BOB BALFE
Portugal +110
Both teams have been hit hard by the injury bug, which hurts the Ivory Coast more because Portugal (the #3 ranked team in the world) has a lot more depth. Ronaldo has not scored a goal in forever, but this team is good enough to win without him. This game should be close for a while, but Portugal will break through eventually to pick up the win. Take Portugal.
Brazil -2.5
Brazil will definitely win this game...it's just a question of by how many goals. With 9 out of 10 games so far failing to score more than 2 goals combined, I believe this is that break out game where it looks like men are playing against boys. Although it may seem tough for a soccer team to win by 3 goals, Brazil is the best team in the world and they definitely want to make their presence felt. North Korea is a defensive-minded team but, if you let Brazil attack for 90+ minutes, they are going to do some major damage. Take Brazil -2.5 (+115).
Florida Marlins -155
Texas is not a good team on the road and boast a respectable record because they really take advantage of their home park. Florida's Josh Johnson is an awesome pitcher and matched Roy Halladay pitch for pitch in both matchups this year. Look for Johnson to throw at least 7 solid innings and the Marlins to give him enough run support to pick up the win. Take Florida.
Los Angeles Lakers -6.5
The Lakers actually outplayed the Celtics in every catagory in Game 5 except the scoreboard (which obviously matters the most) but the Celtics, who are not a great shooting team, really shot way above their average. I do not see them replicating their Game 5 performance and the Lakers will be ready to redeem themselves tonight to push this to a Game 7. Look for L.A. to get out to a big lead early and to never look back. Take the Lakers.
Jimmy Moore
4* LA Lakers -6.5
JR O'Donnell
3* Chicago Cubs -130
The Chi Cubs and Carlos Z. will tune up the Oakland A's as the Big Z is a smooth 7-6 and he owns a 4.84 ERA . The Vegas lines makers have respect here for the Cubs as the A's were bombed over the weekend by the Giants. The A's Cahill is a respectable 3.30 ERA in Inter league play and he will get rocked tonight by the Cubs who need to score some runs. Huge value play here from our camp.
Tony George
LA Lakers -6.5
Something has to give. Look to Game 1 of the NBA finals, LA pushed the ball, attacked the boards and shot well at home with Gasol and Bryant taking charge. Expect Game 6 in LA to have the homecourt behind a riotous crowd in full swing as LA faces elimination and they will play their best game of the past 4 games at home. I expect Kobe to take over and for the rim to be contested better, and for LA's backcourt to push the ball hard all night, which will take the Boston bench out of it in terms of momentum. Look at it for what it is, the best team in the NBA, at home, their back against the wall, and pissed off about their fall from grace the past 2 games, it adds up to an ass whipping by LA in this one setting up an epic Game 7. Play 2 Units on LA Lakers
King Creole
2* Celtics / Lakers Under 188
You already know how we feel about playing on streaks to CONTINUE... whether they are SU, ATS, or Over / Under streaks. And we'll be on the 'UNDER' for the fourth STRAIGHT game in this series.
So what's the call in the NBA Playoffs after 3 straight games have gone 'UNDER the TOTAL'? Let's run through the Playbook Database to find out. I ran a query for ALL Playoff games... and another one that is Game Six 'specific'.
8-26-1 O/U last 6 years: All NBA Playoff home teams in Games 4, 5, 6, or 7 playing off 3 or more "Unders" in a row (Lakers). If the OU line is 193 < points, these games have gone 3-121 O/U.... and a PERFECT 0-10 O/U if the host is from the WESTERN CONFERENCE.
2-10 O/U: All NBA Playoff GAME SIX home teams (Lakers) playing off 3+ "Unders" in a row. When the OU line is 194 < points, our results are 1-8 O/U.
With a couple of back-to-home WINS in a row under their belts, the Underdogs CELTICS are now in the drivers seat.
1-9 O/U since 1994: All NBA Playoff GAME SIX road teams pla‚ying off BB SU and ATS wins in a row (Celtics). Since the 2002 season, these teams are a PERFECT 0-6 O/U.
I also ran a query for the Over / Under line range. I started with a range of 180-190 points... and then 'tightened up' to the range of 185 to 190 points.
0-6 O/U last 4 years: All NBA Playoff GAME SIXES in the OU range of 180 to 190 points.
11-32 O/U: All NBA Playoff home favorites of -7 < points (Lakers) in Rounds 3 or 4 when the OU line is 185 to 190 points. And since the 2000 season, these games have gone a PERFECT 0-4 O/U in Games 6 or 7...
It's unusual for a major site change when both teams come in with only ONE day of rest.
4-16 O/U last 4 years: All NBA Playoff GAME SIX home teams with only ONE day of rest (Lakers)... when the OU line is 190 < points. And in Rounds 2, 3 or 4, these games have gone 1-10 O/U.
Finally, let's look at the '4.6' game specifically. That would be ROUND 4 / GAME 6....
1-6 O/U: All '4/6' home teams (Lakers) when the OU line is 190 or less points.
KIKI SPORTS
2 Units LA/ Cincy Over 9
1 Unit NY Yanks -130
1 Unit Washington +140
1 Unit Cleveland +140
1 Unit Toronto +115
Dave Cokin
Matchup: Chi. White Sox at Pittsburgh
Time: 7:05 PM EDT (Tue)
Listed pitchers must go: (R) GARCIA, F vs. (R) LINCOLN, B
Play: Chi. White Sox (ML -120)
Brad Lincoln makes his second big league start for the Pirates tonight. He's a legit prospect but I'm not sold that Lincoln is ready just yet. He had good moments in his debut but also made some mistakes in the middle of the strike zone, so his command may be still lacking at this point. Freddy Garcia is doing some better than expected work for the visitors, and while he remains healthy, the old pro may actually be an under the radar value play. The Chisox had a good weekend against the Cubs and have a little momentum, while the hapless Bucs have dropped eight in a row. I'll have to risk the reasonable road favorite odds tonight and back the White Sox.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matchup: Baltimore at San Francisco
Time: 10:15 PM EDT (Tue)
Listed pitchers must go: (R) ARRIETA, J vs. (R) MARTINEZ, J
Play: San Francisco (ML -143)
Based on the pitchers, this is actually a spot where the miserable Orioles would have a shot. Rookie Jake Arrieta is a legit prospect, although his control issues will no doubt cause him some headaches for now. But he certainly has a higher ceiling than Joe Martinez, who's basically an emergency starter here for the Giants. Nevertheless, San Francisco is my choice tonight. The O's are in the throes of a brutal slump even by their low standards. The Giants have won four on a row and have become considerably more potent offensively since the arrival of sensational rookie Buster Posey, as he has transformed the lineup along with a healthy Freddy Sanchez. The bottom line here is the price. Whatever starting pitcher edge may be owned by the Orioles is more than offset by the wide advantage in the bullpen on the Giants side, and the fact that this price is simply too low. I'll go ahead and lay it with the Giants.
Bill Marzano
He is 35-27 +1737 (all 100 plays) YTD. He is 12-3 his last 15 with only 2 faves.
Matchup: Texas at Florida
Time: 7:10 PM EDT (Tue)
Listed pitchers must go: (L) WILSON, C.J. vs. (R) JOHNSON, J
Play: Florida (-1.5 +145)
I really like the Florida Marlins @ home in this game vs the Texas Rangers...J.Johnson has simply been sensational especially @ home this year winning seven of his eight starts...his only loss was a 1-0 shutout to R.Halladay in which Halladay tossed a perfect game...the Marlins are 6-0 in their last 6 home games vs. a left-handed starter...24-4 in Johnsons last 28 starts with 4 days of rest...rookie M.Stanton has made a big impact already on the Fish lineup...I like the Fish run line...Fish on
Billy Coleman
3* Toronto
Frank Patron
Boston Celtics +6.5
Don Wallace Sports
10* Lakers -6.5
Al Demarco
15 Dime Teaser Lakers and the Over
5 Dime ST L -1.5
JB SPORTS
3* Lakers
Ben Burns
10* Lakers -7
10* Florida
8* Braves Under
8* San Diego
Power Play Wins
White Sox