Daily Sports Roundup
Monday, March 8
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Capitals get a visit from the Stars, the Blue Jackets take on the Kings, and the Cavs play host to the Spurs in Cleveland.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA has five games on tap for Monday, with Atlanta at New York, Golden State at New Orleans, Dallas at Minnesota, New Jersey at Memphis, and San Antonio at Cleveland. The Spurs (36-24 SU, 29-30-1 ATS) got past the Grizzlies by a score of 102-92 in their last game on Saturday; however San Antonio guard Tony Parker broke his hand and is out indefinitely. The Cavs (49-15 SU, 31-31-2 ATS) are coming off a 92-85 loss to the Bucks on Saturday, with LeBron James sitting out to rest a sore ankle. Antawn Jamison poured in 30 points in that defeat.
As well, a light Monday around college basketball kicks off the final pre-Madness week of the season. Included on the Monday slate are tournament semi-final matchups in both the Sun Belt and the Summit League, as well as championship games in the Colonial Athletic, Metro Atlantic, Southern, and West Coast conferences. The first major conference tourney of the year tips off on Tuesday, with the Big East staging its four opening matchups at Madison Square Garden.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, there are just two games on the National Hockey League schedule for Monday, with Columbus at Los Angeles and Dallas at Washington. The 28-24-12 Stars were pounded 6-3 on the road by the Penguins in their last game on Saturday. Kari Lehtonen gave up six goals on 34 shots for Dallas in that loss, while Mike Ribeiro picked up a goal and an assist. The 44-13-8 Capitals blanked the Rangers in a 2-0 win in their Saturday outing. Eric Fehr and Eric Belanger scored for Washington in that contest, while Jose Theodore stopped all 30 shots.
Monday's Wagering Tips
Lines off the board
San Antonio Spurs at Cleveland Cavaliers: Cavs forward LeBron James (ankle) and guard Daniel Gibson (personal) are questionable.
Lines to keep an eye on
New Jersey Nets at Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies opened as 10-point favorites but the line quickly dropped to nine. Despite going 3-15 SU in their last 18, the Nets are 11-7 ATS during that stretch.
Who's hot
Dallas Mavericks have won 11 in a row SU.
Over is 6-0 in Atlanta Hawks' last six.
San Antonio Spurs have won five of their last six SU.
Who's not
Minnesota Timberwolves are 1-11 SU in their last 12.
Golden State Warriors are 1-6 SU in their last seven.
New Orleans Hornets are 1-6 SU in their last seven.
Key stat
10 - The lowest margin of victory for the Connecticut women's basketball team during its current 70-game winning streak, which matched its own NCAA record for consecutive victories Sunday. The Huskies have won their last 70 by an average margin of 32 points.
Injury that shouldn't be overlooked
LeBron James missed his first game of the season Saturday, not surprisingly a bad loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Cavs coach Mike Brown said he was giving King James a rest but he did turn his ankle on Friday and reporters saw him limping in street clothes Saturday. Brown said he may sit James again tonight against the Spurs, who have won five of their last six. The Cavs aren't the same team without the King.
Game of the day
San Antonio Spurs at Cleveland Cavaliers
Notable quotable
"The New Jersey Nets are the best 7-55 team in NBA history."
--Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan on ESPN's "Sports Reporters" on Sunday.
Tips and notes
The San Antonio Spurs' road trip got off to a rocky start when instead of flying out after Friday night's home game the players spent the night in their own beds after the team flight was grounded. The Spurs didn't fly out until around noon for Saturday night's game at Memphis but showed no ill-affects in the win, but it could catch up to them on their two-day turnaround to Cleveland.
Tracy McGrady is out for Monday's game against the Atlanta Hawks because his "body hurts" - introducing the rarely seen term "soreness" to the injury list. The Knicks thought they got a bargain when T-Mac came in from Houston and started lighting it up, but he is showing that he is damaged goods and unable to keep pace in the Knicks' up-tempo offense. Sergio Rodriguez, aka "Spanish Chocolate", will start in his place.
NASCAR traditionally uses the spring race at Atlanta Motorspeedway to test cars at the nearby Lockhead Martin wind tunnel and try to level the playing field. With Chevys dominating the first month of the season and an off-week before racing returns at Bristol, look for NASCAR to impliment some aerodynamic changes to benefit Ford, Dodge and Toyota teams.