Daily Sports Roundup April 20
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Celtics and Heat do battle in Game 2, the Braves and Phillies square off, and the Avalanche look to bury the Sharks in Game 3.
Tipping off on the hardwood…
The NBA playoffs continue Tuesday night with four games on the schedule: Milwaukee at Atlanta, Portland at Phoenix, Oklahoma City at the Lakers and Miami at Boston. Game 2 between the Heat and Celtics should be an interesting matchup based on the way Game 1 concluded. Boston defeated Miami 85-76 as a 5-point favorite, but a dustup near the end of the game resulted in Kevin Garnett being slapped with a suspension for elbowing Quentin Richardson in the face. With Garnett out, the Celtics are only a 1.5-point favorite in Game 2.
Meeting up on the diamond…
The American League’s Tuesday schedule includes Kansas City at Toronto, Texas at Boston, Cleveland at Minnesota, the Yankees at Oakland, Detroit at the Angels and Baltimore at Seattle. Also on tap is Tampa Bay at the White Sox, featuring a battle of southpaws between David Price (2-0, 2.45) and John Danks (1-0, 1.38). Price has been stellar in a pair of wins this season, and last time out he held the Orioles to one run on four hits over seven innings. Danks has also been dominant to start the season and held Toronto to one run on two hits in seven innings in his last start.
Tuesday’s National League schedule includes Milwaukee at Pittsburgh, Colorado at Washington, the Cubs at the Mets, the Dodgers at Cincinnati, Florida at Houston, St. Louis at Arizona and San Francisco at San Diego. The Phillies and Braves also meet up in a NL East showdown with two young guns, Kyle Kendrick (0-0, 17.47) and Tommy Hanson (1-1, 2.38), taking the mound. Kendrick has had a rough start to the season and in his last start the Nationals pounded him for six runs in only 1 1-3 innings. Hanson pitched a gem last time out, limiting San Diego to one run on four hits in six innings.
Taking a trip around the rink…
It’s a very busy night in the NHL playoffs on Tuesday with five games on the schedule. They include Game 4 between Phoenix and Detroit, Pittsburgh and Ottawa, New Jersey and Philadelphia and San Jose and Colorado, as well as Game 3 between Chicago and Nashville.
Colorado can put the Sharks in a tight spot with a win tonight. A victory by the Avalanche would give them a 3-1 series lead after their surprising win on Sunday night. Colorado won Game 3 by a 1-0 score in overtime after Dan Boyle accidentally scored into his own net. Netminder Craig Anderson played a big part in the victory with a 51-save performance to earn the shutout.
Tuesday's Wagering Tips
Lines to keep an eye on
The total in the Bucks-Hawks game has dropped from an opener of 189 to 187.5. The first game of this series went over the posted total by 8 points.
Most sportsbooks are offering the Celtics as 1-point favorites over Miami after opening at 2. Kevin Garnett will miss the game because of a suspension.
An opening total of 190.5 has been bet down to 189 in the Thunder-Lakers matchup. Game 1 went under the total by 33 points.
Toronto opened as -128 favorites over the Royals but that number can now be found as high as -150 in the offshore market. The Jays have dropped three straight.
The Braves opened as -150 favorites against Philadelphia on Tuesday but most shops are working with a -175 moneyline now (see note below).
The total in the Rangers-Red Sox game has jumped a half run from its opener and now stands at 9.5. Nine of the last 10 games in this series have gone under.
Most sportsbooks are working with a total of 8.5 in the Marlins-Astros matchup after opening the number at 8. The last three games in this series have gone under.
Weather report
There is a 70 percent chance of rain in the Yankees-A’s game as the Bay Area is expected to get drenched on Tuesday.
Who’s hot
The Avs have won twice as underdogs in the San Jose series and covered the puckline in all three outings.
Atlanta is 4-0 ATS in its last four games.
Tampa Bay has won seven consecutive games and is essentially a pick ‘em on Tuesday.
Who’s not
The Red Sox have lost five straight, dropping 6.96 units on the moneyline.
Oklahoma City is 3-5 ATS in its last eight games.
The Red Wings have been favored in all three games versus Phoenix but have only won once.
Key stat
44-0 – Phil Jackson’s NBA playoffs series record after winning the first game of the series. The Lakers took down Oklahoma City in Game 1 on Sunday and are -900 to win the series.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Astros first baseman Lance Berkman is expected to return to the lineup Tuesday after missing the first 12 games of the season. Berkman said, “I anticipate being in the lineup Tuesday and not coming out until the end of the year.” That’s good news for a Houston team that’s gotten off to a 3-9 start and is averaging 2.33 runs per game – the lowest in the bigs.
Game of the Day
Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers (-6.5, 189)
Notable quotable
"We do tend to lose focus in a 48-minute ballgame but we can't do that in these games."
-- Joe Johnson said after the Hawks blew a sizeable lead against Milwaukee in Game 1.
Tips and notes
Scott Kazmir said he was ready to go at the start of the season but the Angels put him on the DL and then in the minors. It looks like he should have stayed there. In his season debut Thursday, Kazmir was lit up for six runs on eight hits in four innings of work, he also walked three. It’s clear L.A. didn’t have a lot of confidence in Kazmir to start the season and bettors shouldn’t either. The Angels are laying -125 for his start on Tuesday.
Jerry Manuel is on the hot seat because the Mets aren’t producing wins or runs. The manager is hoping that an early call-up for first-base prospect Ike Davis will ease his pain. Davis is expected to hit sixth in the New York lineup and Manuel has also recently discussed moving Jose Reyes around in the lineup, maybe to the three-hole. The Mets are averaging 4.0 runs a game and have posted three or fewer in 7-of-10. It will be interesting to see if a tinkered lineup will help NY get back on track.
Braves ace Tommy Hanson is looking to exact revenge on the Phillies Tuesday. Hanson only lost four games during his rookie season and two of those came against Philly (0-2, 6.43 ERA). Hanson said, “Any time you face the Phillies, it’s a big game. I had a rough one against them last year and I’m excited to get back out there.” Nate McClouth backed up his pitcher saying they have the “mindset of winning this series.” The Braves won 10-of-18 versus Philadelphia last season and oddsmakers have given Atlanta -110 odds to win the series.