Don Wallace Sports
4* Magic -8.5
Power Play Wins
Mavericks -3.5
Fantasy Sports Gametime
Play Philadelphia (-210) over Milwaukee (Top Play of the Day)
Philadelphia pitcher, Roy Halladay has won 14 of the last 19 games when playing with five or six days of rest and he has also won 23 of the last 28 games when pitching as a favorite of -200 or higher. Roy Halladay is 2-0 this season with an ERA of 1.23.
Play Florida (-185) over Pittsburgh (Bonus)
Play St. Louis (-145) over Washington (Bonus)
Ben Burns
10* Atlanta / Orlando Under 184
10* Oakland Athletics -113
8* Kansas City Royals -118
Jimmy Boyd
5* Magic -8.5
3* Trailblazers +3.5
4* White Sox
JR TIPPS
10* Boston Celtics -7
5* Orlando Magic -9
5* Portland Trail Blazers +3.5
MTi Sports
Pittsburgh at Florida
Play: Pittsburgh +180
Paul Maholm should give us a solid chance here. The Pirates are 4-2 since the start of the 2010 season with Maholm as a 170+ dog when they lost his last start. One of the two losses was vs Jimenez in Colorado and the other was an extra inning loss in Cincinnati in which he had a quality start. Josh Johnson is off a fine outing, going seven-and-a-third and allowing no runs in a 5-1 win over Tim Hudson and the Braves as a road dog. He might not have much left in the tank here. As evidence, the Marlins are 0-6 as a favorite with Josh Johnson with “normal” rest (not more than five days) and he is off a start in which he had a WHIP of less than one.
As a team, the Marlins are very soft in a series opener vs a hot team. In fact, Florida is 0-5 as a favorite in the first game of a series vs a team that has won at least their last two games. Also, the Fish are a brutal 0-11 when HOSTING a team that has won at least their last two games, as long as they are not off a six-plus run loss. Florida has lost these eleven games by an average of 3.5 runs.
On Sunday, Florida blew a solid outing by Anibal Sanchez and lost 3-2 to the Phillies. The Marlins had their chances, but couldn’t push their runners across. They have not recovered well in this spot. Florida is 0-6 in the first game of a series after a one run loss.
The Pirates are 8-8 on the season and they have only been favored once (losing 6-4 at minus 110). They continue to get no respect from the linesmakers. The Marlins’ bats are going to play small-ball as they expect a couple of runs should be enough the way Johnson has been pitching. This will not be to their advantage. Grab this big price.
MTi’s FORECAST: Pittsburgh 5 FLORIDA 4
Bob Balfe
San Francisco Giants +141
Ubaldo Jimenez looked like a HOF pitcher in the first half of last year, but something clearly has happened to this guy because he has gone on a downward spiral. The Giants are a very good defensive team that does not allow a lot of runs. They got a big win last night as they hit the ball well and pitched well. Look for the momentum to carry over to this evening. Until Jimenez can prove himself again, these lines have great value. Take the Giants.
Chris Jordan
600♦ Philadelphia Phillies -1.5
100♦ Boston Celtics
Scott Rickenbach
10* New York / Boston Over 193
10* Yankees / Blue Jays Over 8.5
10* Chicago Blackhawks
Wayne Root
No Limit - Orlando Magic
Dr Bob
2* ORLANDO (-9) over Atlanta
Atlanta has beaten Orlando 4 consecutive times, including an impressive 103-93 game 1 win. However, teams with a better win-loss record are 23-13 ATS at home in the playoffs with at least triple-revenge (5-2 ATS with 4 x revenge) and the Magic apply to a solid 15-3 ATS game 2 situation. The Magic couldn’t have played much worse in game 1, as they were -9 in turnover margin, made just 6 of 22 3-point shots (6 of 14 for Atlanta) and missed 11 free throws (63% FT shooting). Orlando is likely to bounce back and win this game straight up and the Magic usually win big when they win at home. In fact, 23 of Orlando’s 29 home wins have been by 9 points or more (22 by 10 or more). With 22 of Orlando’s 40 home games with Dwight Howard being double-digit wins, the Magic should be favored by at least 10 points against an average Hawks team. In addition to the line value the situation is favorable and I’ll take Orlando in a 2-Star Best Bet at -10 points or less.
Opinions
New York (+7) over BOSTON
New York lost game 1 by just 2 points as a 6 point underdog on a late 3-point shot and now they’re getting 7 points because PG Chauncey Billups is likely out. Billups has been a negative factor for both Denver and New York this season and the Knicks have been out-scored by 14 points in the 698 minutes he’s played for them while out-scoring teams by 62 points without him on the floor (since the trade at the All-Star Break for Anthony and Billups). My ratings favor Boston by only 5 ½ points and I’ll lean with New York plus the points.
DALLAS (-3½) over Portland
Portland improved late in the season with the addition of Gerald Wallace, but Dallas is still a better team and my ratings favor the Mavericks by 5 points in this game. I’ll lean with Dallas at -4 points or less.
Keith Glantz
100* Cincinnati Reds
100* Saint Louis Cardinals
50* Dallas Mavericks
Brandon Lang
25 Dime Portland Trail Blazers +4
25 Dime NY Knicks +7.5
20 Dime Chicago White Sox
Jeff Benton
20 Dime Washington Nationals
15 Dime Portland Trail Blazers