record traveled to Houston and lost against an Astros contingent which arguably is baseball’s worst. What happened to Tampa on that particular evening was an “emotional letdown” as they had just wrapped up a 3-game sweep at Yankee Stadium. After getting out the broom and sweeping Tampa on the road the past three nights, Boston just happens to be in the same “emotional letdown” position against an opponent they certainly do not respect. To put this situation in proper perspective Boston (11 of past 13 games on the road) has just completed 4 consecutive series against both the Yankees and 3 different Divisional leaders (Twins, Phillies, Rays). Since the popular Red Sox ended up winning most of those contests they are grossly “overpriced” tonight in what is a very rare game for them inside friendly Fenway Park. I am fully aware that the statistics for Brian Bannister are not overwhelming by far, but the fact of the matter is that the last time he pitched in Boston (7/09) turned out to be a THREE-HIT game where he held the potent Red Sox lineup down in what turned out to be a 1-0 final verdict. In his most recent mound appearance Bannister induced 11 different ground balls outs and surrendered just 2 runs. When one thinks of Kansas City, offensive production normally does not come to mind as most small market squads struggle in that area. But stunningly the Royals offense has produced DOUBLE DIGITS in total hits 8 different times in the most recent 10 outings. In the past three games Billy Butler’s batting average (.615) is through the roof while outfielder Mitch Maier has 3 consecutive “multi hit” efforts. In the past week little known infielder Alberto Callaspo is hitting a sweet .318 at the dish. Thus we have a hot hitting underdog this evening with a starting pitcher off a QUALITY outing and a team whose closer Joakim Soria just yesterday notched career save #100
NSA
20* Lakers -7.5
20* Rays -180
Steam On-Line Guaranteed Selections
INSIDE LATE STEAM BASEBALL WINNER
Oakland w/Gonzalez -135
Rocco Vincintore Guaranteed Selections
PREFERRED PLAYERS CLUB BASEBALL RUN LINE DOMINATOR
Boston w/Matsuzaka -1.5 -106
The Experts Guaranteed Selections
BASEBALL ULTIMATE EXPERTS TOTAL POUNDER
Kansas City and Boston OVER 9.5
The Experts Guaranteed Selections
BASEBALL ULTIMATE EXPERTS GAME OF THE MONTH WINNER
San Diego w/Leblanc -116
Steven Budin
The New York Crew has a 25 Dime Release on Los Angeles as the home favorite Thursday night againet Phoenix in Game 5. As I release this play on Thursday at 5:45 AM Eastern, the Lakers are a solid -7 1/2 point favorihte in Las Vegas and offshore. No matter the price, I would purchase the insuralce and buy down the 1/2 point on Los Angeles, reducing the price to -7 depending on your beginning number.
James Patrick Sports
Phoenix at L.A. Lakers
Play: Phoenix +7.5
Phoenix has the top offense in the NBA (110.4 ppg) with an attacking style behind PG Steve Nash (16.6 ppg, 11 apg) and Amare Stoudemire (23.2 ppg, 9 rpg). Jason Richardson (15.7 ppg) adds more offensive punch and shoots 39% from beyond the arc and is red hot in the postseason averaging 21.9 points and shooting 51%. The Lakers have had no problem going up-tempo with anyone, and there's no doubt Phoenix will try and push the pace again. Three main issues put us on the Suns in this game : #1 Lakers (C) Andrew Bynum's knee problems have limited his effectiveness the past couple games. #2 Phoenix Suns bench has come to life as they erupted for (54) points in Game Four in the "Valley of the Sun". #3 HC Alvin Gentry has laid a zone defense on the World Champions the past (2) games and they have resulted in victories. Too big of a number at this stage of the series for us to pass on.