Daily Sports Roundup April 12
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Hawks take on the Bucks, the Raptors play in Detroit against the Pistons, and the Rangers hit the road to play the Tribe.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA begins the final week of its regular season with 11 games on Monday, including Atlanta at Milwaukee. The Hawks (51-29 SU, 46-34 ATS) have won two straight games heading into their Monday matchup, beating the Wizards 105-95 in Washington in their last game on Saturday. The Bucks (45-35 SU, 52-27-1 ATS) were beaten 105-90 at home by Boston in their last game on Saturday. The Bucks and Hawks have split their season series 1-1 so far, with Milwaukee winning 98-95 at home as a 6-point favorite when the teams last met March 22. John Salmons had 32 points for the Bucks; Joe Johnson poured in 27 for Atlanta.
Elsewhere on the NBA hardwood on Monday it'll be Orlando at Indiana, Miami at Philadelphia, Charlotte at New Jersey, Washington at New York, Minnesota at San Antonio, Memphis at Denver, Oklahoma City at Portland, Houston at Sacramento, Dallas at the Clippers, and Toronto at Detroit. The Pistons (26-54 SU, 33-44-3 ATS) will be looking to get in the way of the Raptors' playoff chances on Monday, but they're 0-3 against Toronto this season. The two teams last met on December 27, when the Raptors pulled out a 102-95 home win as a 4-point favorite. The injured Chris Bosh led Toronto with 25 points in that game.
Meeting up on the diamond . . .
American League action on the diamond on Monday has Kansas City at Detroit, Boston at Minnesota, Oakland at Seattle, Tampa Bay at Baltimore, the White Sox at Toronto, and Texas at Cleveland. The Rangers will send Rich Harden to the mound for the second time this season on Monday; righthander Harden gave up three runs (one earned) on one hit and five walks over 3 2-3 innings in a no-decision against the Blue Jays last week. The Indians will counter with Fausto Carmona; righthander Carmona got the win against the White Sox in his first start, surrendering three earned runs on one hit and six walks over his six innings.
Meanwhile, the National League on Monday offers up Milwaukee at the Cubs, Houston at St. Louis, Atlanta at San Diego, Cincinnati at Florida, Pittsburgh at San Francisco, and Washington at Philadelphia. The Phillies will go with Cole Hamels in their Monday matinee; lefthander Hamels beat the Nationals in his first outing of the year last week, holding them to two earned runs on five hits over his five innings of work. Jason Marquis will get the ball for Washington in this one; righthander Marquis was roughed up by Philadelphia in his first outing of the season, surrendering six earned runs on eight hits over his four innings of work.
Monday's Wagering Tips
Lines off the board
Toronto Raptors at Detroit Pistons: Pistons guards Richard Hamilton (ankle) and Rodney Stuckey (ribs) are questionable.
Memphis Grizzlies at Denver Nuggets: Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo (ankle) is questionable.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Portland Trail Blazers: Thunder center Nenad Krstic (back) and Blazers forward Jeff Pendergraph (illness) are doubtful.
Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Clippers: Mavs center Brendan Heyward (ankle) is day-to-day and forward Shawn Marion (oblique) is doubtful.
Lines to keep an eye on
Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers: The Heat opened as 4.5-point favorites but have dropped to as low as 3.5 at some books.
Houston Rockets at Sacramento Kings: The total came out at 207.5 and has climbed to as high as 209.5 at some shops.
Who's hot
Indiana Pacers are 10-2 SU in their last 12.
Miami Heat are 9-1 SU in their last 10.
Milwaukee Bucks are 7-1-1 ATS in their last nine.
Detroit Pistons are 5-0 ATS in their last five.
Who's not
Minnesota Timberwolves are 1-20 SU in their last 21.
Denver Nuggets are 3-10-1 ATS in their last 14.
Sacramento Kings are 1-9 SU in their last 10.
Charlotte Bobcats are 1-5 ATS in their last six.
Key stat
55 - The number of seconds between Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby's 50th and 51st goals of the season on Sunday.
Injury that shouldn't be overlooked
Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy left Sunday's game against the Lakers with a knee injury and is questionable for tonight's showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder, a key game for playoff positioning. If he cannot play, the Blazers have little chance without Roy's 21.8 points and 4.8 assists per game against the Thunder.
Game of the day
Thunder at Blazers
Notable quotable
"We've had a great relationship throughout our entire lives and throughout our career. I'm proud of what he did. I'm happy for him."
Barry Bonds said of Mark McGwire's recent admission to steroid use.
Tips and notes
Once the laughing stock of the league, the New Jersey Nets are suddenly getting the last laugh against some playoff contenders. They are 5-1 in their last six home games, including wins over the Bulls and Spurs, and now they get a shot at the Charlotte Bobcats, who are 1-5 ATS in their last six. The Nets are 2-1 against the Bobcats, the only team they own a winning record against this season.
A pair of one-goal games Sunday could have a huge impact on the NHL playoffs. The Flyers beat the Rangers 2-1 in overtime to claim the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and they earned the No. 7 seed via a tie-breaker, while the Devils earned the No. 2 spot with a 2-1 win over the Sabres. That's good news for the Flyers, who went 5-1 against the Devils this season and stand a good chance at a first-round upset.
The Milwaukee Brewers had a late game at home against St. Louis on Sunday night before making the short overnight trip to Chicago for Opening Day at Wrigley Field. Cubs starter Ryan Dempster is 7-2 against the Brew Crew at the Friendly Confines and he is coming off a strong first start against the Braves in which he took a disappointing 3-2 loss. He and the Cubs won't disappoint the Bleacher Bums today.