Wednesday's Betting Tips
By Covers.com
Weather to watch
Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles – There’s a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms for this afternoon game. Temperatures will be in the high 70s.
Who’s hot
NBA: The over is 6-1 in the last seven Boston-Philly games.
NHL: The Devils are 6-0 in their last six games playing on one day’s rest.
MLB: The Giants are 14-6 in Barry Zito’s last 20 starts vs. NL Central teams.
MLB: Miami is 4-0 in Carlos Zambrano’s last four starts.
Who’s not
NBA: Boston is 1-5 ATS in its last six games in Philadelphia.
NHL: The over is 2-6-2 in the last 10 Devils-Rangers games in New York.
MLB: Houston is 0-4 in Wandy Rodriguez’s last four starts vs. the Cubs.
MLB: The Rays are 0-5 in their last five games vs. left-handed starters.
Key stat
19 – That’s the margin by which Boston has outscored Philly the past two games with Brandon Bass on the court. Without Bass on the floor, the Sixers have outscored the Celtics by 12. In mid-range field-goal percentage, the Celts are shooting 53.1 percent with Bass on the floor and 26.7 percent without him. The 6-8 power forward has scored in double digits in every game of the series and is averaging 21 points over the last two.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Celtics guard Avery Bradley is questionable for Wednesday’s Game 6 after missing Game 5 with problems in both shoulders. Bradley had averaged 23.5 minutes in the series’ first four games. His absence Monday forced Ray Allen back into the starting lineup. Allen went 2-for-7 for 5 points, but Boston overcame it thanks to Brandon Bass’ career-high tying 27 points.
Games of the day
New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers (-130, 4.5)
Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers (-2, 175.5)
Notable quotable
"Not even close. Not even close. You've got fans and then you've got fairweather fans. Take it how you want it." – Kevin Garnett, comparing what he called the Celtics’ “ridiculous crowd” with Sixers fans. Boston leads the series 3-2 heading into Wednesday’s Game 6 in Philly.
Notes and tips
Pacers star Danny Granger sprained his left ankle during the second quarter of Tuesday's Game 5 loss and left the game for good in the third quarter. His status for Thursday's Game 6 is unclear.
Heat forward Chris Bosh (abdominal strain) has been ruled out for Thursday’s Game 6, and coach Erik Spoelstra said "it's too early to say" if Bosh might be able to play in a potential Game 7. Bosh was injured in Game 1 after he got hit while dunking and appeared to land awkwardly on one leg.
The Rangers get winger Brandon Prust back for Game 5 Wednesday, after he missed Game 4 due to suspension. Prust was disciplined for elbowing New Jersey's Anton Volchenkov in the back of the head in Game 3. The Devils tied the series 2-2 with a 4-1 win on Monday.
D-Backs catcher Miguel Montero missed Tuesday's game against the Dodgers with a right groin strain he suffered while trying to track down a foul pop-up on Monday. Montero, 28, is hitting .255 with two homers and 21 RBIs in 38 games. He was replaced by Henry Blanco. Montero expects to return by this weekend at the latest.
The Red Sox activated infielder Kevin Youkilis on Tuesday and put outfielder Ryan Sweeney (mild concussion) on the seven-day disabled list, retroactive to Sunday. Sweeney is the sixth Red Sox outfielder on the DL, joining Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury, Darnell McDonald, Ryan Kalish and Jason Repko.
Rays outfielder Desmond Jennings is expected to return from the DL on Sunday. He's been sidelined since May 12 with a left knee sprain. The 25-year-old is hitting .265 with three homers and 11 RBIs in 31 games.
2012 NHL, NBA & MLB Odds: Hot Trends for Wednesday, May 23
By Anthony Rome
(The Spread) - The under is hot in the Devils-Rangers series while the Celtics have struggled to cover the spread versus the Sixers.
New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers, 8:00PM ET
The under is 6-2-2 in the last 10 meetings between these two teams in New York and 2-0-2 in the last four meetings between these two teams overall. The under is also 8-2-8 in the Rangers' last 18 games as a favorite, 8-2-7 in their last 17 home games and 8-2-7 in their last 17 games as a home favorite.
Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 8:00PM ET
The over is 6-1 in the last seven meetings between these two teams, 4-1 in the Celtics' last five games overall and 6-1 in their last seven conference semifinals games. The Celtics, meanwhile, are 1-5 against the spread in their last six games versus the Sixers in Philadelphia, while the home team is 7-3 against the number in the last 10 meetings.
New York Mets vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, 12:35PM ET
The under is 4-1 in the last five meetings beteen these two teams and 4-1 in the last five meetings between these two teams in Pittsburgh.
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay Rays, 1:10PM ET
The Rays are 4-0 in James Shields' last four starts versus the Blue Jays and 8-2 in his last 10 home starts against Toronto. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, are 10-29 in their last 39 games in Tampa Bay and 1-4 in their last five games versus Tampa Bay overall.
Los Angeles Angels vs. Oakland A's, 3:35 PM ET
The under is 5-0 in the last five games between these two teams and 2-0-2 in Jered Weaver's last four road starts against teh A's. The Angels are also 5-1 in Weaver's last six starts versus Oakland but L.A. is 4-11 in its last 15 games in Oakland adn 1-5 in its last six games overall versus the Athletics.
Washington Nationals vs. Philadelphia Phillies, 7:05PM ET
The Nationals are 6-0 in their six games in Philadelphia and 13-3 in their last 16 games versus teh Phillies overall. That said, the Phillies are 5-1 in Hamels' last six home starts against the Nationals and 16-5 in his last 21 overall starts against Washington.