Saturday's Betting Tips
By Covers.com
Weather to watch
Chicago Cubs at Minnesota Twins - 17 mph winds are expected to blow in from right-centerfield.
Who’s hot
NBA: Celtics are 13-3-1 ATS in their last 17 games following a straight up loss.
NHL: Kings are 24-8 in their last 32 overall
Euro 2012: Denmark has won six of its last eight official matches.
Euro 2012: Germany is 8-5-3 in 17 matches against Portugal and won all 10 of their qualifers, netting 34 goals.
MLB: Marlins are 6-1 in Carlos Zambrano's last seven starts.
WNBA: Minnesota Lynx are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games as a favorite.
Who’s not
NBA: The under is 7-19 in the last 26 meetings between the Celtics and Heat in Miami.
NHL: Over is 0-8-1 in the last nine meetings between New Jersey and Los Angeles.
Euro 2012: The Netherlands has won just three of its last seven official matches (W3, D1, L3).
Euro 2012 :Portugal have won just one of their last six matches (W1, D3, L2).
MLB: Angels are 3-10 in Dan Haren's last 13 starts.
WNBA: San Antonio Silver Stars are 1-10-1 ATS in their last 12 meetings with Seattle.
Key stat
5 minutes, 32 seconds – The New Jersey Devils have held the lead for just 5:32 in the Stanley Cup finals as they get set to host the Los Angeles Kings in Saturday’s Game 5. The Devils, trailing 3-1 in the series, are set between -105 and -115.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Joris Mathijsen, Netherlands - The Dutch defense is preparing to play Denmark without the services of center back Joris Mathijsen, who is battling a hamstring problem. The 32-year-old is a veteran on the team, having been a big part of the 2010 side that played in the World Cup final.
Game of the day
Boston Celtics at Miami Heat (-7.5, 178)
Notable quotable
“It wasn’t the end of the world. Nobody likes getting dirt thrown on your face before you’re not even dead.” – Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra on how his team responded to Game 5’s loss in Miami. The Heat bounced back to drill Boston 93-79 as 2-point favorites, after many people had already written the team off.
Notes and tips
Tennis analyst Martina Navratilova dubbed Saturday's Women's final between Maria Sharapova and Sara Errani as a "bad matchup" for Errani, explaning that Sharapova's serve could be too much for her to handle."Errani, as amazingly and bravely as she'd played, I just don't see how it can be enough for Maria's return of serve," explained 18-times grand slam singles champion Navratilova."(The return) is her best shot, and Errani's serve is her worst shot."Sharapova is set as a -500 favorite against Errani (+305).
Daisuke Matsuzaka is set to take the mound for the Boston Red Sox Saturday, a day short of a year since undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. Dice-K was 0-2 with a 3.37 ERA (11 earned runs in 29 1/3 innings) in his six rehab starts for Triple-A Pawtucket. He looked strong, hitting 94 mph on the gun in his last outing. Matsuzaka was 3-3 with 5.30 ERA in 2011 before his injury.
Jeff Francis is back with the Colorado Rockies and will take the ball Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels. Francis was granted a release from his minor-league contract with the Cincinnati Reds and signed immediately with Colorado, where he began his MLB career. He was posted a 3.72 ERA and 65/18 K/BB ratio in 77 innings with Cincinnati’s Triple-A club.