Daily Sports Roundup April 19
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Cavs return to the court for Game 2 vs. the Bulls, the Caps and Habs clash in Game 3 and the Red Sox and Rays finish off a four-game set.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA playoffs continue on Monday with only two games on the schedule: Chicago at Cleveland and Utah at Denver.
The Cavaliers rolled over the Bulls in Game 1 with a 96-83 victory as an 11.5-point favorite. LeBron James led the way with 26 points and six rebounds, while Shaquille O’Neal poured in 12 points in his first game since February.
The Nuggets started off their series against Utah with a 126-113 win as a 6-point favorite on Saturday night. Carmelo Anthony carried the Nuggets with a game-high 42 points, and the Jazz will need to find a way to slow him down to get back in the series.
Meeting up on the diamond . . .
In the American League on Monday there are four games on tap with Kansas City at Toronto, Detroit at the Angels, Baltimore at Seattle and Tampa Bay at Boston. The Rays and Red Sox finish off a four-game series with Jeff Niemann (0-0, 3.24) taking on John Lackey (1-0, 1.42). Niemann has thrown two no-decisions versus Baltimore this season. He went seven innings and allowed three runs in his last start after his season debut was cut short after he took a line drive off his shoulder. Lackey earned his first win of the season in his last start after holding Minnesota to two runs on seven hits over 6 2-3 innings.
Over in the National League on Monday there are four games on the schedule with Colorado at Washington, the Cubs at the Mets, San Francisco at San Diego and St. Louis at Arizona. Brad Penny (1-0, 0.64) gets the call for the Cardinals, while Rodrigo Lopez (1-0, 4.09) gets the ball for the Diamondbacks. Penny stymied the Astros in his last start, limiting them to one unearned run in seven innings. Lopez was lit up by the Dodgers last time out, giving up five runs on 11 hits in five innings.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, the NHL playoffs continue Monday with three games: Boston at Buffalo, Los Angeles at Vancouver, and Montreal at Washington. Boston, Los Angeles and Washington all won on Saturday to tie all three series 1-1. The Capitals knocked off the Canadiens 6-5 in overtime after coming back from down 4-1. Backstrom netted the OT winner to finish off a four-point night with three goals and an assist, while Alex Ovechkin also had four points with a goal and three assists. Semyon Varlamov took over for Jose Theodore and made 19 saves, after Theodore allowed two goals on Montreal’s first two shots of the game. Jaroslav Halak stopped 31-of-37 shots in the loss.
Monday's Wagering Tips
Lines to keep an eye on
Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavs opened as 11-point favorites and that number has dropped to 10.5 at most shops.
Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets: The total opened at 213 and has fallen to as low as 212.5 at most books.
Who's hot
Chicago Bulls are 7-2 ATS in their last nine on road.
Denver Nuggets are 7-0-2 ATS in last nine vs. Utah Jazz.
Boston Bruins are 4-1 in their last five.
Tampa Bay Rays are 6-0 on the road this season.
Who's not
Cleveland Cavaliers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11.
Utah Jazz are 2-5 ATS in their last seven.
Montreal Canadiens are 1-4 in their last five.
Key stats
84 - Number of years since the New York Yankees won their first four series to start a season, which they did by sweeping Texas over the weekend. Not since 1926, when Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were in the lineup, have the Bronx Bombers had such a hot start.
584 - Career home runs hit by Alex Rodriguez, who passed Mark McGwire for eighth on the all-time list Saturday. McGwire was 38 when he hit his last one and No. 7 Frank Robinson was 40 when he hit his 586th. A-Rod is 34.
Injury that shouldn't be overlooked
Buffalo Sabres winger and leading scorer Thomas Vanek left Saturday's game against the Boston Bruins with a foot injury and is doubtful for tonight's Game 3. Vanek has scored 23 goals and 25 assists this season, so his absence could be huge in a series that has been decided by two goals or less in the last eight meetings.
Game of the day
Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers
Notable quotable
"Certainly. That's a gift to the NBA charities. NBA Cares, they really care a lot about me. ... I got to get out of here before I start something else."
Lakers coach Phil Jackson when asked if the $70,000 in fines he has paid for recent comments about NBA officials can be used as a tax write-off.
Tips and notes
Saturday night's 20-inning marathon between the Mets and Cardinals could have lasting effects into the first part of the week as both teams depleted their bullpens and dugouts. Forty-six of the team's combined 50 eligible players in the game. The Cards got the worst end of the deal, taking the loss and traveling to Arizona after a late game Sunday.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Dontrelle Willis may finally be recapturing the promise of his youth. Despite being a total flop since signing with the Tigers in 2008 and earning no-decisions in his first two starts this season, Willis has shown flashes the "D-Train" of old and signs of an older, mentally tougher pitcher. He and the Tigers can be had at a bargain price of +150 for tonight's game against the Angels.
Rain washed out both NASCAR races at Texas Motorspeedway this weekend, setting up a doubleheader for fans and for 15 drivers who will compete in the noon Sprint Cup Series and 5 p.m. Nationwide Series races. That's a total of 800 miles in one day, which is enough to make the toughest trucker find a rest stop. It's a good time to take a shot on a Nationwide regular to upstage the big-name double-dippers.