Daily Sports Roundup
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The NIT semifinals get underway at MSG, while the Coyotes meet the Canucks, and the Suns play on the road in Chicago.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA offers up five games on Tuesday night, with Sacramento at Indiana, Oklahoma City at Philadelphia, the Clippers at Milwaukee, Washington at Houston, and Phoenix at Chicago. The Bulls got past the Suns 115-104 as 6.5-point underdogs on the road when the teams met back on January 22. Derrick Rose led the way with 32 points for Chicago in that win, while Luol Deng was good for 23 points. Amare Stoudemire had a team-high 23 points in that loss for the Suns, and Steve Nash was held to eight points and seven assists. Phoenix center Robin Lopez won't be in the lineup on Tuesday; he's out with a sore back.
As well, there are three college basketball games on the schedule for Tuesday, with the CIT determining its champion and the NIT staging its semifinal matchups. The title game of the CIT has Pacific vs. Missouri State, with the Bears pegged as the 5.5-point favorites (and the total at 127 points). Over in the NIT at Madison Square Garden it'll be Dayton vs. Mississippi and North Carolina vs. Rhode Island on Tuesday night. The Dayton/Mississippi matchup has been listed by the oddsmakers as a pick'em, with a total of 142 points. Rhode Island then sits as a 1-point favorite against UNC, with that contest's total at 149 points.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, there are nine games on the NHL's schedule for Tuesday, with Boston at New Jersey, the Rangers at the Islanders, Atlanta at Toronto, Ottawa at Washington, Tampa Bay at Columbus, Edmonton at Detroit, Chicago at St. Louis, Los Angeles at Nashville, and Phoenix at Vancouver. The 47-23-6 Coyotes clinched a playoff berth with their 6-2 win over Colorado on Saturday night; Lee Stempniak scored a pair of goals in that contest. The 45-26-4 Canucks were doubled up 4-2 by the Sharks in their last game on Saturday, with Roberto Luongo stopping 26 of 29 shots. Phoenix is 2-1 against Vancouver this season.
Tuesday's Wagering Yips
Lines off the board
Sacramento Kings at Indiana Pacers – Tyreke Evans (head) has missed the last five games with a concussion but is expected to return Tuesday.
Washington Wizards at Houston Rockets – Kevin Martin (shoulder) missed the team’s last game and is questionable. Al Thornton (knee) missed Saturday’s game and is questionable.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Columbus Blue Jackets – Vincent Lecavalier could face a suspension by the NHL. Chris Clark (knee) suffered an injury in his last game and is doubtful.
Lines to keep an eye on
Ole Miss has moved from 2-point favorites upon opening to a pick ‘em in its game versus Dayton.
The Bucks opened as 9-point favorites over the Clippers but have since moved to -10. L.A. has covered in the last two games of this series.
Who’s hot
The Red Wings have won five straight and 8-of-10.
Dayton is 3-0 SU and ATS in its last three games.
The Pacers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games.
Who’s not
The Clippers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 outings.
Missouri State is 1-5 ATS in its last six games and is laying 5.5 points Tuesday.
Tampa Bay is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games.
Key stat
24 – Shooting percentage of Boston’s point guard, Rajon Rondo, outside of 15 feet over the last 20 games. Rondo has only connected on 13-of-55 shots from that range, including a dismal 2-of-17 from deep.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Phoenix Suns center Robin Lopez will miss at least two weeks with a back injury. The 7-foot Lopez is averaging 11.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks as a starter. Lopez may not seem like a key injury, but since he entered the starting lineup the Suns have gone 22-9 SU and 19-11-1 ATS. Jarron Collins started in place of Lopez on Sunday and posted three points and two rebounds as the Suns failed to cover as 9-point favorites.
Notable quotable
"I let down my teammates not showing up to practice. I overslept, so…it’s team rules and team fines…whatever they decided, we’ll move on from there. It’s my responsibility and I accept the consequences obviously."
-- St. Louis Blues 22-year-old Patrik Berglund said about his absence from Saturday’s practice because he accidentally slept in. Berglund was benched for Sunday’s game.
Tips and notes
- Because of weather delays last week, the Pacific basketball team traveled 4,958 miles for a two-game road trip. Snow forced the Tigers to miss two flights and then after a game at the next destination the team took a five-hour bus ride to its next game. Bettors hammered Appalachian State in that contest, moving the spread at least three points, but Pacific won outright. Tigers’ coach Bob Thomason called the trip a “mentally tiring experience.” There has been time to recoup, but will Pacific have anything left in the tank for Tuesday’s championship game?
- Due to a back injury to Kings backup goalie Erik Ersberg, the team was forced to call up Jonathan Bernier from the minors for a start in Tuesday’s game versus Nashville. It will be Bernier’s second start of the season; he helped L.A defeat Dallas 2-1 as +100 underdogs on March 12 after turning back 29-of-30 shots on goal. The Predators are favored at home at -135 with a total of 5.5.
- In a recent feature story on ESPN.com, Kevin Durant talked about how the Thunder are “like brothers” and it is “fun to be around each other.” You won’t find too many NBA players that would describe their team like that and bettors should take notice. He also said the team does a “great job of responding” to the coaches and the coaches don’t let them “slip.” OK City recently destroyed the Lakers at home and has covered in two of its last three games.