Daily Sports Roundup
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Bruins play host to the Sabres, while the Spurs meet the lowly Nets, and the Lakers search for a road win in New Orleans.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA offers up five games Monday, with Toronto at Charlotte, San Antonio at New Jersey, Denver at Dallas, New York at Utah, and the Lakers at New Orleans. The Hornets will be looking to bounce back from a 112-101 home loss to the Trail Blazers on Saturday night. Darren Collison led New Orleans with 22 points off the bench in that defeat, while Chris Paul was held to seven points. The Lakers picked up a road win in Houston on Saturday night, winning 109-101 behind 30 points from Pau Gasol. Kobe Bryant poured in 17 points in the contest.
As well, there's one college basketball game on the schedule for Monday, with Saint Louis taking on Virginia Commonwealth in the first game of the best-of-three CBI championship series. Saint Louis topped Princeton 69-59 in their semifinal matchup last week, while VCU is coming off an 88-75 win over Boston University. VCU is listed as the 9.5-point favorite for Monday, with a total of 131.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, there are five games on the National Hockey League's schedule for Monday, with Carolina at Atlanta, Nashville at Florida, Los Angeles at Minnesota, Dallas at Anaheim, and Buffalo at Boston. The Sabres throttled the Lightning in their last game on Saturday night, winning 7-1 at home behind a hat trick from Derek Roy. Jason Pominville picked up three points in the win. The Bruins blanked the Flames 5-0 in their Saturday afternoon outing, with Tim Thomas making 31 saves. Patrice Bergeron had a goal and an assist in Saturday's victory.
Monday's Wagering Tips
Lines to keep an eye on
The Dallas Mavericks opened as 4.5-point favorites over the Denver Nuggets and the line quickly rocketed to 5.5 at some books.
Butler opened as a 1-point favorite over Michigan State but the line jumped to 1.5 right out of the box. The total dropped from 127 to 126.
Virginia Commonwealth opened as a 9.5-point favorite over St. Louis, but the line has dropped to 9. The total fell from 131 to 130.
Weather to watch
Rain spoiled the finish in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida and the start of the Goody's 500 in Virginia, which is great news for all those unemployed Golf/NASCAR fans out there. Rather than watching constant "SportsCenter" re-reruns, they can catch live action on the greens and asphalt. Both events will be held today under sunny skies.
Who's hot
Los Angeles Lakers are 8-1 SU in their last nine.
Boston Celtics are 6-1 ATS in their last seven.
Utah Jazz are 6-2 SU and ATS in their last eight.
Buffalo Sabres are 5-1 in their last six.
Who's not
New Orleans Hornets are 2-8 SU in their last 10.
Denver Nuggets are 0-7-1 ATS in their last eight.
Dallas Mavericks are 2-6 ATS in their last eight.
Key stat
13 - Combined total of the seeds in this year's Final Four, the fourth highest total in NCAA Tournament modern history. Two of those years saw No. 11 seeds reach the Final Four - LSU in 1986 and George Mason in 2006. Thirteen also is Michigan State's total margin of victory in their four tourney wins.
Injury that shouldn't be overlooked
Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf is questionable for Monday night's game against the Dallas Stars with an ankle injury and his absence or presence will have a big impact on the game. Getzlaf has 19 goals for the Ducks and, more importantly, a whopping 50 assists. He truly is the straw that stirs the Ducks' drink, so keep an eye on the injury report before betting either side of this one.
Game of the day
Denver Nuggets at Dallas Mavericks
Notable quotable
"There is nothing greater than going to a Final Four that I know of ... except winning it."
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said after the Spartans defeated Tennessee 70-69 on Sunday to reach his sixth Final Four since 1999.
Tips and notes
The rain-delayed Goody's 500 gives bettors a rare chance for some Monday afternoon NASCAR action, and there will be a lot of action. Heavy rains not only set the field by points and postponed the start until noon Monday, it also washed all the rubber off the track, which will lead to slick condition around the tight Martinsville Speedway. Taking the usual suspects will be risky since there will be a whole lot of bumper-banging.
After using a two-platoon system at goalie all season, the Predators finally named Pekka Rinne the starter over Dan Ellis. They are 7-2 since making the move, including Saturday's 1-0 loss to Detroit in an 11-round shootout. Rinne has three shutouts and has allowed only 14 goals in that nine-game stretch. If he's not worn out from Saturday's marathon, the Panthers lack the fire power to cool his hot streak.
The CBI's home-and-away title series brings a true home-court advantage to tonight's opener at Virginia Commonwealth, which is 17-1 SU under its own roof. Despite a strong finish, St. Louis is just 5-5 on the road and 0-3 on neutral courts. The Billikens suffered their worst loss of the season just down the road at Richmond, 62-36. The Rams defeated Richmond 65-57 at home.