Saturday's Betting Tips
By Covers.com
Weather to watch
Toronto Blue Jays at Texas Rangers – A 14-mph wind will be blowing in from right field. Temperatures will be about 90 degrees.
Who’s hot
MLB: The Red Sox are 11-4 in Josh Beckett’s last 15 home starts.
MLB: Milwaukee is 22-6 in Zack Greinke’s last 28 starts.
NBA: Boston is 8-2-1 ATS in its last 11 games following a SU loss.
WNBA: The under is 4-0 in the last four Tulsa-Washington meetings.
Who’s not
MLB: The Giants are 0-5 in their last five games with umpire Mark Wegner behind the plate.
MLB: The White Sox are 3-8 in Jake Peavy’s last 11 home starts.
NBA: The under is 2-6 in the last eight Philly-Boston games.
WNBA: Los Angeles is 2-5 ATS in its last seven games vs. Phoenix.
Key stat
33 percent – That’s what Celtics guard Ray Allen, bothered by ankle issues, is shooting over the last three games of Boston’s playoff series with Philadelphia. Allen is 8-for-24 in that stretch, including 3-of-14 from beyond the arc. With Avery Bradley (shoulder) out for the rest of the playoffs, the Celts need Allen to regain his shooting form.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Cardinals first baseman Lance Berkman underwent surgery Friday to repair a torn meniscus and will be out 8-10 weeks. St. Louis is hoping to have the veteran slugger back in August. Matt Adams will continue to play first, with Allen Craig (hamstring) due back in a week.
Game of the day
Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics (-5.5, 170)
Notable quotable
“It’s what we have. Clearly Avery is a great defender, but he’s not out there, so I can’t worry about it. I really can’t. Their penetration and their (isolations) without Avery on the floor hurt. They went to a lot of iso’s and they were picking who they wanted [to attack].” – Celtics coach Doc Rivers, on Boston’s inability to guard Philly’s perimeter players without injured defensive ace Avery Bradley.
Notes and tips
Sixers forward Elton Brand has undergone a dramatic turnaround in the last two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals. In Games 1-4, Brand averaged 16 minutes, 4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds. The 33-year-old suddenly played 30 minutes in Game 5, getting 19 points and three rebounds. Then in Game 6, he played 34 minutes, posting 13 points and 10 boards. Coach Doug Collins called Brand his team’s “ace of spades” and the 6-9, 254-pounder has the “heart of a lion.”
The LVH has posted odds for Saturday's NCAA Division I lacrosse semifinals at Gillette Stadium. Loyola (Md.) is a -200 favorite over Notre Dame, with the total set at 17.5. Duke is a -160 favorite over Maryland, with that total pegged at 18.5. The final will be played Monday.
Few batters are as dangerous right now as Miami OF Giancarlo Stanton. Entering Friday night’s game, he was slugging .697 with nine homers and 23 RBIs in May. He had 66 career homers in 294 games, tied for 13th most in MLB history in that number of games.
Orioles OF Adam Jones, 26, is reportedly getting a contract extension for six years and about $85 million. It would be the largest deal in franchise history. Entering Friday’s game, Jones was hitting .311 with 14 homers and 29 RBIs.