Daily Sports Roundup April 25
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Sprint Cup Series takes on Talladega, while the Celtics try to close out the Heat, and the Cavaliers battle with the Bulls.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA offers up four more first-round playoff games on Sunday, with Boston at Miami, Dallas at San Antonio, Denver at Utah, and Cleveland at Chicago. The Celtics hold a commanding 3-0 lead in their series with the Heat and will be looking to close out the set on Sunday, while the Spurs, Jazz, and Cavaliers are each up 2-1. Cleveland fell 108-106 in Chicago in Game 3 of their series on Thursday night despite a 39-point, 10-rebound performance from LeBron James. Mo Williams added 21 points in that defeat, while Antawn Jamison had 19 points. Derrick Rose scored a team-high 31 points for the Bulls in their first win of the set.
Meeting up on the diamond . . .
The American League schedule on Sunday has Baltimore at Boston, Toronto at Tampa Bay, Seattle at the White Sox, Minnesota at Kansas City, Detroit at Texas, Cleveland at Oakland, and the Yankees at the Angels. Javier Vazquez (1-2, 8.27 ERA) will get the ball for New York in that last matchup; righthander Vazquez was beaten by the Angels back on April 14, but he picked up his first win of the season last time out against the A's (three runs over 5 1-3 innings). The Angels will counter with Scott Kazmir (1-1, 7.45 ERA); lefthander Kazmir was beaten by the Yankees in his April 15 outing (six runs over just four innings).
On the National League schedule for Sunday it'll be San Diego at Cincinnati, the Dodgers at Washington, Pittsburgh at Houston, the Cubs at Milwaukee, Philadelphia at Arizona, Florida at Colorado, Atlanta at the Mets, and St. Louis at San Francisco. The Cardinals' Brad Penny (2-0, 1.29 ERA) will take on the Giants' Matt Cain (0-0, 3.86 ERA) in that last matchup. Righthander Penny beat the Diamondbacks in his last start, allowing two earned runs on eight hits over seven innings of work. Righthander Cain took a no-decision in his last start against the Padres, surrendering two earned runs on seven hits over six innings.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
There are two games on the NHL's schedule for Sunday, with Phoenix at Detroit and Vancouver at Los Angeles. The Red Wings took a 3-2 lead in their first-round series with the Coyotes with a 4-1 win in Phoenix in Game 4 on Friday night. Henrik Zetterberg scored his sixth goal of the playoffs for the Wings in that game, while Jimmy Howard stopped 30 Coyotes shots. The Canucks took a 3-2 lead in their series with the Kings with a convincing 7-2 home win on Friday night. Mikael Samuelsson and Steve Bernier each scored twice for Vancouver in that victory, while Jonathan Quick surrendered five goals on 26 shots for Los Angeles.
Roaring around the track . . .
Finally, the Sprint Cup Series hits the track at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday afternoon for the Aaron's 499. Denny Hamlin won last week's event, the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, and he's listed at 11/1 by the Vegas oddsmakers to make it back-to-back victories. Jimmie Johnson, who won the Aaron's 499 back in 2006, is pegged as the 9/5 Vegas favorite for Sunday, with Jeff Gordon at 6/1, Mark Martin at 8/1, and Tony Stewart at 17/2. Jamie McMurray, who won the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega last November, is listed as a 150/1 longshot, and defending champ Brad Keselowski is part of The Field.
Sunday's Wagering Tips
Lines to keep an eye on
The Heat are down 3-0 in the playoff series versus Boston and Game 4 opened as a pick ‘em. Bettors believing Miami won’t get swept have increased the spread to -1.5 in favor of the home team. The total in the game has also elevated a point to 186.
The total in the Orioles-Red Sox game has jumped a half run from its opener and now stands at 10. Baltimore had played to three consecutive unders heading into Saturday.
An opening total of 9 in the Indians-A’s game has been bet down to 8.5. McAfee Stadium in Oakland is a pitcher’s ballpark and six of the last nine games there have gone under.
Weather report
Wind will be whipping around the Windy City from 18-20 mph during the Mariners-White Sox game Sunday. Gusts will be coming in from left field and there is also a 60 percent chance of rain.
A 70 percent chance of rain is expected in the Braves-Mets matchup. Wind will blow out to left at 11 mph.
The forecast calls for a 20 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms in the Marlins-Rockies game. A light 12 mph wind will be blowing straight in from center field.
A strong 20 mph wind will blow in from center and right-center field during the Padres-Reds game in Cincinnati. There is also a 30 percent chance of precipitation.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying and Nationwide series race were postponed Saturday due to severe approaching weather around Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. The weather is expected to clear Sunday, opening up time slots for both events. The Sprint Cup will order the field for Sunday's race based on the points standings, putting leader and four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson on the pole. The race is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
Who’s hot
The Mavs are 6-2 ATS over an eight-game stretch.
Vancouver has netted 18 goals in its last three games, producing three straight overs.
San Diego has won eight straight, earning 8.33 units on the moneyline.
Who’s not
Cleveland is 1-5 ATS in its last six and 3-7 ATS in the last 10 games.
The Coyotes have not covered the puckline in three playoff losses against Detroit.
The Braves are on a four-game slide (-5.00 units) heading into Sunday.
Key stat
33-17 – Jazz record this season when Wesley Matthews is in the starting lineup.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Braves third baseman Chipper Jones left Saturday’s game in the third inning after he heard his hip “pop”. The 38-year-old slugger is constantly plagued by various ailments and don’t expect Jones to be in the lineup on Sunday and possibly even more games. Martin Prado replaced him at third in the game.
Game of the Day
Dallas Mavericks at San Antonio Spurs (-2.5, 193)
Notable quotable
"There were things he told me I needed to do as a football player versus the actions he took and who he took as a safety. I understand it's a business, but with it being a business, honesty is all I'm asking for.”
-- San Francisco recent draftee Taylor Mays said about his former coach Pete Carroll who now is the head man in Seattle and passed up Mays in the NFL Draft.
Tips and notes
- LeBron James felt there was something lacking with Shaq on the court Thursday and requested to see more of J.J. Hickson. James said after the game that they need to play small ball if Shaq isn’t going to dominate the paint. Hickson is a big man who can get out and run but he’s played less than two minutes the entire series. The Cavs went 13-5 over/under when Hickson played more than 25 minutes this season. Coach Mike Brown may be committed to Shaq but if Hickson gets more time expect a faster pace Sunday.
- Sine mid-June of last year, Chad Billingsley is 4-8 with a 5.43 ERA, and he’s been awful for the Dodgers this season. Manager Joe Torre said he will stick with the 24-year-old and his problems are stemming from a lack of confidence. But Billingsley said that wasn’t the case and he feels he is “throwing quality pitches” this season. Billingsley will take the hill on Sunday with L.A. listed as -150 favorites but this pitcher can’t be trusted when he is clearly delusional about the way he’s performed.
- Going into Friday’s game, the Mets were hitting .229 as a team and .196 with RISP. Jerry Manuel decided to alter the batting order in an attempt to spark his offense. The lineup experiment produced dividends on Friday as the Mets scored five runs on nine hits. Jose Reyes was moved to the three-hole and went 2-for-4 on Friday and David Wright slid down to the No. 5 spot and had two RBIs. Manuel is also hoping the move will allow Jason Bay to see more fastballs with speed hitting in front of him. Bay went 3-for-4 on Saturday.