Daily Sports Roundup April 9
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The second round of The Masters gets underway at Augusta, while the Yankees begin a road series against Tampa Bay.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA offers up a hectic 13-game slate on Friday night, including Toronto at Atlanta. The Raptors' chances of making the playoffs took a hit on Wednesday night when they were beaten 115-104 at home by the Celtics. Sonny Weems scored a team-high 21 points in that defeat for the Raptors, who will be without star forward Chris Bosh (facial injuries) for an indefinite amount of time. The Hawks fell to the Pistons 90-88 on the road on Wednesday night, blowing the seven-point lead they held after three quarters. The Raptors managed to slip past the Hawks 106-105 as a 3-point home favorite when they played March 17.
Also on the NBA hardwood on Friday: Milwaukee at Philadelphia, New York at Orlando, Washington at Boston, Indiana at Cleveland, Detroit at Miami, Chicago at New Jersey, the Lakers at Minnesota, Phoenix at Oklahoma City, Charlotte at Houston, Memphis at San Antonio, Dallas at Portland, and Utah at New Orleans. The Hornets have been eliminated from playoff contention in the Western Conference, and they'll have to play the last week of the season without Chris Paul (torn finger ligament). Utah beat New Orleans 106-86 at home on March 20.
Meeting up on the diamond . . .
There is a full slate of games in the American League on Friday, with Cleveland at Detroit, Toronto at Baltimore, Seattle at Texas, Boston at Kansas City, Minnesota at the White Sox, Oakland at the Angels, and the Yankees at Tampa Bay. New York will go with Javier Vazquez in its series opener against the Rays. Righthander Vazquez went 15-10 in his stint in the National League for the Braves last season, posting a 2.87 ERA and fanning 238 over 219.1 innings. The Rays will counter with David Price. Lefthander Price disappointed for Tampa Bay in '09, going 10-7 with a 4.42 ERA while striking out 102 in 128.1 innings pitched.
Over in the National League on Friday it'll be San Diego at Colorado, the Dodgers at Florida, Washington at the Mets, the Cubs at Cincinnati, Philadelphia at Houston, St. Louis at Milwaukee, Pittsburgh at Arizona, and Atlanta at San Francisco. Tim Hudson will get the ball for the Braves on Friday afternoon; righthander Hudson was limited to just seven starts for Atlanta last season, going 2-1 with a 3.61 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 42.1 innings. Taking the mound for the Giants on Friday will be Jonathan Sanchez. Lefthander Sanchez went 8-12 for the Giants in 2009 with a 4.24 ERA and 177 strikeouts over his 163.1 innings.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
The NHL has just five games on the ice on Friday, with Atlanta at Washington, Detroit at Columbus, Anaheim at St. Louis, Chicago at Colorado, and Philadelphia at the Rangers. New York buoyed their playoff chances with a 5-1 home win over the Leafs on Wednesday; Erik Christensen potted a pair of goals for the Rangers in that contest. The Flyers also beat Toronto in their last game, winning 2-0 on the road on Tuesday behind the goaltending of Brian Boucher. The Flyers and Rangers will close out their regular season slates with the back end of a home-and-home on Sunday, when a playoff berth could be on the line.
Rounding out the Roundup . . .
Finally, the second round of The Masters gets underway on Friday morning, with Fred Couples sitting in the lead at 6-under after the first round. Tom Watson, Lee Westwood, Phil Mickelson, Y.E. Yang, and K.J. Choi sit one stroke back of the lead after 18 holes, while Tiger Woods shot a 4-under 68 in his return to the links.
Friday's Wagering Tips
Lines off the board
Detroit Pistons at Miami Heat: Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince (personal) is probable, guards Richard Hamilton (ankle) and Rodeny Stuckey (ribs) are questionable and forward Jason Maxiell (back) is doubtful.
Los Angeles Lakers at Minnesota Timberwolves: Lakers forward Luke Walton (back) is probable. T-wolves center Al Jefferson (personal) and guard Wayne Ellington (illness) are questionable.
Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers: Cavs forward LeBron James and guard Mo Williams are game-time decisions for rest.
Toronto Raptors at Atlanta Hawks: Raptors forwards Hedo Turkaglu (nose) and Amir Johnson (knee) and guards Jarrett Jack (ankle) and Antonio Wright (ankle) and Hawks guard Joe Johnson (thumb) and center Jason Collins are questionable.
Charlotte Bobcats at Houston Rockets: Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace (rest) is probable, center Theo Ratliff (thumb) is questionable and forward Tyrus Thomas (thumb) is doubtful. Rockets center David Anderson (back) is questionable.
Lines to keep an eye on
Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers: The Bucks opened as 3.5-point favorite and jumped to 4.5 at most books. They have covered in seven straight.
Utah Jazz at New Orleans Hornets: Jazz opened as 5.5-point favorites and leaped to 6.5 at most shops. The Hornets are 1-6 ATS in their last seven.
Who's hot
Phoenix Suns are 11-1 SU in their last 12.
Miami Heat have won nine in a row SU.
Detroit Red Wings are 13-4 SU in their last 17.
Who's not
Minnesota Timberwolves are 1-19 SU in their last 20.
Memphis Grizzlies are 1-6 SU and ATS in their last seven.
New Orleans Hornets are 1-6 SU in their last seven.
Key stat
28.8 - Average points per game scored by Kobe Bryant during the Lakers' current 10-game winning streak against Minnesota, dating back to the night in 2007 when he hung 50 on the T-wolves.
Injury that shouldn't be overlooked
Hawks leading scorer Joe Johnson is probable with a thumb injury but don't put a penny on Atlanta until you see him suited up and ready to go. Johnson, who is averaging 21.2 points and 4.9 assists per game, had led the Hawks to a hot streak of 6-1 SU and ATS before suffering the injury. The Hawks are 0-2 SU and ATS in his absence.
Game of the day
Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder
Notable quotable
"They're the two clubs that don't try to pick up the pace. They're two of the best teams in baseball. Why are they playing the slowest? It's embarassing and pathetic."
Major League Baseball umpire Joe West on the New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox season-opening series, which saw games last 3:46, 3:48 and 3:21.
Tips and notes
The Lakers are battling the Magic for home-court advantage in case of an NBA Finals rematch and a game against the Timberwolves should help. The timing, however, is less than ideal. Following Thursday night's showdown with the Nuggets, the Lakers won't land in Minnesapolis until after 4 a.m. The Lakers are 9-9 ATS on no days rest while the T-wolves are 5-4 ATS vs. opponents coming off a game the previous day.
In a scheduling quirk even for the NHL's Olympic crunch, the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets will face off for the third time in the last nine days. The Wings won the April Fool's meeting 3-2, then took Wednesday's rematch 4-3. Close games, but the Red Wings are playing for postseason positioning and appear to have the Jackets' number, winning nine of the last 10 meetings dating back to last season.
Thursday's heavy rains at Augusta National Golf Club overnight should leave a soggy course for at least the first half of the day. Those conditions tend to limit the length of longer hitters and could opener the door for guys with short-but-straight games. Tiger Woods is among the contenders teeing off early. The later tee times should have an advantage on a drier course.