Daily Sports Roundup April 14
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The NBA ends its regular season, the NHL begins its postseason slate, and the Red Sox take to the field against the Twins.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA ends its regular-season slate on Wednesday with 28 of the league's 30 teams in action. The matchups for Wednesday night: Cleveland at Atlanta, New York at Toronto, Indiana at Washington, Memphis at Oklahoma City, Philadelphia at Orlando, Detroit at Minnesota, New Jersey at Miami, New Orleans at Houston, San Antonio at Dallas, Milwaukee at Boston, Chicago at Charlotte, Golden State at Portland, Phoenix at Utah, and the Lakers at the Clippers. The Lakers will play without Kobe Bryant on Wednesday night as the star guard gives his various ailments (broken finger, sore knee, sore ankle) a rest before the playoffs get underway. The Lakers have locked up the top seed in the Western Conference.
Meeting up on the diamond . . .
The American League schedule for Wednesday has Kansas City at Detroit, the Angels at the Yankees, Tampa Bay at Baltimore, Texas at Cleveland, the White Sox at Toronto, Oakland at Seattle, and Boston at Minnesota. The Red Sox will give the ball to John Lackey on the road on Wednesday; righthander Lackey held the Yankees scoreless on three hits over six innings of work in his first start of the year, but had to settle for a no-decision. The Twins will counter with Kevin Slowey; righthander Slowey picked up the win in his first outing last week, allowing just one run on seven hits over 5 1-3 innings of work versus the Angels.
Meanwhile, the National League on Wednesday offers up Milwaukee at the Cubs, Pittsburgh at San Francisco, Washington at Philadelphia, Cincinnati at Florida, Houston at St. Louis, the Mets at Colorado, Atlanta at San Diego, and Arizona at the Dodgers. The Diamondbacks will go with Rodrigo Lopez on Wednesday; righthander Lopez dazzled the Pirates in his first start of the season, holding them to one run on six hits over six innings of work while fanning five batters. Chad Billingsley will be on the mound for the Dodgers in this one; righthander Billingsley held the Pirates to one run over 5 1-3 innings last week.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, the NHL playoffs get underway on Wednesday with four games on the schedule: Ottawa at Pittsburgh, Philadelphia at New Jersey, Colorado at San Jose, and Detroit at Phoenix. The Coyotes have home-ice advantage in their playoff series with the Red Wings after finishing the season in fourth place in the Western Conference at 50-25-7. The Wings went 8-1-1 in their last 10 games to end up in fifth place in the West at 44-24-14 on the season. The oddsmakers see Game 1 as an even battle, with both teams pegged at -110 (and the total set at 5 goals). The Red Wings and Coyotes split their four-games series during the year.
Wednesday's Wagering Tips
Lines off the board
Philadelphia 76ers at Orlando Magic – The Magic could end up resting players with the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed locked up but the second overall spot in the playoffs is still up for grabs (see note below).
Memphis Grizzlies at Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant could sit this game out to rest for the playoffs.
Detroit Pistons at Minnesota Timberwolves – Kevin Love (thumb) left Monday’s game and is questionable. Jonny Flynn (hip flexor) left Monday’s game and is doubtful. Rodney Stuckey (ribs) is out for the game.
New Jersey Nets at Miami Heat – Jermaine O’Neal (ankle) did not play in the team’s last game and is questionable.
San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks – Antonio McDyess could miss the game to rest for the playoffs. Caron Butler (hip) missed the team’s game on Monday and is questionable.
Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics – Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are both listed as probable for the game but could end up sitting for rest.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks – A cavalcade of Cavs players could sit this one out (see injury note below). Jamal Crawford (toe) did not play on Monday and is questionable. Josh Smith (groin) is expected to play.
Phoenix Suns at Utah Jazz – Mehmet Okur (Achilles) practiced on Sunday and was expected to play on Tuesday. Andrei Kirilenko (calf) was not playing in Tuesday’s game and will likely be out for this one as well.
Los Angeles Lakers at Los Angeles Clippers – Eric Gordon and Drew Gooden both sat in Monday’s game and are questionable. Baron Davis (wrist) is not going to play. Kobe Bryant (finger) is out.
Lines to keep an eye on
The total in the Hornets-Rockets game has escalated one point from its opener and now stands at 216.5. Eight of the last 10 games in this series have gone under the posted total.
The Penguins opened as -195 favorites over Ottawa but that number can be found as high as -220 on some boards now.
The opening moneyline for the Angels-Yankees game in New York had the home team favored at -189 but now that number has elevated to as high as -230 at some shops.
The Twins-Red Sox total has jumped from an opener of 8.5 up to 9 (see note below).
St. Louis opened as -190 chalk over the winless Astros at home but that moneyline has jumped to -210 in some markets.
The Diamondbacks-Dodgers total has dropped from an opener of 8.5 down to 8.
Weather report
Wind will be blowing in from center and left-center field 22 mph at Sun Life Stadium on Wednesday in the Red-Marlins matchup.
Who’s hot
Miami is 9-1 SU and 6-4 ATS in its last 10 affairs.
The Flyers have won six of their last seven games versus New Jersey.
Minnesota is 6-2 SU to start the season.
Who’s not
The Raptors are 1-5 SU and 2-4 ATS in their last six and the Knicks would love nothing more than to play spoiler on Wednesday.
Baltimore has gotten off to a 1-6 start to the 2010 season.
The Avalanche have dropped three straight and are 3-7 SU in their last 10 games.
Key stat
7 – Number of hit batsman and wild pitches by the Cleveland Indians pitchers in seven games this season.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Cavs center Shaquille O’Neal could return from injury for Wednesday’s finale against the Hawks. Shaq hasn’t played since tearing a ligament in his thumb on Feb. 25 so his minutes will be limited if he does suit up. Head coach Mike Brown hinted that he might play LeBron James as well to get the two on the floor together but was ambiguous saying, “Maybe they will, maybe they won’t.”
Game of the Day
NHL Eastern Conference Playoffs: Round 1 preview and picks
Notable quotable
"It's obviously traumatic when you witness something like that, but these guys understand the privilege of playing baseball. I think when something like that happens, it just reinforces how lucky we are. I don't know anything about the guy, but obviously something was troubling him."
Angels manager Mike Scioscia said after 15 members of his team witnessed the aftermath of a suicide that took place at the hotel they were staying at in New York.
Tips and notes
A Yale physicist projects that scoring will be down at the Twins new ballpark. Robert Adair said that “Cold air is more dense and thus more resistant than hot air. The same fly ball travels about four feet less for every 10-degree drop in temperature.” For the full article click here but Adair’s assumption could mean a lot of unders in Minnesota at Target Field. The Red Sox and Twins played under the posted total of 9 in the ballpark opener.
When the Lakers defeat the Kings on Tuesday night, they will still have to get a win and an Orlando Magic loss on Wednesday in order to earn the No. 2 overall seed in the NBA Playoffs. Magic coach Stan Van Gundy has been adamant about not resting his players like other teams have so you can be sure his squad will be going all out against the Sixers. Orlando is peaking at the right time, having won five straight (5-0 ATS) and 16-of-20 (13-6-1 ATS).
With Richard Hamilton out of the lineup, Pistons coach Jon Kuester has been experimenting with different lineups and rotations. He said not having Rip on the floor opens it up more and allows them to utilize a “three-guard rotation”. Going with a smaller lineup usually equates to a faster pace of play and Detroit has played to three consecutive overs.