Daily Sports Roundup April 24
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Thunder rumble with the Lakers, the Cardinals take on the Giants and the Senators try to stay alive against the Penguins.
Tipping off on the hardwood…
There are four games on the NBA playoff slate today: Orlando at Charlotte, Phoenix at Portland, Atlanta at Milwaukee and the Lakers at Oklahoma City. The Thunder made it a series on Thursday night with a 101-96 win to cut the Lakers’ series lead to 2-1. Kevin Durant led the way for the Thunder with 29 points and 19 rebounds, while Russell Westbrook chipped in with 27 points and eight boards. Kobe Bryant netted 24 points for the Lakers, but he couldn’t hit his shots late after Durant took over guarding him.
Meeting up on the diamond…
In the American League today the matchups include Cleveland at Oakland, the Yankees at the Angels, Seattle at the White Sox, Minnesota at Kansas City, Baltimore at Boston and Detroit at Texas. The Blue Jays and Rays also square off with both teams sending young pitchers to the hill. Toronto gives the ball to southpaw Rickey Romero (1-1, 1.57), who’s coming off his first loss of the season despite holding the Angels to one run over eight innings. The Rays will start Jeff Niemann (1-0, 2.93). and he recorded his first win last time out after allowing only two runs in seven innings versus the Red Sox.
The National League schedule today includes the Dodgers at Washington, San Diego at Cincinnati, Atlanta at the Mets, Pittsburgh at Houston, the Cubs at Milwaukee, Florida at Colorado and Philadelphia at Arizona. The Cardinals and Giants also continue their series today with Adam Wainwright (3-0, 1.50) getting the call for St. Louis and Barry Zito (2-0, 1.86) on the bump for San Francisco. Wainwright tossed a complete-game four-hitter against the Mets in his last start. Zito has turned back the clock so far this season and allowed only one run in seven innings versus the Dodgers in his last outing.
Taking a trip around the rink…
On the ice today there are three playoff games on the schedule: San Jose at Colorado, Nashville at Chicago and Pittsburgh at Ottawa. Both the Sharks and Penguins can advance to the second round with a win tonight.
The Sharks took a 3-2 series lead on Thursday night after smoking the Avalanche 5-0. Logan Couture netted a pair of goals for San Jose, while Evgeni Nabokov made 28 saves to record the shutout.
The Senators staved off elimination on Thursday night by nipping Pittsburgh 4-3 in triple overtime. Matt Carkner was a surprising scorer of the game-winner and Pascal Leclaire had a strong game in nets, making 56 saves after taking over the starting gig from Brian Elliott.
Saturday's Wagering Tips
Line off the board
Not many offshore outlets are offering a line on the Rangers-Tigers matchup Saturday. Scott Feldman was scratched from his start on Friday night (see note below) but is expected to take the mound in the second game of the series.
Lines to keep an eye on
Sportsbooks have seen a favorite reversed after money came in on the Bucks in Game 3 at home. Atlanta opened as 1-point chalk but now Milwaukee is laying the straight digit. The Hawks covered in the last two games in Brew City.
The opening total of 193 in the Lakers-Thunder game has jumped to 194 at most shops. Seven of the last 10 games in this series have gone under.
Boston was tabbed as -220 favorites against the Orioles on Saturday but that number has plummeted to as low as -195 in some markets.
The total in the Marlins-Rockies game has jumped a half run from its opener and now stands at 10. These two teams played to three consecutive overs heading into Friday.
Weather report
The forecast calls for a 50 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms in the Twins-Royals matchup Saturday. A light 11 mph wind will be blowing out to left field.
Wind from 13-15 mph will be blowing straight in from center field in the Marlins-Rockies game. Rain and snow could fall later in the evening.
Heavy rain forced play to be suspended during Friday's second round of the Zurich Classic. Fewer than one-third of the players in the field had finished their rounds before play was halted in the early afternoon. Officials finally suspended play for the day nearly five hours later. Lee Janzen, Alex Cejka and England's Brian Davis shared the lead at 7-under. Play is scheduled to resume at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, although more rain is in the forecast.
Who’s hot
Since April 1, the Magic are 8-2 ATS.
The Penguins are averaging 4.33 goals per game over a six-game span.
San Diego is 7-3 SU in its last 10, earning 4.26 units on the moneyline.
Who’s not
Colorado has been defeated in overtime four of the last five times it has gone into an extra period.
The Giants were on a four-game slide heading into Friday night’s action.
Charlotte is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games.
Key stat
97.3 – Success rate base stealers are having against Boston Red Sox catchers and pitchers. The Rangers stole nine bases against Boston last Tuesday and the Sox have only gunned down one of 37 base stealers this season.
Injuries that shouldn’t be overlooked
Washington manager Jim Riggleman said it was doubtful that Ryan Zimmerman will be in the lineup for Saturday’s game versus the Dodgers. Zimmerman has been dealing with an injured hamstring this season but is expected to be available to pinch-hit if needed. He was replaced at third by Christian Guzman on Friday. The Nats primary offensive weapon, Zimmerman is hitting .341 this season with two jacks and 10 RBIs.
Games of the Day
Pittsburgh Penguins at Ottawa Senators (+140, 5.5)
San Jose Sharks at Colorado Avalanche (+158, 5.5)
Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz at Iowa Barnstormers (-4)
Notable quotable
“I think there's a situation here that - favoritism on the NBA court, I don't think anybody's going to be deluded into thinking that people don't gets calls on the court regardless of how you say it. It's just a natural evolution of the game and a natural evolution of who gets the ball the most, and they're going to end up a lot of times at the foul line. Unfortunately it didn't work that way for Kobe [Bryant] last night but it did for Kevin [Durant]. But that's the way things go in this game. You have to accept it, swallow it, and move on."
-- Lakers coach Phil Jackson said about the fines he’s received from NBA Commissioner David Stern and whether or not he thinks the criticizing of officials should stop. If you’ve read Tim Donaghy’s book about NBA refs, this makes all too much sense.
Tips and notes
- Rangers pitcher Scott Feldman missed his start on Friday with flu-like symptoms. He is expected to start Saturday but this isn’t the first time the Texas clubhouse has come down with the flu. C.J. Wilson had a start scratched last week because of the flu and three other members of the Rangers team came down with the illness. The virus is obviously still going around the Rangers’ locker room and bettors should be careful until it’s gone.
- Home-court advantage in the NBA is generally worth 2-3 points. Handicappers might want to tack on another half point or more for the Thunderdome in Oklahoma City. On Thursday, the crowd of 18,342 reached a decibel level of 109. That game sold out in 13 minutes so these Thunder fans are giddy about their team. Kevin Durant said, "That's truly the meaning of home-court advantage." The crowd powered OKC to a come-from-behind victory that night and the sea of blue could do it again Saturday.
- After a 19-point trouncing at home, Nate McMillan might be shaking up his lineup for Portland’s game Saturday. Rumors are swirling that Jerryd Bayless could start at the point and Martell Webster could take the spot of Rudy Fernandez at shooting guard. Fernandez is 6-of-17 from the field in the series. The Blazers winning blueprint in Game 1 was to slow the Suns pace of play. It worked that night but not so much in Game 2. If Bayless and Webster start today, expect to see a more up-tempo and possibly higher-scoring affair.