Daily Sports Roundup
Sunday March 14
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Formula One season gets underway, while the Cavaliers play host to the Celtics, and college hoops finalizes its field.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA has eight games on tap for Sunday, with Indiana at Milwaukee, Utah at Oklahoma City, Philadelphia at Miami, Charlotte at Orlando, New Orleans at Phoenix, Toronto at Portland, Minnesota at Sacramento, and Boston at Cleveland. The Cavaliers blasted the Celtics 108-88 in Boston in their last meeting on February 25, winning the OVER result as a 3-point road favorite. LeBron James was good for 36 points, seven boards, and nine assists for Cleveland in that win, while Mo Williams tossed in 19 points. Ray Allen was good for 21 points in that losing cause for Boston, with Rajon Rondo scoring 19 points.
As well, conference tournaments come to an end on Sunday in advance of the NCAA Tournament's Selection Show. There are four tourney championships on the schedule for Sunday, including the ACC title game in Greensboro, the Atlantic 10 title game in Atlantic City, and the SEC title game in Nashville - those three matchups all get underway at 1:00pm ET. The Big Ten then concludes championship week with its title game in Indianapolis - that one tips off at 3:30pm ET. The Selection Committee will then announce this year's Field of 65.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
There are 10 games on the NHL's schedule for Sunday, including a possible Stanley Cup final preview in Chicago with the Blackhawks playing host to the Capitals. As well, it's Nashville at Los Angeles, Colorado at Dallas, Phoenix at Atlanta, Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay, Toronto at the Islanders, San Jose at Anaheim, St. Louis at Minnesota, Calgary at Vancouver, and Philadelphia at the Rangers. The Flyers blanked the Rangers 2-0 in Philadelphia the last time the two teams met January 21, with now-injured Philly netminder Ray Emery making 24 saves for the shutout. James van Riemsdyk and Mike Richards had the goals.
Roaring around the track . . .
Finally, Formula One begins its 2010 season on Sunday with the Bahrain Grand Prix. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso is the 11/4 sportsbook favorite to take the checkered flag on Sunday, followed by Lewis Hamilton at 7/2, Sebastian Vettel at 5/1, and both Felipe Massa and the un-retired Michael Schumacher at 7/1. Defending champion Jenson Button is farther back at 12/1 to get the race victory.
Sunday's Wagering Tips
Lines off the board
Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers – Antawn Jamison (knee) missed the team’s last game but expects to play on Sunday.
Charlotte Bobcats at Orlando Magic – Gerald Wallace has a sprained left ankle and is questionable (see below).
Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat – Michael Beasley (thigh) missed the Heat’s last game but is expected to return. Marreese Speights (knee) is questionable.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Sacramento Kings – Kevin Love (foot) did not play on Friday and is questionable.
Weather to watch
The wind wasn’t as strong in the third round of the WGC-CA Championship and the scores dropped. Sunday’s forecast calls for more tempered wind again, blowing between 12-16 mph during the final round.
The Puerto Rico Open suspended play on Saturday due to darkness. Organizers are attempting to lengthen rounds after the tournament did not begin until Saturday because of heavy rain. The event is likely headed for a Monday finish.
Who’s hot
Kings goalie Jonathan Quick is 6-1-0 with a 1.98 GAA and two shutouts in the last games in L.A.
Minnesota has covered in four straight and is 8-2 ATS over its last 10 games.
The Heat are 4-1 ATS in their last five outings.
Who’s not
The Hornets have lost six straight ATS and are 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 games.
The Thrashers have dropped five in a row, scoring a total of six goals in that span.
Key stat
25 – Number of SEC basketball championships claimed by Kentucky. Of the Wildcats seven national titles, only three came when they won the conference tournament.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Gerald Wallace left in the first half of Friday’s game after spraining his left ankle. Wallace traveled with the for its two-game road trip which begins Sunday in Orlando and is considered day-to-day. The All-Star is averaging 18.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game this season.
Games of the day
Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers
Washington Capitals at Chicago Blackhawks (-125, 7)
Notable quotable
“The season just keeps going. Any time you think, 'we're there, we've turned a corner' or whatever you find out that you're not."
-- Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said of the grind and perseverance in staying consistent throughout an NBA season. Orlando has won 20 of its 25 games since Jan. 18.
Tips and notes
After the T-Wolves got dropped by the Nuggets on Wednesday, forward Kevin Love expressed frustration with his coach. He said he didn’t “feel like (the team) knows 100 percent what we need to do out there.” Love went on to say he didn’t know when the ball was coming to him. Minnesota has lost 9-of-10 and has only covered the spread once in the last seven games.
Fatigue could be a factor for Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. The Buckeyes were taken to double-OT in the semis versus Illinois and the team’s top three scorers played all but one of the 50 minutes. Ohio State’s team really only goes six deep and that was evident Saturday as the last two players off the bench combined for three points in 11 minutes.
So much for John Calipari saying that winning the SEC tournament means “nothing” to him. As Kentucky began to pull away comfortably from Tennessee in their semifinal game, Calipari told his team during a timeout, “We’re playing to win by 25, if you see a shot take it.” Apparently Coach C doesn’t just want to win the SEC championship, he wants to blow teams out doing it.