4-21-13

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JACK JONES

-= TOP PLAY =-


NBA | Apr 21 '13 (3:30p)
Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs
Total
192½ un-110 (http://partners.commission.bz/processing/clickthrgh.asp?btag=a_420b_652) at BetOnline (http://www.betonline.ag/)


20* Lakers/Spurs ABC Sunday No-Brainer on UNDER 192.5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NBA Eastern Conference Playoff Preview: Round 1

The Eastern Conference playoffs are a complicated sandwich of sorts. On top you have the Miami Heat and on the bottom the Milwaukee Bucks. But in between is one of the tightest and most competitive groups in years.

Teams seeded No. 2 through No. 7 have just as much of a chance to make the conference finals as the clubs ranked above or below them. The Knicks, Pacers, Nets, Bulls, Hawks and Celtics are all capable of beating each other on any given night. That parity should open up value in the series prices and Eastern Conference futures market.

No. 1 Miami Heat vs. No. 8 Milwaukee Bucks

Season series: Heat won 3-1 SU, 2-2 ATS, 1-3 O/U

Series prices: Miami -6,000, Milwaukee +4,000

Why bet Miami: Why not? The Heat are hands down the class of the NBA and have been waiting for this moment since hoisting last year’s Larry O’Brien Trophy. Miami continued to build on its NBA-best record despite resting LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh over the final weeks of the schedule, and kept covering thanks to a deep and experienced bench.

Why bet the Bucks: Milwaukee has known its first-round opponent for some time now and has had plenty of tape to hammer out a game plan for the Heat. In their one win over Miami, the Bucks were able to force 22 turnovers. They rank second in the NBA in forcing turnovers (16.1) while the Heat coughed the ball up 14 times a night – fourth most in the league.

No. 3 Indiana Pacers vs. No. 6 Atlanta Hawks

Season series: Split 2-2 SU, 2-2 ATS, 3-1 O/U

Series prices: Indiana -600, Atlanta +400

Why bet the Pacers: Indiana earned the No. 3 seed in the East despite having its star forward Danny Granger for just five games all season. The Pacers are a tough out at home, where they went 30-10 SU (22-18 ATS). They rebound well and play tight defense – two key components for any successful postseason run.

Why bet the Hawks: Indiana limped into the postseason with just one win in its final six games. The Hawks, who are a tough road team - 23-18 ATS - could steal a game or two in Indianapolis. The teams split their four games SU and ATS this year but Atlanta has been the better wager, going 10-4 ATS in their last 14 head-to-heads.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NBA Western Conference Playoff Preview: Round 1

It was a wild ride in the Western Conference and the fun won’t end with the regular season. Oklahoma City edged out San Antonio for the top seed while the L.A. Lakers, expected to run the table in the conference, squeaked into the No. 7 spot on the final night of the season.

The L.A. Clippers, Denver and Memphis have all looked like title contenders at times this year and Golden State and Houston are as dangerous as any team with their high-powered offenses. Needless to say, there are more surprises in store for the West during the postseason.

No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 Houston Rockets

Season series: Thunder won 2-1 SU, 2-1 ATS, 3-0 O/U

Series prices: Oklahoma City -2,000, Houston +1,200

Why bet the Thunder: Oklahoma City lost just seven games at home and went 27-14 ATS as a host this season. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are a handful for Houston’s porous defense and combined to average just under 50 points in the three games with the Rockets. Houston’s up-and-down game leads to a league-high 16.4 turnovers a game.

Why bet the Rockets: Houston can explode offensively and finished second in the NBA with 106 points per game. The Thunder have struggled in close games, going just 3-6 SU in contests decided by three points or less. And don’t forget about former OKC guard James Harden, who averaged more than 29 points in the three games versus his former club, including a 46-point performance in their last meeting.

No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers

Season series: Spurs won 2-1 SU, 1-2 ATS, 0-3 O/U

Series prices: San Antonio -1,600, Los Angeles +1,000

Why bet the Spurs: San Antonio lost only six games at home all season while L.A. was terrible on the road, going 16-25 SU and 15-25-1 ATS. Spurs PG Tony Parker is going to be a handful for the Lakers’ unathletic duo of Steven Blake and Steve Nash, who is less than healthy. San Antonio shoots better than 79 percent from the foul line, L.A. shoots an NBA-worst 69.2 percent. No Kobe. Who makes the tough shots?

Why bet the Lakers: Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard is the best frontcourt tandem in the league and should push the Spurs around under the basket. Los Angeles was the second-best rebounding team in the NBA while San Antonio finished second last on the glass in the West. Lakers get Games 3, 4 and 6 at Staples Center, where they have lost just once since the All-Star break (13-1 SU, 7-6-1 ATS).

[Can'tPickAWinner]

TEAM DOC SPORTS Series Plays

2-Unit Pick #889 Take Atlanta +485 over Indiana
Neither team has played well to finish out the season, and we just think this series is very much closer than the oddsmakers expect. Very much worth it to take a shot on this underdog price. The Hawks were one of the most inconsistent and frustrating teams to handicap this season. They could look great against the best in the league then they could stink it up against the worst. But they did split their season series with Indiana, and there are no other teams other than the Knicks and Heat in the east we really trust to advance out of the first round. This Indiana team just doesn't inspire us much right now, and we could see the Hawks playing their normal season M.O. and rising to the occasion in this series. This is a close one that should go the distance, and we think the price is right here to take a shot on the underdog.

1-Unit Pick #891 Take LA Lakers +1200 over San Antonio
We were hoping that this was the matchup that happened instead of the Lakers-OKC, and we think that LA has a real chance here. You know the NBA wants the Lakers to advance over the ?boring? Spurs (at least the general public finds them boring, although I do not). The Lakers might get the benefit of some calls, and they played great down the stretch and are seeming to vibe with their coach, and even though Kobe is out, this team still has Dwight Howard, who was a playoff factor with worse teams than he is on now. And the Spurs are one injury away from this being a real close series. The Spurs have not looked as good down the stretch as they did last season (nowhere close), and we think this line is a huge obverreaction to the Kobe injury and that this line should be closer to -600. This is worth it to take a shot on the Lakers at these long odds.

Best of Luck - Doc's Sports

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NBA Playoffs: Sunday's East Betting Preview

Atlanta Hawks at Indiana Pacers (-6.5, 185.5)

The Indiana Pacers have believed they are capable of knocking off the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference since taking them to the brink last spring. If they hope to get another shot at the defending champs, the third-seeded Pacers will have to figure out a way around the Atlanta Hawks first. The sixth-seeded Hawks visit Indiana on Sunday for Game 1 and have the type of size and strength that could frustrate the Pacers.

The teams split four meetings in the regular season, with each holding home court. Atlanta’s Josh Smith and Al Horford will battle with Indiana’s David West and Roy Hibbert on the inside and try to draw them away from the basket. The Pacers are one of the most disciplined defensive teams in the league but began to show some cracks in April while dropping five of six to close out the regular season. Indiana allowed 102.1 points in its final eight games - nearly 12 points above its season average.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT THE HAWKS (44-38): Atlanta did not exactly finish with a flurry, either, losing five of their final seven to erase any chance of homecourt advantage in the first round. The Hawks went 19-22 on the road and dropped four of their final six away from Atlanta during the regular season, including a 100-94 setback at Indiana on March 25. Smith scored 20 points but the Hawks were outrebounded 49-38 in the loss. Smith played sparingly over the final weeks while fighting off a knee injury but looked strong when he was in the lineup and shot 55 percent from the field in the final month. Atlanta is counting on the point guard combo of Jeff Teague and Devin Harris to give it an advantage on the perimeter. Teague averaged nine assists in April and cut his turnovers to 2.3 - the lowest of any month.

ABOUT THE PACERS (49-32): Indiana looked like a lock for the No. 2 seed in the East before its slump coincided with the New York Knicks’ surge. Either way, the Pacers will have to make it to the Eastern Conference finals if the want to get another crack at the Heat. Indiana led the NBA in rebounding average behind Hibbert and West and was second in points allowed despite the letup on that end late in the season. The biggest difference between this spring and last is the increase role of shooting guard Lance Stephenson, who has given the team a tenacious perimeter defender and a solid shooting option on the wing. Stephenson missed the last meeting with the Hawks but collected 14 points and six rebounds in a 114-103 win over them on Feb. 5.

TRENDS:

* Hawks are 1-8 ATS in their last nine vs. Eastern Conference foes.
* Pacers are 0-8 ATS in their last eight Sunday games.
* Over is 7-1 in Hawks’ last eight road games.
* Over is 4-1 in the last five meetings.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Smith has averages 15.6 points on 42 percent shooting in 46 career playoff games.

2. Atlanta lost to Boston in the first round last season, ending a streak of three straight first-round series wins.

3. The teams met in the playoffs three straight seasons from 1993-94 through 1995-96. They have not faced off in the postseason since.

Milwaukee Bucks at Miami Heat (-13, 199)

The Miami Heat have spent the last two weeks resting up for the playoffs, sometimes sitting all five starters at the same time and still winning games. The eighth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, who visit the top-seeded Heat in the opener of a first-round playoff series on Sunday, have spent the last two weeks backing into the postseason. The Bucks are the only team in the playoffs with a losing record and dropped seven of nine down the stretch.

Most of Miami’s injuries were of the nagging or non-existent variety down the stretch with the exception of Dwyane Wade, who was battling a knee issue. Wade returned over the final two games and looked sharp with 21 points and 10 assists on Wednesday. The Heat are the favorites to repeat as champion and have done little to make anyone doubt that prognostication. Miami finished the season with wins in 37 of its final 39 games and ranks in the top five in both points scored and points allowed. Milwaukee will try to pick at the Heat’s lone weakness on the glass while Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings attempt to wear them out on the perimeter.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, TNT, Sun Sports (Miami)

ABOUT THE BUCKS (38-44): Milwaukee was two games above .500 after beating the Portland Trail Blazers on March 19 and was threatening to move up out of the No. 8 spot. But the Bucks went 4-12 over their final 16 games and struggled on the defensive end while getting inconsistent production from Jennings and Ellis on the perimeter. Jennings went 1-for-11 from the field in a home loss to Denver in the next-to-last game of the season but had one of his best games with 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting in a 94-83 loss at Miami on April 9. That marked the only time in Milwaukee’s final 22 games that he shot better than 50 percent from the floor. Where the Bucks excel is on the glass. Larry Sanders, Ersan Ilyasova and John Henson will try to keep LeBron James off the boards and out of transition.

ABOUT THE HEAT (66-16): Miami has the best player in the game in James and put together the second-longest winning streak in NBA history with 27 straight that included 107-94 triumph at Milwaukee on March 15. Anything less than back-to-back titles will be a disappointment for the Heat. Miami’s biggest worry on Sunday will be how the team comes together after so many of the regulars took multiple games off and did not get a chance to play together down the stretch. The Heat should be able to shake off that rust by halftime in their own building, where they posted an Eastern Conference-best 37-4 record. James just finished up a regular season in which he shot 56.5 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from beyond the arc. He went 11-for-16 from the field in the April 9 win over the Bucks and has averaged 29.4 points on 50.1 percent shooting against Milwaukee in his career.

TRENDS:

* Bucks are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games.
* Heat are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games overall.
* Over is 5-1 in Heat’s last six home games.
* Over is 4-0 in Bucks’ last four Sunday games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Sanders missed the final four games of the regular season with a back injury and is questionable for Sunday.

2. The Heat are bidding to become the 10th team (out of 13) to win the title after posting at least 66 wins in the regular season.

3. Henson averaged 15 points and 15 rebounds in the final five games.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NBA Playoffs: Sunday's West Betting Preview

Los Angeles Lakers at San Antonio Spurs (-8.5, 189)

What would have been considered a marquee matchup entering the season is shaping up as a battle of attrition when the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs clash with the No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers in the opening round of the playoffs. The Lakers have lost superstar Kobe Bryant to a torn Achilles’ tendon and are unsure about the availability of point guard Steve Nash entering Sunday's Game 1 of the best-of-seven series at San Antonio. Although Nash has stated that he wants to play.

The Spurs have their own major health concerns, primarily revolving around point guard Tony Parker, who had elevated himself into the MVP discussion until suffering an ankle injury in early March. San Antonio also has questions surrounding veteran swingman Manu Ginobili, who missed nine games with a hamstring injury before returning to play limited minutes in the regular-season finale. The Spurs limp into the postseason having lost three straight and eight of 13 while Los Angeles closed the season with five straight victories and eight of nine.

TV: 3:30 ET, ABC

ABOUT THE LAKERS (45-37): Forward Pau Gasol, who was benched at the end of January, carried Los Angeles to its postseason-clinching win on the final day by recording a triple-double in an overtime victory over Houston. Without Bryant, the Lakers will be reliant on the inside tandem of Gasol and center Dwight Howard, who had 26 points and 17 rebounds in a narrow victory over San Antonio last Sunday. Nash missed the last eight games with hamstring and hip soreness, but he reported improvement after recently receiving two epidural shots in his lower back. Backup point guard Steve Blake has filled an offensive void since Bryant went down, scoring 47 points in the last two.

ABOUT THE SPURS (58-24): Parker was brilliant in leading San Antonio to 16 wins in 17 games in January and February, scoring 30 points six times in a nine-game span. He played in only five games in April and one was a four-point, 1-for-10 effort against the Lakers. Tim Duncan continues to defy the aging process, finishing with 11 double-doubles in his last 15 games. Kawhi Leonard (11.9 points), Ginobili (11.8), Danny Green (10.5) and Tiago Splitter (10.3) all average in double figures, but Duncan knows who provides the biggest impact. “Manu changes the game for us. He’s done it for years," Duncan said. "To have him back out there and to have another X-factor is huge for us.”

TRENDS:

* Over is 5-1 in Lakers’ last six road games.
* Under is 5-0 in Spurs’ last five Sunday games.
* Spurs are 1-7 ATS in their last eight home games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The teams are meeting for the 12th time in the postseason, with Los Angeles leading 8-3.

2. Howard has averaged 19 points and 13.2 rebounds lifetime against the Spurs, who won two of three meetings this season by a total of five points.

3. San Antonio is 17-9 against Los Angeles when Parker scores at least 20 points.

Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder (-10, 213.5)

James Harden was a key cog on the Oklahoma City squad that reached the NBA Finals last season. Now the Houston Rockets’ star would like to end the Thunder’s season in the opening round. Houston visits Oklahoma City in Sunday’s series opener and the Rockets are in the playoffs for the first time in four years, primarily because Harden emerged as the NBA’s fifth-leading scorer. Oklahoma City traded Harden when it couldn’t reach contractual terms with him.

The Thunder won two of the three regular-season meetings but Harden exploded for a career-high 46 points in Houston’s 122-119 victory on Feb. 20. The eighth-seeded Rockets lack the postseason experience that the Thunder possess. “Guys have never been in this situation, they’ve never been in the playoffs,” Harden said. “Blessed and fortunate to have been there a few times and whatever advice I can give, I just let it out.” Oklahoma City earned the top seed in the Western Conference despite the Harden deal that brought backup guard Kevin Martin to town. “We felt we moved on pretty quick, and it’s shown through what we’ve been able to accomplish this year with our record,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (45-37): Harden averaged 25.9 points as a lead option and will be expected to carry the flow. Yet Houston does have a few other solid options in forward Chandler Parsons, center Omer Asik, point guard Jeremy Lin and forward Carlos Delfino. Asik averaged 10.1 points and 11.7 rebounds and his performance will be crucial for Houston to give Oklahoma City a stern test. “You’re talking about a team that went to the finals last year in Oklahoma City,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale told reporters. “That place is going to electric Sunday night. It’s going to be a big, big high-energy crowd. They’re going to be excited. Our guys have to be excited to do it.”

ABOUT THE THUNDER (60-22): There are expectations of Oklahoma City returning to the Finals but the Thunder know the road will be tough. “Most people say a 1-8 seed (matchup) is supposed to be easy, or a 2-7 seed,” forward Kevin Durant said. “We’ve never had an easy series. Never. Last year was so tough against Dallas, it took all we had for us to beat those guys. This year, Houston. I think they’re playing better than an eighth seed and play so well. So we’ve got our work cut out for us.” Durant averaged 26.3 points against Houston this season while point guard Russell Westbrook averaged 23.3 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds. Forward Serge Ibaka also excelled, shooting 64.5 percent from the field while averaging 16 points, 8.7 rebounds and four blocks.

TRENDS:

* Rockets are 1-5 ATS in their last six games overall.
* Over is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
* Under is 5-1-1 in Thunder’s last seven home games.
* Thunder are 5-1 ATS in their last six games vs. a team with a winning record.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Oklahoma City’s two victories over the Rockets were by scores of 120-98 and 124-94.

2. Asik recorded double-digit rebounding outings in eight of the last 10 games.

3. Martin averaged 17 points in the three outings against Houston.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Spurs Favored Big over Lakers Sunday
by Brian Graham

Western Conference Playoffs First Round - Game 1
Tip-off: Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET
Line: San Antonio -9, Total: 189.5

After relinquishing the No. 1 seed with a late-season slide, the Spurs try to regroup when they open the postseason on Sunday against the Kobe Bryant-less Lakers.

Los Angeles enters the playoffs on a hot streak, winning eight of its final nine games (5-3-1 ATS), including five straight victories to earn the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. San Antonio lost seven of its final 10 regular-season games, and was an atrocious 2-12 ATS in its final 14 contests with seven straight ATS defeats. Its season-ending, three-game skid began with a 91-86 loss on the road against the Lakers, who avoided a season sweep at the hands of the Spurs with that win. But the two San Antonio victories over L.A. came by just two points (84-82) on Nov. 13 and by three points on Jan. 9, by a score of 108-105. Although the Lakers are a respectable 5-5 SU in their past 10 road games, they were pretty awful away from home all season with marks of 16-25 SU and 15-26 ATS (37%). The Spurs were just 1-7 ATS in their final eight home games to finish the season with a 19-20-2 ATS record at AT&T Center, but they only lost six games straight-up at home, going 35-6 (85%) this season.

Los Angeles has played very well on both ends of the court during its five-game win streak, scoring 105.0 PPG on 46% FG, while allowing just 99.8 PPG on 43% shooting. During the regular season, the Lakers scored 102.2 PPG (6th in NBA) on 45.8% FG (10th in league) despite a subpar 35.5% threes (19th in NBA). The defense has struggled for most of the season though, allowing 101.0 PPG (9th-worst in NBA) on 45.3% FG (14th in league) and 35.7% threes (also 14th in NBA). Without SG Kobe Bryant (27.3 PPG) in the lineup, C Dwight Howard (17.1 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 2.4 BPG) and PF Pau Gasol (13.7 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 4.1 APG) have been carrying this team on their large shoulders. Howard has averaged 22.5 PPG on 63% FG and 13.0 RPG in his past four games, including 16 points and 18 boards on Wednesday's 99-95 overtime win over Houston. Gasol was even better in that victory, recording a triple-double of 17 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists. That increased his April numbers to 17.5 PPG (51% FG), 12.1 RPG and 6.6 APG in eight games this month. Howard has also thrived against the Spurs this season, tallying 13 points and 15 boards in the Nov. 13 home loss, and then producing 26 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks in Sunday's win. Gasol has shot horribly in this series, making 3-of-10 shots in the November meeting, and producing an abysmal 3-for-17 night on Sunday, but he has pulled down 13.0 RPG in the two games versus the Spurs. SF Metta World Peace (12.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG) is slowly regaining his form after being out with a torn meniscus. He's made just 35% FG for 7.0 PPG in 21.2 MPG in the past five games, but had his highest-scoring output since returning with 12 points on Wednesday. With SG Steve Nash (12.7 PPG, 6.7 APG) having missed eight straight games with a hamstring injury, and listed as questionable for the series opener, PG Steve Blake (7.3 PPG, 3.8 APG) could once again start in his place. Blake has been on a scoring surge over his past three contests with 20.3 PPG (13-of-14 FT) and 5.3 APG. He contributed 24 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and just one turnover in the win over Houston. PF Antawn Jamison (9.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG) has 15.5 PPG and 5.0 RPG in his past two games, but SG Jodie Meeks (7.9 PPG) has been ice-cold in the past four contests, scoring just 5.8 PPG on 7-of-27 shooting (26%). Both players will need to look for their offense in this series, especially with Bryant sidelined and Nash questionable.

San Antonio is a great offensive team, scoring 103.0 PPG (4th in NBA) on 48.1% FG (2nd in league) and 37.6% threes (4th in NBA). The club leads the NBA in assists (25.1 APG) and ranks second in Ast/TO ratio (1.78). Defensively, the Spurs are also pretty strong, giving up only 96.6 PPG (11th in NBA) on 44.2% FG (8th in league) and 35.3% threes (12th in NBA). Their 8.5 steals per game rank 6th-best in the league. The team continues to be led by PG Tony Parker (20.3 PPG, 7.6 APG) and PF Tim Duncan (17.8 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 2.7 BPG). Parker has been bothered with neck and ankle injuries this month, and has shot horribly in his past two games, making just 4-of-20 shots, but has made up for it with 16 assists and just six turnovers. Parker has also struggled a bit versus L.A. this season with 15.7 PPG on 43% FG, but has also notched 7.0 APG. Duncan has a well-rounded stat line of 16.3 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 4.3 APG and 3.7 BPG in three meetings with the Lakers this season, which includes 23 points, 10 boards, four assists and two blocks in Sunday's loss. Duncan also contributed a double-double in the regular-season finale versus Minnesota with 17 points and 14 rebounds. SG Manu Ginobili (11.9 PPG, 4.6 APG) finally returned to the court on Wednesday for the first time since March 29, but he was understandably rusty and scored just two points on 1-of-4 shooting (0-for-2 threes) in 12 minutes of action. Ginobili has also shot horribly against L.A. this season, making just 32% FG leading to 11.0 PPG. SF Kawhi Leonard (11.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG) has been bothered by a knee injury, which is why he's produced just 6.0 PPG and 5.0 RPG in the past two games. He's also been subpar against the great size of the Lakers this season with 8.7 PPG and 4.7 RPG. C Tiago Splitter (10.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG) will be tasked with stopping Howard down low, but despite Howard's presence in the paint, he's still averaged a double-double against L.A. this season with 11.3 PPG and 11.0 RPG in the three games.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Thunder Look to Take Down Rockets on Sunday

Western Conference Playoffs First Round - Game 1
Tip-off: Sunday, 9:30 p.m. ET
Line: Oklahoma City -10, Total: 213

Oklahoma City begins its defense of the Western Conference title when it hosts Houston for Game 1 of their first-round series on Sunday night.

The Rockets lost four of their final six games (1-5 ATS), capped off by a 99-95 overtime loss at the L.A. Lakers on Wednesday, to fall to the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference. The Thunder finished the season strong, winning 10 of their final 13 games (8-5 ATS) to earn the top seed in the conference. Although Oklahoma City crushed the Rockets in the first two meetings this season, winning 120-98 at home on Nov. 28 and 124-94 at Toyota Center on Dec. 29, Houston got the last laugh with a 122-119 victory on Feb. 20. The Rockets struggled all season on the road though, producing a 16-25 SU record (17-23-1 ATS, 43%) while allowing 103.9 PPG to host teams. The Thunder scored a hefty 108.5 PPG at home this season, tallying a 34-7 SU record (27-14 ATS, 66%) at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Houston's offense has been outstanding all season with 106.0 PPG (2nd in NBA) on 46.1% FG and 36.6% three-pointers (both 9th-best in league), knocking down 10.6 threes per game (2nd in NBA). Defensively, this team really struggles to stop opponents, allowing 102.5 PPG (3rd-worst in league) on 45.4% FG (14th-worst in NBA) and 36.7% threes (9th-worst in league). The Rockets generate 8.3 SPG (9th in NBA), but have the fifth-worst Ast/TO ratio in the league (1.47), as they commit a NBA-worst 15.8 TOPG. They do hit the glass pretty well though, with a +1.8 RPG margin (11th in league). SG James Harden (25.9 PPG, 5.8 APG) continues to carry the offense, and finished the season with 27.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 5.2 APG in his final five games. He pumped in 29.3 PPG (44% FG) and 4.0 RPG in three meetings with the Thunder this season. Harden had a great 2012 postseason when he played with Oklahoma City, scoring 16.3 PPG on 41% threes with 5.1 RPG and 3.4 APG. SF Chandler Parsons (15.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.5 APG) appears to be over his calf injury that kept him out of action at the end of last week. He's logged 42.5 MPG in the past two contests, producing a healthy 23.5 PPG on 58% FG (4-of-11 threes) with 5.0 APG and 4.0 RPG. He hasn't been particularly sharp in two games versus Oklahoma City though, scoring just 13.5 PPG on 39% FG with 5.0 RPG and 4.5 APG. PG Jeremy Lin (13.4 PPG, 6.1 APG) will be making his postseason debut on Sunday, as he was unable to play for New York in the 2012 playoffs because of an injury. Lin's confidence should be pretty high after putting together a strong month of April with 17.3 PPG (44% FG, 36% threes), 6.9 APG and a 2.70 Ast/TO ratio. He'll have his hands full with Russell Westbrook, but Lin's offense has been strong in the season series with the Thunder where he has 14.0 PPG (49% FG) and 7.3 APG. C Omer Asik (10.1 PPG, 11.7 RPG) has averaged a double-double versus Oklahoma City with exactly 10.0 PPG and 10.0 RPG, and he's been a rebounding machine all month with 12.4 RPG in nine April games.

Like Houston, Oklahoma City possesses an outstanding offense, scoring 105.7 PPG (3rd in NBA) on a remarkable shooting accuracy of 48.1% FG (3rd in league) and 37.7% threes (also 3rd in NBA). The Thunder also have a strong defense that surrenders 96.5 PPG (10th in league) allowing a paltry 42.5% FG clip (2nd-best in NBA) and 34.6% threes (6th-best in league). And also similar to the Rockets, Oklahoma City commits a ton of turnovers (14.6 TOPG, 5th-most in NBA), but does a nice job of cleaning the glass with a +2.9 RPG margin (5th-best in league). SF Kevin Durant (28.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 4.6 APG) has been outstanding in his playoff career with 28.1 PPG (47% FG), 7.7 RPG and 3.2 APG over 43 career postseason games. He enters his fourth playoff season red-hot, averaging 26.1 PPG (57% FG, 53% threes), 7.9 RPG and 6.4 APG in seven April games. He also had his way against Houston this season with 26.3 PPG (47% FG), 7.0 RPG and 5.7 APG. PG Russell Westbrook (23.2 PPG, 7.4 APG, 5.2 RPG) has been even better in the season series with 23.3 PPG, 8.3 APG and 7.7 RPG in the three meetings. Even with logging a mere seven minutes in a meaningless regular-season finale against the Bucks, Westbrook still averaged 23.6 PPG, 6.0 APG and 4.9 RPG in April. PF Serge Ibaka (13.2 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 3.03 BPG) has been very consistent all month, scoring in double-figures in the first seven games of April before logging just eight minutes on Wednesday. He's been outstanding versus the Rockets this season with 16.0 PPG (65% FG), 8.7 RPG and 4.0 blocks per contest. SG Kevin Martin (14.0 PPG) has been dealing with a minor back injury, but he's probable to play against his former team on Sunday. He didn't shoot very well against Houston this season (41.5% FG), but still scored 17.0 PPG in the three meetings. Martin hasn't played since April 11, but he was certainly on the mark that night, scoring 23 points in just 19 minutes, hitting 8-of-10 shots and 4-of-5 threes.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Pacers host Hawks in 1st-Round Series on Sunday

Eastern Conference Playoffs First Round - Game 1
Tip-off: Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET
Line: Indiana -6.5, Total: 185

Atlanta travels to Indiana on Sunday afternoon for Game 1 of their first round playoff series with the Pacers, who were 30-11 at home during the regular season.

Despite Indiana's excellent SU record at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the team was just 22-19 ATS at home. The Hawks were 19-22 SU, but 23-18 ATS (56%), on thee road this season. The home team won all four games in the season series with each team going 2-2 ATS against one another.The Pacers won the last meeting at home on March 25 by a 100-94 score behind 17 points,13 rebounds and three blocks from C Roy Hibbert. Both teams have had their share of injuries this season, but it appears that both of Atlanta's top two players -- C Al Horford (shoulder) and PF Josh Smith (knee) -- will start in Saturday's game. The Hawks enter the playoffs having lost five of its final seven games SU and posting a 2-8 ATS mark in its final 10 contests. The Pacers also fizzled down the stretch with six straight ATS defeats to end the season, winning just one of those games outright, a 5-point win over lowly Cleveland.

The success of the Hawks this series is going to come down to the play of C Al Horford in the post. Horford missed three of the final five games for Atlanta with a shoulder injury, but in the two games he did play, he averaged 17.0 PPG (53% FG), 13.0 RPG and 4.5 APG. PF Josh Smith will also need to play at a high level if the Hawks are going to win this series. Smith averaged 19.3 PPG (60% FG) and 7.0 RPG over the final three regular-season games. His numbers would have been better, but he only played 13 minutes on Tuesday against the Raptors. PG Jeff Teague has a very crucial matchup with George Hill in this series and Teague will need to hang with him if the Hawks will stick around in the series. Teague averaged 9.0 APG and just 1.5 TOPG over his past four games. If he can take care of the ball like that, then the Hawks will be a tough team to beat.

Pacers SF Paul George is going to have to play better for the Pacers if they are going to advance in the Eastern Conference. George missed the last game with a strained abdomen, and scored just 11.5 PPG on 28.6% shooting in his prior four games. He averaged 17.4 PPG on 41.9% shooting from the field during the regular season, and was especially strong against the Hawks with 18.3 PPG (45% FG), 6.8 RPG and 4.5 APG in the four meetings. Luckily for the Pacers, their frontcourt of PF David West and C Roy Hibbert has been playing really well to end the season. West also sat out the final game (rest), but had averaged 17.5 PPG (61% FG) and 9.0 RPG in his past four contests. West torched the Hawks this season for 21.3 PPG (53% FG) and 5.7 RPG in the three games he played (sat one out with injury). Hibbert, who struggled all season, finished the year strong with 18 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks on April 12 against the Nets and 25 points and 10 rebounds on April 6 against the Wizards. Hibbert has been inconsistent this season, but he rebounded and defended well down the stretch, and as long as he is doing that he can really help Indiana in a number of ways.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Sizzling-Hot Heat Begin Title Defense Sunday vs. Bucks

Eastern Conference Playoffs First Round - Game 1
Tip-off: Sunday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Line: Miami -13, Total: 199

Slumping Milwaukee travels to heavily-favored Miami, who it beat just once in four attempts this season, when the teams open their first-round playoff series on Sunday night.

The Bucks enter this series with a 4-12 SU mark (6-10 ATS) in their past 16 games, while the top-seeded Heat won each of their final eight games of the regular season, going 7-1 ATS. Miami had a magical season, at one point winning 27 straight games, but a new season starts on Sunday. The club was 3-1 SU against Milwaukee this season, but just 2-2 ATS. In the past two games played between the two, however, the Heat won and covered with a 13-point road win on March 15 and 94-83 home victory on April 9. The Bucks were a winning wager on the road this season at 21-20 ATS, but were only 17-24 SU, including nine losses in their final 10 away games. Miami was an impressive 37-4 SU at AmericanAirlines Arena, but just 22-19 ATS in home games.

Milwaukee enters the playoffs on a very bad skid, losing seven of its final nine games, with their only three wins coming over Toronto and at Oklahoma City which was resting all of its star players in a meaningless game. The Bucks are going to be relying heavily on the scoring of SG Monta Ellis who will be matched up with Dwyane Wade over the course of the series. Ellis has put up some big numbers lately. He scored 38 points against the Nuggets on Monday, and on April 12 he had 27 points, 17 assists and eight rebounds in a loss to the Hawks. Ellis is playing well offensively, but his offense is not coming in the flow of a winning team. PG Brandon Jennings will be rusty entering the series after missing two of the final five games and playing only 19.3 MPG in the three games he did suit up for. The health of C Larry Sanders is a major concern for the Bucks too. Sanders missed the past four games for Milwaukee and the club will need his shot-blocking (2.8 BPG) to have any chance at stopping Miami's star players at the rim.

Miami ended the regular season with an amazing 37-2 SU record in its final 39 games. SF LeBron James has been dominant all season and is heading towards another MVP Award after averaging 26.8 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 7.3 APG and 1.7 SPG. In the season series with Milwaukee, James was pretty much unstoppable with 27.5 PPG, 7.3 APG and 8.3 RPG in the four meetings. PF Chris Bosh will provide the Heat with the most effective inside scorer in the series, and he too is coming off of a very efficient regular season in which he averaged 16.6 PPG (54% FG), 6.8 RPG and 1.4 BPG. SG Dwyane Wade’s matchup with Monta Ellis will be key in this series, but if Wade plays anything like he did the second half of the season, then he should be able to win the matchup easily. Wade averaged 21.2 PPG (52% FG), 5.1 APG and 5.0 RPG for the season and dropped 24.0 PPG (51% FG), 5.7 APG and 5.3 RPG in three games versus Milwaukee. Wade’s health is always a concern for Miami, but he appears to be 100 percent after scoring 21 points to go along with 10 assists against Orlando on Wednesday.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

MLB Weather Report: Windy in Chicago

Relatively favorable conditions are expected throughout the bigs on Sunday.

Here is a look at the notable weather:

Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox (-145, 8.5)

Site: U.S. Cellular Field

Forecasts call for mostly cloudy skies with temperatures in the low-50s at first pitch. Winds will blow in from right field at 17 mph. The under was 5-2 in 2012 when winds blew in from right field at U.S. Cellular.

Seattle Mariners at Texas Rangers (-162, 10)

Site: Rangers Ballpark

Mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the high-60s. Winds will blow in from right field at 10 mph.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Sunday's Streaking & Slumping Starting Pitchers

Major league pitchers have enough starts under their belts to pick out which arms are streaking and slumping to start the season. Each day we’ll look at the hottest and coldest pitchers taking the mound.

Streaking

Doug Fister, Detroit Tigers (3-0, 2.70 ERA)

Fister tossed seven strong innings last time out against the Seattle Mariners to pick up his third win in as many starts. But bettors beware: The righty is 0-2 with a 6.94 ERA and 1.80 WHIP in 11 2/3 career innings at Angel Stadium.

Kris Medlen, Atlanta Braves (1-1, 1.42 ERA)

Medlen is picking up right where he left off last season. The right-hander threw 73 of his 98 pitches for strikes in his last start against the Kansas City Royals and is commanding both sides of the plate. Medlen is the owner of a sparkling 1.94 ERA in 21 career appearances in April.

Slumping

Ubaldo Jimenez, Cleveland Indians (0-2, 11.25 ERA)

Jimenez has been rocked in back-to-back starts for seven earned runs. The righty has struggled with his control early on, walking eight batters in his last six innings pitched. Jimenez owns a career 1.88 ERA against the Astros – his best mark against any major league club.

Dillon Gee, New York Mets (0-3, 8.36 ERA)

Gee has traditionally pitched poor in cold weather because his “fingertips get numb in cold weather.” Temperatures are expected to be in the high-40s for first pitch at Citi Field and he has been rocked in his two previous starts at cold April venues (Philadelphia, Colorado).

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Sunday Night Baseball: Cardinals at Phillies
by Steve Merril

The Cardinals and Phillies take center stage on Sunday Night Baseball.

St. Louis Cardinals at Philadelphia Phillies (+104, 8.5)

GO WEST YOUNG MAN

Jake Westbrook's pristine start to the season was saved by the weather after his last outing against the Pirates was rained out; the righty gave up four early runs to Pittsburgh. Westbrook has not allowed an "official" earned run this season. He is just 1-1, though, as the unearned run he allowed against the Giants ultimately led to a loss. The Cardinals' starter faced the Phillies twice last season, getting rocked at home as he gave up six runs on May 24. He bounced back on August 11 against Philadelphia, allowing only a single run on four hits in just over seven innings of work.

CAN KENDRICK GET IT DONE?

Kyle Kendrick has been solid this season aside from his first start where he allowed five runs and eight hits in just over five innings pitched against the Royals. He followed that up with two solid outings against the Mets and Reds where he allowed two runs and 10 hits total. One of Kendrick's best starts last season came in St. Louis on May 26. He tossed a complete-game shutout, yielding seven hits.

INJURY REPORT

The Cardinals and Phillies are both almost at full strength. St. Louis is without Rafael Furcal who underwent Tommy John surgery back in March. The Cardinals are also without pitchers Chris Carpenter and Jason Motte. Carpenter is dealing with a nerve condition in his throwing hand, arm, and shoulder. Motte's status is unknown as he deals with a torn ligament.

On the Philadelphia side, Ryan Howard is day-to-day with a tight right groin injury. Catcher Carlos Ruiz is almost done with his 25-game suspension, which will help a lineup that has struggled scoring at times. John Lannan is on the DL with a knee injury while Delmon Young is close to recovering from microfracture surgery on his ankle.

TRENDS

* The over is 5-2 in the Cardinals’ last seven Sunday games.
* Cardinals are 5-0 in Westbrook's last five road starts vs. a team with a losing record

* Phillies are 5-2 in Kendrick’s last seven home starts
* The under is 9-3-1 in Kendrick’s last 13 starts on grass.

HITTERS TO WATCH

Michael Young 11-for-27 vs. Westbrook
Jimmy Rollins 6-for-15 vs. Westbrook
Matt Holliday 2-for-18 vs. Kendrick
Carlos Beltran 7-for-26 vs. Kendrick

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NASCAR betting: STP 400 preview

The NASCAR Sprint Cup series shifts to Kansas this weekend for the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Denny Hamlin won the spring 2012 event at the 1.5-mile track, but will miss this year's spring event after hurting his back in the race at Auto Club Speedway earlier this season.

Favorite: Jimmie Johnson (+600)

Johnson has two wins, five top-fives, 11 top-10s and three poles in 13 career starts at Kansas Speedway. He ranks first out of 50 drivers with an average place of 7.2 at KS over the last eight seasons.

Live dog: Tony Stewart (+2,000)

Stewart has two wins, six top-fives and nine top-10s in 14 starts at Kansas Speedway with an average finish of 10.4.

Long shot: Mark Martin (+4,000)

Martin has one win, two top-fives, five top-10s and one pole in 14 starts at this track. He ranks sixth out of 50 drivers with an average place of 12.3 at Kansas over the past eight seasons.

Key stat: No active driver has scored his or her first Cup race win or pole at Kansas.

Notable quotable:

"I've lived through it and good teams survive, good teams and drivers will always survive, but it'll put a lot of stress in their world," Johnson said. "We'll see how they respond to it, but once they get some normalcy back to their life, they'll be at the front of the pack." Jimmie Johnson on last weekend’s Penske incident.

Odds to win the STP 400 courtesy of JustBet:

Jimmie Johnson 6-1
Greg Biffle 6-1
Kyle Busch 7-1
Kasey Kahne 8-1
Carl Edwards 8-1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 8-1
Brad Keselowski 8-1
Matt Kenseth 8-1
Jeff Gordon 12-1
Kevin Harvick 15-1
Clint Bowyer 15-1
Martin Truex Jr. 15-1
Tony Stewart 20-1
Joey Logano 25-1
Brian Vickers 25-1
Aric Almirola 40-1
Mark Martin 40-1
Kurt Busch 40-1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 60-1
Ryan Newman 60-1
Jamie McMurray 75-1
Marcos Ambrose 75-1
Paul Menard 75-1
Elliott Sadler 100-1
Juan Montoya 100-1
Jeff Burton 200-1
Danica Patrick 300-1
Casey Mears 300-1
Regan Smith 300-1
Field 50-1

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NASCAR Heads to Kansas on Sunday

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
STP 400

Sunday, April 21 – 1:00 p.m. EDT
Kansas Speedway – Kansas City, KS

The NASCAR field makes its first of two appearances at Kansas Speedway on Sunday. This will be only the 15th NASCAR race all-time at Kansas, but there have already been five drivers with multiple victories at this track -- Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin, who won this STP 400 race last spring.

Kansas Speedway is an intermediate track, completed in 2001, that measures exactly 1.5 miles. Built as a D-shaped oval, this track features 15° banking on the turns, 10.4° banking on the 2,685-foot frontstretch and a much flatter 5° banking on the 2,207-foot backstretch.

Drivers to Watch

Martin Truex Jr. (15/1) - He's beyond due to snap his nearly six-year-long win drought, especially at this track, where he finished runner-up in both Kansas races last year. Truex Jr. was also the runner-up last week in Fort Worth, marking his third straight top-8 finish on a 1.5-mile track (6th at Homestead 2012, 8th at Las Vegas 2013). At 15-to-1, he's the best driver to wager this weekend as our pick to win the STP 400.

Jimmie Johnson (6/1) - Of all the chalk this week, Johnson stands out amongst the crowd. He should always be considered a favorite on an intermediate track, and by the way Johnson has been driving so far this season with two wins and top-6's in five of seven races, he's worthy of action even with this low number to play on. Johnson has dominated the field in his past eight races in Kansas, winning twice (2008 and 2011), while finishing no worse than 9th in the other six starts (2nd, 3rd, 3rd, 7th, 9th and 9th) at this track.

Tony Stewart (20/1) - These favorable odds are quite surprising, especially considering Stewart was one of the two race favorites (along with Jimmie Johnson) last spring in Kansas with 6-to-1 odds. Sure Stewart has had a rough start to the 2013 season with an average finish of 21.6, including 22.8 in the past four races, but he has really thrived at Kansas Speedway. In 14 career starts at this track, he has nine top-8 finishes, which includes five top-4's and two victories. At 20-to-1, pounce on "Smoke" before he heats up and his odds start coming back down to earth.

Brad Keselowski (8/1) - Of the eight drivers with single-digit odds this week, Keselowski provides the best value at 8-to-1. He's finished 2nd, 15th, 3rd and 9th in the past four races on 1.5-mile tracks, and has placed 1st, 3rd, 11th and 8th in his past four starts at Kansas. Add in the fact that he's had only one finish outside the top-10 all season (23rd at Fontana) and factor in the chip on his shoulder he'll be racing with after being penalized 25 points by NASCAR for bad inspections last week in Texas, and odds are strong that Keselowski will race near the front of the pack on Sunday.

Mark Martin (40/1) - If you’re looking for a longshot, put a one-unit wager on the elder statesman. Martin won in Kansas in 2005 and has an average finish of 15.8 in the nine Kansas races since that victory. He’s also placed better than 15th in four of his six starts this season, including his 3rd-place finish at Daytona. Of all the drivers with longer than 25-to-1 odds, Martin is clearly the best wager of the bunch.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Cappers Access

Spurs -7.5
Brewers(RL) -1.5(+146)
Phillies +115

[Can'tPickAWinner]

ScLiveDogs Sunday MLB Write-Up of the Day

Why we like the Diamondbacks on Sunday at +125...this WILL be the game that the Rockies snap their eight game winning streak and there are many reasons to fade them on Sunday. Lets first take a look at the starting pitchers in this game with Brandon McCarthy and Juan Nicasio. McCarthy comes into this game with a combined 7.47 era where he has allowed a total of 1 HR on the season. McCarthy's three starts this season have come against the above average offenses of the Yankees, Pirates and Cardinals. Nicasio comes into this game with a combined 5.62 era where he has allowed a total of 3 HRs on the season. Nicasio's three starts have come against the below average offenses of the Mets, Giants and Brewers. Nicasio's most recent start is also his only start on the season thus far AT Coors Field where he allowed 4 runs through 5 innings on 2 HRs. With this game having a day time start, we can't help but to look at both of these pitchers numbers during the day. Since 2011 Brandon McCarthy has a 7-2 record with a 2.87 era during the day where he allowed a combined 7 HRs through 76 innings which should translate well for him on Sunday at Coors Field. On the other side, Juan Nicasio since 2011 has an 0-3 record with a 5.47 era during the day where he allowed a combined 6 HRs through 45 innings. Those numbers did not include Nicasio's only day start of the 2013 season where he allowed 2 HRs through 5 innings in his most recent start. This Diamondbacks team saw Nicasio twice last season, both being at Coors Field, where he allowed a combined 7 runs through 6 innings on 10 BBs and 10 Ks. From a bullpen standpoint, the only noteworthy key for this game is the fact that the Rockies pen may be showing a bit of regression after almost taking the L on Saturday with a blown 9th inning. Look for the Diamondbacks to come out on Sunday with a bit of revenge in mind after feeling as if they gave the game away on Saturday.

Play on the Diamondbacks at +125.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Mighty Quinn

Mighty missed with the Nuggets (-7 1/2) Saturday.

Sunday it’s the Spurs. The deficit is 457 sirignanos.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

MLB

Hot pitchers
-- Zimmerman is 3-0, 2.45 in three starts this season.
-- Bailey is 1-0, 0.00 (14 IP) in two home starts this season. Sanabia is 2-1, 4.24 in three starts this season.
-- Medlen is 1-1, 2.37 in three starts this season.
-- Nicasio is 2-0, 5.63 in three starts; Colorado scored 21 runs in three games.
-- Westbrook is 1-1, 2.55 in three starts this year; he was rained out of his last start, down 4-2 in third inning. Kendrick is 1-0, 1.38 in his last two starts.

-- Billingsley is 1-0, 3.00 in two starts this season. Orioles are 3-0 in Arrieta starts (1-0, 5.40), scoring 22 runs.

-- Santana is 1-0, 1.69 in his last two starts. Guthrie is 2-0, 3.20 in three starts this year. Red Sox won first two Doubront starts (1-0, 4.50) scoring 13 runs.
-- Milone is 3-0, 3.86 in three starts this season.
-- Fister is 3-0, 2.61 in three starts this season. Wilson is 1-0, 4.50 in three starts this season.

Cold pitchers
-- Gee is 0-3, 9.00 so far this season.
-- JSanchez is 0-2, 11.81 in three starts this season.
-- Feldman is 0-2, 10.00 in two starts this season. Peralta is 0-1, 7.31 in three starts this season.
-- McCarthy is 0-2, 8.62 in his first three Arizona starts.
-- Stults is 1-1, 5.73 in his last couple starts. Zito allowed nine runs in 2.1 IP his last start, after throwing 14 scoreless IP in his first two.

-- Nova is 1-1, 5.59 in two starts this season. JJohnson is 0-1, 7.54 in three starts this season.
-- Dempster is 0-1, 3.71 in his first three Boston starts.
-- RHernandez is 0-3, 7.23 in three starts this season.
-- Floyd is 0-3, 6.89 in three starts this season. Diamond is 1-4, 5.14 in his last six starts.
-- Harang is 1-4, 3.89 in his last eight starts. Grimm is 1-1, 9.00 in his last three starts.
-- Bedard is 0-1, 12.46 in two starts this season. Jimenez allowed 14 runs in 6.1 IP in losing his last two starts.

Totals
-- Three of last four Pittsburgh games stayed under total.
-- Under is 6-2-1 in last nine Philly games.
-- Six of last nine Miami games stayed under total.
-- Nine of last twelve Washington games went over total.
-- Five of last seven Cub games stayed under the total.
-- Last six Arizona games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 6-2-1 in last nine Stults starts.

-- Five of last seven Dodger games went over the total.

-- Seven of last eight Bronx games stayed under the total.
-- Three of last four Boston games went over the total.
-- 14 of last 17 Oakland games went over the total.
-- Under is 9-0-1 in last ten Texas games.
-- Eight of last eleven Cleveland games went over the total.
-- Last six White Sox games stayed under the total.
-- Ten of last twelve Angel games went over the total.

Hot teams
-- Pirates won eight of their last eleven games.
-- Cardinals won seven of their last ten games.
-- Reds won five of their last six games.
-- Brewers won their last six games, scoring 35 runs.
-- Colorado won its last eight games, scoring 53 runs.
-- Giants won their last five home games.

-- Orioles won their last three games, scoring 23 runs.

-- Bronx won nine of its last eleven games.
-- Red Sox won their last seven games, allowing 13 runs.
-- Rays won three of their last four games. Oakland won 12 of its last 16 games, but lost last two, scoring three runs.
-- Rangers won five of their last six home games.
-- Angels outscored Detroit 18-1 in first two games of series.

Cold teams
-- Braves lost three of their last four games.
-- Phillies lost five of their last six games.
-- Marlins lost 14 of their first 18 games.
-- Nationals lost five of their last eight games. Mets lost four of their last five games.
-- Cubs lost nine of their last twelve games.
-- Arizona is 4-7 in its last eleven games.
-- Padres lost seven of their last ten games.

-- Dodgers lost last six games, outscored 33-13.

-- Blue Jays lost four of their last five games.
-- Royals lost four of their last six games.
-- Mariners lost eight of their last eleven games- they didn't score in their last two games.
-- Astros lost five of their last six games. Cleveland lost its last five games, allowing 25 runs.
-- Minnesota lost six of its last eight games. White Sox lost seven of their last eleven games.
-- Detroit lost its last three games, outscored 20-1.

Umpires
-- Mia-Cin-- Underdogs are 19-11 in Johnson's last 30 games.
-- Wsh-NY-- Under is 6-0-1 in last seven Carlson games.
-- StL-Phil-- Last four Gibson games stayed under the total.
-- Atl-Pitt-- Under is 8-3-1 in last twelve Nauert games.
-- Chi-Mil-- Six of last eight Cuzzi games stayed under total.
-- Az-Col-- Over is 4-1-1 last six Reyburn games.
-- SD-SF-- Six of last nine Davidson games stayed under the total.

-- LA-Balt-- Favorites won six of last eight TWelke games.

-- NY-Tor-- Underdogs are 7-4 in last eleven Timmons games.
-- KC-Bos-- Over is 10-4-1 in last fifteen Vanover games. Five of last seven Randazzo games went over the total.
-- A's-TB-- Underdogs won nine of last thirteen Nelson games.
-- Min-Chi-- Last four Tichenor games stayed under the total.
-- Cle-Hst-- Six of last seven Bellino games stayed under total.
-- Sea-Tex-- Last five Hernandez games went over the total.
-- Det-LA-- Last three Dreckman games stayed under the total.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NHL

Hot teams
-- Rangers won four of their last five games. Devils won last two games, 3-0/6-2, after losing previous ten games.
-- Flames won five of their last seven games.
-- Blues won three in row, nine of their last eleven games.
-- Blue Jackets won five of their last six games. Sharks won four of last five.
-- Dallas Stars won six of their last eight games. Kings won three of last four.

Cold teams
-- Florida lost its last seven games, outscored 32-13. Bruins lost their last four games, scoring seven goals.
-- Minnesota lost seven of its last ten games.
-- Hurricanes lost 17 of their last 19 games. Tampa Bay lost seven of last eight.
-- Avalanche lost 16 of their last 20 games.
-- Anaheim lost its last four games, scoring five goals. Oilers lost six of last seven.

Totals
-- Four of last five Florida games went over the total.
-- Under is 6-2-1 in last nine New Jersey games.
-- Under is 5-1-1 in last seven Calgary games.
-- Five of last seven Carolina games went over the total.
-- Under is 8-0-1 in last nine St Louis games.
-- 13 of last 17 Columbus-San Jose games stayed under total.
-- Under is 9-2-1 in last dozen Anaheim games.
-- Over is 12-5-1 in last eighteen Dallas games.

Series records
-- Bruins won eight of last ten games with Florida.
-- New Jersey won four of last five games with the Rangers.
-- Minnesota won four of last five games with Calgary.
-- Lightning won nine of last twelve games with Carolina.
-- Blues lost ten of last thirteen games with Colorado.
-- Blue Jackets won last three games with San Jose, outscoring them 16-5.
-- Ducks won 12 of last 14 games against Edmonton.
-- Kings lost six of their last eight games with Dallas.

Back-to-backs
-- Panthers are 1-5 if they played the day/night before. Boston is 2-4.
-- Devils are 3-6 if they played the day/night before.
-- Carolina is 4-1 on road if it played the night before.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

DCI Pro Basketball
The Daniel Curry Index

04/21/13 Predictions

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
Game #1
MIAMI 109, Milwaukee 93
INDIANA 99, Atlanta 92
Western Conference Quarterfinals
Game #1
OKLAHOMA CITY 113, Houston 101
SAN ANTONIO 107, L.A. Lakers 101

[Can'tPickAWinner]

DCI Pro Hockey
The Daniel Curry Index

04/21/13 Predictions

Season: 260-160 (.619)

N.Y. RANGERS 3, New Jersey 2
BOSTON 4, Florida 2
St. Louis 3, COLORADO 2
TAMPA BAY 4, Carolina 3
MINNESOTA 3, Calgary 2
Anaheim vs. EDMONTON: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
SAN JOSE 3, Columbus 2
LOS ANGELES 3, Dallas 2

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Today's NBA Picks

Milwaukee at Miami

The Heat look to open up the playoff series and build on their 9-0 ATS record in their last 9 games against teams with a losing SU record. Miami is the pick (-13) according to Dunkel, which has the Heat favored by 16. Dunkel Pick: Miami (-13). Here are all of today's picks.


SUNDAY, APRIL 21
Time Posted: 7:00 a.m. EST


Game 709-710: Atlanta at Indiana (1:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta 114.929; Indiana 123.227
Dunkel Line & Total: Indiana by 8 1/2; 181
Vegas Line & Total: Indiana by 6 1/2; 185 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Indiana (-6 1/2); Under


Game 711-712: LA Lakers at San Antonio (3:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Lakers 120.531; San Antonio 119.550
Dunkel Line & Total: LA Lakers by 1; 192
Vegas Line & Total: San Antonio by 8 1/2; 189 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Lakers (+8 1/2); Over


Game 713-714: Milwaukee at Miami (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee 111.595; Miami 127.827
Dunkel Line & Total: Miami by 16; 204
Vegas Line & Total: Miami by 13; 199
Dunkel Pick: Miami (-13); Over


Game 715-716: Houston at Oklahoma City (9:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Houston 118.932; Oklahoma City 127.556
Dunkel Line & Total: Oklahoma City by 8 1/2; 209
Vegas Line & Total: Oklahoma City by 10; 213 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+10); Under

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports

Our Free Plays are 1021-755 (57 + %) over the last 4 1/2 years !

Free winner 10-4 run Sun A's -110

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Gamblers Data

Free Play Sunday

Atlanta -1.5 -106

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Hondo

MLB WASHINGTON

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Joe Wiz

Won last 4

Sunday Free Play San Diego/San Francisco Under 8

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Today's MLB Picks

Detroit at LA Angels

The Tigers look to salvage a game in the series and build on their 9-1 record in Doug Fister's last 10 starts against teams with a losing record. Detroit is the pick (+100) according to Dunkel, which has the Tigers favored by 1/2 a run. Dunkel Pick: Detroit (+100). Here are all of today's picks.


SUNDAY, APRIL 21
Time Posted: 8:00 a.m. EST


Game 901-902: Washington at NY Mets (1:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Zimmermann) 14.809; NY Mets (Gee) 15.312
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Washington (-150); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (+130); Over


Game 903-904: Miami at Cincinnati (1:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Miami (Sanabia) 14.653; Cincinnati (Bailey) 14.189
Dunkel Line: Miami by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-240); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Miami (+200); Under


Game 905-906: Atlanta at Pittsburgh (1:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Medlen) 17.008; Pittsburgh (Sanchez) 15.669
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-185); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-185); Under


Game 907-908: Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee (2:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Feldman) 14.514; Milwaukee (Peralta) 16.429
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-150); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (-150); Over


Game 909-910: San Diego at San Francisco (4:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Stults) 15.354; San Francisco (Zito) 16.112
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1; 9
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-150); 8
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-150); Over


Game 911-912: Arizona at Colorado (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (McCarthy) 16.522; Colorado (Nicasio) 16.268
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Colorado (-145); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+125); Under


Game 913-914: St. Louis at Philadelphia (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Westbrook) 15.044; Philadelphia (Kendrick) 15.598
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-105); Under


Game 915-916: NY Yankees at Toronto (1:07 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Nova) 15.987; Toronto (Johnson) 14.507
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Toronto (-140); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (+120); Over


Game 917-918: Kansas City at Boston (1:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Santana) 15.603; Boston (Dempster) 16.832
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Boston (-150); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-150); Under


Game 919-920: Oakland at Tampa Bay (1:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Milone) 16.392; Tampa Bay (Hernandez) 15.407
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-110); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-110); Over


Game 921-922: Cleveland at Houston (2:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Jimenez) 14.420; Houston (Bedard) 13.759
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Houston (-110); 9
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-110); Over


Game 923-924: Minnesota at Chicago White Sox (2:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Diamond) 15.991; White Sox (Floyd) 15.265
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-155); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+135); Under


Game 925-926: Seattle at Texas (3:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Harang) 13.954; Texas (Grimm) 15.938
Dunkel Line: Texas by 2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Texas (-175); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-175); Under


Game 927-928: Detroit at LA Angels (3:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Fister) 15.269; LA Angels (Wilson) 14.744
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-120); 8
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (+100); Over


Game 929-930: LA Dodgers at Baltimore (1:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Billingsley) 13.423; Baltimore (Arrieta) 16.338
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 3; 8
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (-105); Under


Game 931-932: Kansas City at Boston (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Guthrie) 15.783; Boston (Webster) 15.209
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Today's NHL Picks

Columbus at San Jose

The Blue Jackets look to take advantage of a San Jose team that is 3-10 in its last 13 games when playing with 2 days rest. Columbus is the pick (+150) according to Dunkel, which has the Blue Jackets favored by 1/2 a goal. Dunkel Pick: Columbus (+150). Here are all of today's picks.


SUNDAY, APRIL 21
Time Posted 8:30 a.m. EST


Game 1-2: Florida at Boston (12:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida 9.540; Boston 11.188
Dunkel Line & Total: Boston by 1 1/2; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Boston (-280); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-280); Under


Game 3-4: New Jersey at NY Rangers (3:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: New Jersey 11.872; NY Rangers 11.663
Dunkel Line & Total: New Jersey by 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: NY Rangers (-185); 5
Dunkel Pick: New Jersey (+165); Over


Game 5-6: Calgary at Minnesota (6:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Calgary 11.444; Minnesota 11.129
Dunkel Line & Total: Calgary by 1/2; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Minnesota (-230); 5
Dunkel Pick: Calgary (+190); Under


Game 7-8: Carolina at Tampa Bay (6:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Carolina 9.988; Tampa Bay 10.678
Dunkel Line & Total: Tampa Bay by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line & Total: Tampa Bay (-160); 6
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-160); Over


Game 9-10: St. Louis at Colorado (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis 11.944; Colorado 10.607
Dunkel Line & Total: St. Louis by 1 1/2; 4
Vegas Line & Total: St. Louis (-160); 5
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-160); Under


Game 11-12: Columbus at San Jose (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Columbus 12.003; San Jose 11.626
Dunkel Line & Total: Columbus by 1/2; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: San Jose (-170); 5
Dunkel Pick: Columbus (+150); Over


Game 13-14: Anaheim at Edmonton (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Anaheim 10.268; Edmonton 11.632
Dunkel Line & Total: Edmonton by 1 1/2; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Anaheim (-120); 5
Dunkel Pick: Edmonton (+100); Over


Game 15-16: Dallas at Los Angeles (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Dallas 11.859; Los Angeles 12.017
Dunkel Line & Total: Los Angeles by 1/2; 4
Vegas Line & Total: Los Angeles (-200); 5
Dunkel Pick: Los Angeles (-200); Under

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Kyle Hunter

*5 Star MLB Moneyline TOP PLAY* Washington

*4 Star MLB Bookie CRUSHER* Atlanta -1.5

*3 Star Lakers/Spurs Total Domination* Under 189.5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Hockey Crusher
Anaheim Ducks -115 over Edmonton Oilers
(System Record: 50-3, won last game)
Overall Record: 50-35-3

Basketball Crusher
Houston Rockets +10 over OKC
(System Record: 91-4, lost last game)
Overall Record: 91-68-4

Baseball Crusher
Los Angeles Angels -115 over Detroit Tigers
(System Record: 11-2, lost last 5 games)
Overall Record: 11-13

Soccer Crusher
Godoy Cruz + River Plate UNDER 2
This match is happening in Argentina
(System Record: 387-15, won last game)
Overall Record: 387-335-47

[Can'tPickAWinner]

BIG AL

3* Spurs

opinions
Heat
Pacers

[Can'tPickAWinner]

A's for LHP Tom Milone from Bettors

Tom Milone of the Oakland A's is one of the top money pitchers in the American League to start the season.

Milone has won bettors $319.00 if they wagered $100 bettor on each of his three starts.

Milone is 3-0 with a 3.86 ERA and boasts wins over the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros.

Oakland also supports him with 9.33 runs per game, tops in the AL. The over is 3-0 in Milone's three outings because of the overwhelming support.

The lefty takes the mound Sunday versus the Tampa Bay Rays. The A's are -107 favorites on the moneyline and the over/under is set at 8.5.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Ben Burns

10* Indiana Pacers

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NHL

Sunday, April 21

Around the rink: Sunday's NHL betting notes

Florida Panthers at Boston Bruins (-287, 5.5)

Probable starting goaltenders: Jacob Markstrom (FLA), Tuukka Rask (BOS)

Boston, which trails the Northeast Division-leading Montreal Canadiens by two points, has gone 0-3-1 since posting a 5-4 victory over the New Jersey Devils on April 10. Florida, which has a league-low 32 points, enters with a five-game losing streak. The Panthers have been outscored 27-8 during the skid and 17-5 over the first three games of their four-game road trip. Florida lost each of its first two meetings with Boston this season by 4-1 scores. The under is 9-0 in the Panthers’ last nine times playing the second half of a back-to-back.

New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers (-173, 5)

Probable starting goaltenders: Martin Brodeur (NJ), Henrik Lundqvist (NYR)

New Jersey is 10th in the Eastern Conference, six points behind eighth-place New York with four games remaining. The Devils avoided elimination Saturday as they overcame an early two-goal deficit and posted a 6-2 victory over the Florida Panthers. The Rangers are trying to hold off the Winnipeg Jets, who are just one point out of eighth. New York has discovered its offensive touch as it has outscored its opponents 14-5 over its last two games - both victories. The Devils are 4-1 in the last five meetings.

Carolina Hurricanes at Tampa Bay Lightning (-150, 6)

Probable starting goaltenders: Justin Peters (CAR), Anders Lindback (TB)

The Lightning have struggled since a promising start, except when they have met the Carolina Hurricanes. The Lightning will vie for a five-game sweep of their Southeast Division rival when they host the Hurricanes on Sunday. Tampa Bay has outscored the Hurricanes 18-4 – with three of the four victories coming on the road. The under is 9-2 in the Hurricanes’ last 11 vs. Southeast foes.

Calgary Flames at Minnesota Wild (-216, 5)

Probable starting goaltenders: Miikka Kiprusoff (CGY), Niklas Backstrom (MIN)

After earning two victories on a three-game road trip, the Minnesota Wild return home where they have not won in four contests (0-3-1). Calgary is 1-1-2 against the Wild and Minnesota won its one previous home game against the Flames 2-1 in overtime on Feb. 26. Calgary dropped a 4-3 decision at home to the Wild on Monday. The under is 5-1 in the Flames’ last six road games.

St. Louis Blues at Colorado Avalanche (+142, 5)

Probable starting goaltenders: Brian Elliott (STL), J.S. Giguere (COL)

St. Louis, which is one point out of fourth place, vies for its fourth straight victory on Sunday when it visits the Colorado Avalanche in the opener of a home-and-home. The Avalanche are buried in last place in the West and have won only four times in their last 20 games (4-13-3). But Colorado has dominated St. Louis at the Pepsi Center, winning the last seven meetings at home - including a 1-0 victory on Feb. 20 in the only matchup this season. The under is 14-2-2 in the Blues’ last 18 overall.

Columbus Blue Jackets at San Jose Sharks (-163, 5)

Probable starting goaltenders: Sergei Bobrovsky (CBJ), Antti Niemi (SJ)

The Sharks will try to avoid being swept of the three-game season series by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Columbus won the first two meetings with San Jose, both at home, and has outscored the Sharks 16-5 in capturing the last three overall matchups. The home team has won four straight in the all-time series, scoring six goals on three occasions.

Anaheim Ducks at Edmonton Oilers (+109, 5)

Probable starting goaltenders: Jonas Hiller (ANA), Devan Dubnyk (EDM)

Edmonton, which is 0-7-2 in its last nine home games against the Ducks. has not defeated Anaheim at Rexall Place since Nov. 30, 2007. Anaheim is 0-3-1 following a 2-1 home victory against Edmonton on April 8. The Ducks hold a five-point lead on Los Angeles and San Jose in their division, but their offense has gone quiet in recent games. Anaheim has been limited to one goal in each of its last four regulation losses and has managed more than two tallies just once in its last seven contests. The under is 4-0-1 in the Ducks’ last five overall.

Dallas Stars at Los Angeles Kings (-177, 5)

Probable starting goaltenders: Kari Lehtonen (DAL), Jonathan Quick (LAK)

With points in their last four games (3-0-1), the Los Angeles Kings have home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs in their sights. The Kings secured a berth in the postseason on Saturday after Vancouver skated to a 2-1 shootout victory over Detroit. Dallas, which sits two points out of a share for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, defeated the Kings 2-0 in Los Angeles on March 21 and took two of three contests in the Lone Star State to win the season series. The Kings are a mere 7-7-2 against divisional opponents, while the Stars are 10-5-1.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

StatFox Super Situations™ - FoxSheets

NBA HOUSTON at OKLAHOMA CITY

Play Under - All teams where the total is greater than or equal to 200 after going under the total by 24 or more points total in their last three games, with a winning record on the season playing another winning team
124-68 over the last 5 seasons. ( 64.6% 49.2 units )
27-15 this year. ( 64.3% 10.5 units )

NBA MILWAUKEE at MIAMI

Play Against - Road underdogs vs. the money line (MILWAUKEE) revenging a same season loss vs opponent, with a winning percentage of between 40-49% on the season
182-48 over the last 5 seasons. ( 79.1% 70.1 units )
30-9 this year. ( 76.9% 6.9 units )

NBA MILWAUKEE at MIAMI

Play On - Road underdogs of 6 or more points vs. the first half line (MILWAUKEE) after a game where they covered the spread, playing with 3 or more days rest
46-18 since 1997. ( 71.9% 26.2 units )
2-0 this year. ( 100.0% 2.0 units )

[Can'tPickAWinner]

StatFox Super Situations™ - FoxSheets

MLB KANSAS CITY at BOSTON

Play Against - Road teams (KANSAS CITY) average hitting team (AVG =.265 to .279) against a very good starting pitcher (ERA <=3.50) -AL, starting a pitcher who gave up <=2 earned runs in his last 2 outings
45-21 over the last 5 seasons. ( 68.2% 25.4 units )

StatFox Situational Power Trends™ - FoxSheets

MLB ARIZONA at COLORADO

COLORADO is 11-1 (+10.3 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
The average score was: COLORADO (6.3) , OPPONENT (3.2)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Sports Pickin'

NBA

Atlanta/Indiana - Over 185 Points

MLB

Cleveland ML

NHL

Columbus/San Jose - Under 5 Goals
St. Louis ML

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NBA

Sunday, April 21

Indiana has best defensive team in NBA (best FG% vs both 2-point and 3-point shots), but Atlanta has quickness advantage inside and will try to exploit it. Home side won all four Atlanta-Indiana games this season; Hawks lost both visits here, by 11-6 points, with both games going over. Atlanta is 2-5 in its last seven games overall, with four of last five going over total. Indiana lost five of its last six games, with four of last five going over as well- they played faster pace in games vs Atlanta than vs any other team in league. Hawks have lot of guys whose contracts are expiring, will they play for themselves or to advance?

Lot of older, injured stars in Laker-Spur series; Bryant is out, Nash is a ???, Parker/Ginobili are banged up and Diaw is out, which why Tracy McGrady was brought back from China. LA won last five games and 8 of last 9 to squeak into playoffs; they're 20-8 in last 28 games, 1-2 vs Spurs, with three games decided by total of 10 points-- all three stayed under total. Spurs lost seven of last ten games to fall out of #1 seed, but they were pointing to playoffs. Spurs shot under 39% in two of three games vs Lakers; they made 12-25 from arc in Lakers' only visit to this site. LA was +23 in FT's tried in two games played at Staples. Lakers' best two players with Bryant out are 7-footers; Spurs want to run.

Milwaukee lost 15 of last 21 games, finished 38-44, has as much chance of beating Miami best-of-7 as I do of dating Pamela Anderson. Bucks did upset Heat 104-85 at home Dec 29, forcing 20 turnovers (+15), but lost other three meetings by 7-13-11 points, with last three games staying under total. Only once in four meetings did Miami lead by more than a hoop at the half. Bucks have to try and make Heat shoot jumpers; Heat took 33-24-22-10 FTs in four meetings, going 8-35 from arc in last game April 9, so Milwaukee has to pack in defense, keep game slow as they can, and hope Miami is extremely overconfident. Good luck with that.

Houston star Harden came off bench for Thunder, but played starters' minutes; Rockets got whacked by 22-30 points by OC before holidays, but beat Thunder 122-119 in last meeting Feb 20, making 15-33 on arc (made 16-51 in two losses)- Harden had 46 that game. Houston turns it over more than any team in league partially because they run more than most teams; they've got to minimize OC's easy hoops, since its defense in halfcourt isn't exactly great. Thunder scored 120-124-119 in the three games with Houston, which is better-than-average #8 seed, but playing wrong style to upset this defensively-stout favorite.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Moose Picks

Sunday MLB 70% Club Plays (5% of bankroll)

Washington Nationals -145

[Can'tPickAWinner]

HANDICAPPING KINGS

JIMMY

BASEBALL

MIAMI/CINCY OVER 8.5 -110 (1PM)

MINNESOTA/CHICAGO UNDER 8.5 -115 (2PM)

NBA

MILWAUKEE/MIAMI OVER 199 (7PM)

NHL

CAROLINA/TB OVER 6 -105 (6PM)

PERRY (SOCCER PLAYS)

SPAIN (3PM)

Atletico Madrid (ESP-P) vs Sevilla (ESP-P) OVER 2.5-102

GERMANY (930AM)

Freiburg (GER-1) vs VfB Stuttgart (GER-1) OVER 2.5-122

ENGLAND (830AM)

Manchester City (ENG-P) vs Tottenham (ENG-P) UNDER 2.5-111

ITALY (9AM)

Palermo (ITA-A) vs Catania (ITA-A) UNDER 2.5-134

[Can'tPickAWinner]

PAUL LEINER

100* Pacers -7

100* A's -110

50* Over 8.5 - Redsox/Royals gm 1

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Beat Your Bookie
Daily MLB Baseball Plays for Sunday


10* Play Toronto -140 over New York Yankees (MLB TOP PLAY)
1:10 PM EST

Josh Johnson is 43-30 when pitching in the 1st half of the season
Josh Johnson is 40-30 vs. division opponents the last three seasons


10* Play Washington -150 over NY Mets (MLB TOP PLAY)
1:10 PM EST

New York is 5-15 vs. Washington at home the last three seasons
New York is 6-17 when playing as a home underdog of +125 or higher



10* Play Chicago White Sox -150 over Minnesota (MLB TOP PLAY)
2:10 PM EST

Minnesota is 46-77 in day games the last three seasons
Minnesota is 44-73 after scoring two runs or less in their last game



10* Play San Francisco -150 over San Diego (MLB TOP PLAY)
4:10 PM EST

Barry Zito is 13-2 vs. division opponents the last two seasons
Barry Zito is 2-0 at home this season with an ERA of 0.00

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Beat Your Bookie
Daily Hoops Plays for Sunday


10* Play San Antonio -8.5 over LA Lakers (NBA TOP PLAY)
3:30 PM EST

Los Angeles is 21-33 ATS when playing as an underdog
Los Angeles is 15-26 ATS in road games this season


10* Play Oklahoma City -10 over Houston (NBA TOP PLAY)
9:30 PM EST

Oklahoma City is 27-14 ATS in home games this season
Oklahoma City is 17-7 ATS when playing on a Sunday

================================================== ============

5* Play Atlanta +6.5 over Indiana (NBA BONUS PLAY)
5* Play Miami -13 over Milwaukee (NBA BONUS PLAY)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Online Sports Winners

The Basketball Plays for Sunday are:

100* Take Atlanta +6.5 over Indiana (NBA TOP PLAY)

Atlanta has covered the spread in 5 of the last 6 games when playing
on a Sunday and they have covered the spread in 6 of the last 7 games
when playing five or less games in fourteen days. Atlanta has won 3
consecutive playoff games in the 1st game of a series and they are
averaging over 103 points over the last five games.


100* Take Oklahoma City -10 over Houston (NBA TOP PLAY)

Houston has lost 19 of the last 27 games against the spread when
playing six or less games in fourteen days and they have lost 8
consecutive games against the spread coming off two or more losses.

================================================== ====================

50* Take San Antonio -8.5 over Los Angeles Lakers (NBA BONUS PLAY)
50* Take Miami -13 over Milwaukee (NBA BONUS PLAY)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Online Sports Winners

The MLB Baseball Plays for Sunday are:

100* Take Toronto -140 over NY Yankees (MLB TOP PLAY)

Josh Johnson has won 43 of the last 73 games when pitching in the 1st
half of the season and he has won 40 of the last 70 games vs. division
opponents. Josh Johnson has won 14 of the last 22 games when pitching
on a Sunday and he has won 28 of the last 48 day games.


100* Take Texas -170 over Seattle (MLB TOP PLAY)

Seattle has lost 60 of the last 90 games as an underdog of +150 or
higher and they have lost 48 of the last 74 games when the total
posted is between 8.5 and 10 runs. Seattle has lost 33 of the last 52
games when playing on a Sunday and they have lost 29 of the last 41
games coming off three games with no homeruns.


100* Take Washington -150 over New York Mets (MLB TOP PLAY)

New York has lost 4 of the last 5 games and they have also lost 14 of
the last 21 games coming off five or more OVER the totals. New York
has lost 17 of the last 23 games as a home underdog of +125 or higher
and they have lost 15 of the last 20 games vs. Washington at home.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Bob Balfe

St. Louis Cardinals -115

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Totals 4 You Pro Basketball Selections for Sunday, April 21st

2013 Pro Basketball Playoffs Game 1 Total of the Year!!!!!
LA Lakers/San Antonio over 189

NBA Best Bets
Atlanta/Indiana over 185 1/2
Milwaukee/Miami under 199
Houston/Oklahoma City under 213

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Totals 4 You Major League Selections for Sunday, April 21st

National League Baseball Daytime Domiantor!!!!!
Washington/New York over 7 1/2

MLB Best Bets
Miami/Cincinnati under 8 1/2
Chicago/Milwaukee over 8 1/2
Minnesota/Chicago under 8 1/2
Detroit/Los Angeles under 8

[Can'tPickAWinner]

GoodFella MLB Money LineSun, 04/21/13 - 1:10 PM
(2*) Two Team ML Parlay
CINCINNATI REDS MLto SAN ANTONIO SPURS ML


GoodFella MLB Money LineSun, 04/21/13 - 1:10 PM
2* WASHINGTON (-133) vs 902 NYM

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Scott Delaney

60 Dime NBA Line Mistake

Atlanta +7

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Brandon Lang

60 dime play
Lakers/Spurs under 190.5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Todays Best Bets

(4 UNITS)NYY/Tor UNDER 9

(5 UNITS) Braves -1.5

(4 UNITS) Pacers -6.5

(3 UNITS) Lakers +8.5

(3 UNITS) Heat -13

(4 UNITS) Rockets +10

[Can'tPickAWinner]

EAGLE EYE SPORTS--WIN-MART
Your Pick: Colorado Rockies (-136)
Your Pick:Spurs/LA.Lakers Over 190.5 (-110)
Your Pick: Los Angeles Angels (-107)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

LARRY NESS 9* NBA

San Antonio

[Can'tPickAWinner]

SCOTT SPREITZER Opening Round Tapout GOY

San Antonio

[Can'tPickAWinner]

GoodFella

MLB Total
908 MIL / 907 CHC - OVER 8.5
(2*) Play on the OVER

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Tim Donaghy

Atlanta vs Indy (Total 185) OVER

[Can'tPickAWinner]

WinSportsNow MLB 4/21

5-3 yesterday

Reds-240
Padres+140
Phillies-110
Yankees+13-
Under 8 Rays
Indians-110
Under 8.5 Twins
Tigers+110

[Can'tPickAWinner]

JOE GAVAZZI

Milwaukee at Miami (-13) 7:00 PM ET

5* Miami -13
Seldom lay double digits in the Playoffs but this has all the earmarks of a 4 game blowout sweep. Milwaukee is looking like road kill. The Bucs finished the season on negative slides of 4-12 and 1-5 SU. They also finished 6-14 ATS including 2-8 ATS on the road. Miami went 3-1 in the series this year with no victory by more than 13 points including wins of 9 and 7 on this court. But veteran Playoff teams at home in Game #1 of Round #1 hold a solid and significant advantage against teams who did not appear in the Playoffs last season. Miami enters on a run of 35-1 SU but just 2-8 ATS -10+ on this court of late. But that mark could be well offset by the fact Miami was an amazing 10-3 ATS as HF in the Playoffs last year. Figure Milwaukee to be a much better play in Game #2 of this series.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Dr. Ed Meyer MLB Money Line Sun, 04/21/13 - 3:35 PM

double-dime bet -928 ANA (-110) vs 927 DET

Analysis:
The reason why this line is close to pickem is that Doug Fister has produced two straight quality start wins, beating the Jays 11-1 and the Mariners 6-2. However, the linesmakers have vastly over-estimated the Tigers in this spot. Detroit is a bankroll-crushing 0-17 when their line is within 20 cents of pickem and their starter has produced quality start wins in each of his last two outings!

So, 0-17 when they have a hot pitcher and the linesmaker rates the game close to a toss up. This includes the first game of this series, when the Angels hammered Sanchez and won 8-1.

LA's offense is "hitting on all cylinders" and they are very tough to slow down in this spot. The Halos are a reliable 10-0 as a favorite when they are off a five-plus run win in which they hit at least one home run.

Note that the Angels have scored an average of 6.6 runs per game in this spot.

Finally, the Angels are 9-0 as a home favorite when they are off a win in which they never trailed and it is not a series opener.

Note that this was active yesterday, when they Angels won 10-0.

If Fister wins here, we tip our hat. The 6-10 Angels are the side on which to be, as they still have a lot of work to do.

MTi's FORECAST: LA ANGELS 5 Detroit 3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

"Mr Chalk" 2013 MLB Season

Ben lee had the splits on Saturday winning with the Rays -$120/A's and losing with the Fightin Philies -$145/Cardinals.

For Sunday "Mr Chalk" is on the "Chalkest" game on the board the Reds -$230/Marlins.

"Mr Chalk" is 13-6 + $432 for the 2013 MLB Regular Season.


As an extra bonus in game 1 of the NBA 1st round playoffs Ben lee likes the Spurs -9/Lakers and the Heat -13/Bucks.

Ben lee won with the Nets -5/Bulls on Saturday and is 1-0 +$100 in the Nba Playoffs.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Marc Lawrence

3* atl hawks

[Can'tPickAWinner]

ack Jones MLB*
TOP PLAYS 2-4
15* 15-25

They are bought and paid for so I'll keep posting, but i'm losing what I made on his NBA and NCAAB.

JACK JONES

MLB Baseball Premium Picks



MLB | Apr 21 '13 (1:05p)
NYY YANKEES vs Toronto Blue Jays
NYY YANKEES
+135 (http://affiliate.sportsinteraction.com/processing/clickthrgh.asp?btag=a_1020b_102) at SIA (http://www.sportsinteraction.com/)


15* AL East PLAY OF THE DAY on New York Yankees +135

Rarely will you ever get the New York Yankees as this big of an underdog against anyone. I'll take full advantage Sunday and back them as they look to improve to 11-6 with a victory Sunday.

Josh Johnson has no business being this heavily favored Sunday. The right-hander is 0-1 with a 6.91 ERA and 1.814 WHIP through three starts this season. Ivan Nova is 3-1 with a 3.82 ERA in six career starts against Toronto.

The Blue Jays are 6-23 (-17.0 Units) against the money line vs. terrible speed teams - averaging 0.35 or less SB's/game over the last 3 seasons. Toronto is 1-7 (-9.1 Units) against the money line as a favorite of -125 to -175 this season. Bet the Yankees Sunday.








MLB | Apr 21 '13 (1:10p)
Washington Nationals vs New York Mets
New York Mets
+130 (http://affiliate.sportsinteraction.com/processing/clickthrgh.asp?btag=a_1020b_102) at SIA (http://www.sportsinteraction.com/)


15* NL East PLAY OF THE DAY on New York Mets +130

The New York Mets are highly motivated to beat the 2012 NL East champion Washington Nationals in this series. I look for them to take Game 3 and take the series Sunday.

Dillon Gee is 3-1 with a 3.37 ERA and 1.178 WHIP in six career starts against Washington. This is certainly one team he enjoys facing.

Washington is 6-28 (-19.8 Units) against the money line in road games after a game they hit 4 or more home runs since 1997. Bet the Mets Sunday.








MLB | Apr 21 '13 (2:10p)
Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers
Chicago Cubs
+127 (http://partners.commission.bz/processing/clickthrgh.asp?btag=a_420b_652) at BetOnline (http://www.betonline.ag/)


15* NL Central PLAY OF THE DAY on Chicago Cubs +127

After losing the first two games of this series to Milwaukee, I look for the Chicago Cubs to take Game 3 and salvage it.

I like the Cubs' chances of doing some damage against Brewers' starter Wily Peralta. He is 0-1 with a 6.19 ERA and 1.687 WHIP over three starts this season.

Milwaukee is 12-22 (-15.5 Units) against the money line after a win by 4 runs or more over the last 2 seasons. Take the Cubs Sunday.








MLB | Apr 21 '13 (2:10p)
Minnesota Twins vs Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins
+140 (http://affiliate.sportsinteraction.com/processing/clickthrgh.asp?btag=a_1020b_102) at SIA (http://www.sportsinteraction.com/)


15* AL Central PLAY OF THE DAY on Minnesota Twins +140

The Minnesota Twins are showing excellent value as a big road underdog to the Chicago White Sox Sunday. They come in having won three straight and playing with a lot of confidence because of it.

Gavin Floyd has no business getting this much respect from oddsmakers. Floyd is 0-3 with a 6.32 ERA and 1.852 WHIP through three starts this season, and 6-11 with a 5.71 ERA and 1.586 WHIP in 18 career starts against Minnesota.

Minnesota is 7-1 (+9.2 Units) against the money line after 3 straight games where the bullpen gave up no runs over the last 2 seasons. Floyd is 28-48 (-25.0 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 to 8.5 since 1997. Take the Twins Sunday.








MLB | Apr 21 '13 (4:05p)
San Diego Padres vs San Francisco Giants
San Diego Padres
+130 (http://affiliate.sportsinteraction.com/processing/clickthrgh.asp?btag=a_1020b_102) at SIA (http://www.sportsinteraction.com/)


15* NL West PLAY OF THE DAY on San Diego Padres +130

The San Diego Padres get the call Sunday as a nice-sized road underdog to the San Francisco Giants. After losing the first two games of this series, the Padres are hungry for a victory in Game 3.

I like their chances of picking up a win with Eric Stults on the mound. Stults is 2-1 with a 3.94 ERA through three starts this season. Barry Zito is overvalued here, and he's 2-1 with a 4.86 ERA on the year.

Stults is 9-3 (+9.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. Stults is 8-1 (+10.0 Units) against the money line when working on 5 or 6 days rest since 1997. Roll with the Padres Sunday.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Wunderdog Sports Free Pick

Game: Atlanta at Indiana (1:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: Indiana -7 (-110)

Home court has been huge when these teams meet. The teams split four meetings in the regular season, with each holding home court and the home team is 17-7 ATS in the last 24 meetings. Both teams struggled down the stretch, but Indiana has the kind of defense and rebounding you need up front while the Hawks have plenty of flaws. The Hawks went 19-22 on the road including a setback at Indiana on March 25 when they got out-rebounded 49-38. The Hawks are 3-7 ATS in their last ten games vs. a team with a winning record and on a 2-8 ATS run overall. Indiana is great at home and a key addition has been the increased role of shooting guard Lance Stephenson. He has given the team a tenacious perimeter defender and a solid shooting option on the wing. Stephenson missed the last meeting with the Hawks, but collected 14 points and six rebounds in a 114-103 win over them on Feb. 5. Indiana has a huge frontcourt and a dominate rebounding team, while the Hawks rank 23rd in rebounding in the NBA. The Pacers are 9-4 ATS playing on three or more days rest, plus the favorite is 19-7 ATS in the last 26 meetings between these teams. Play the Pacers in Game 1.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Kevin
MLBPredictions

2 UNIT = St Louis Cardinals @ Philadelphia Phillies - PHILLIES TO WIN (+106)
Listed Pitchers: Westbrook vs Kendrick
(Note: I'm risking 2.00 units to win 2.12 units)

Tonight the 10-7 Cardinals will face off with the 7-11 Phillies in the Sunday Night prime time game. The Cardinals ar 6-5 on the road while the Phillies are 4-5 at home. This is a 4 game series and so far the Cardinals have taken 2 of 3 winning 4-3 and 5-0 last night, while the Phillies won 8-2 on Friday. The Cardinals will send Jake Westbrook to the mound who is 1-1 on the season with a 0.00 ERA (he allowed an unearned run in his first start that gave him the loss). Although his 0.00 ERA looks great he has walked 10 batters while striking out just 4. He also pitched on Tuesday and gave up 4 earned runs against Pittsburgh, but since the game was rained out those don't count towards his numbers. On the other hand we have Kyle Kendrick going for Philadelphia. Kendrick is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA on the year, and his numbers are getting better with every start. He allowed 5 earned runs in 5.2 innings of work in his first start, but then allowed just 2 earned runs over 6 innings and 0 earned runs and just 2 hits over 7 innings in his past two. Note that the Cardinals are just 1-4 in Westbrook's last 5 starts, while the Phillies are 5-2 in Kendrick's last 7 home starts. They are also 5-2 in their last 7 as a home underdog and 6-2 in Kendrick's last 8 starts as an underdog. Kendrick has had success against St Louis as the Phillies are 5-1 in his last 6 starts vs the Cards. I think the pitching match up favors the Phillies and I like the value we have on them at +106.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Bryan Rosica

50 dimer on houston +10

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Anthony Redd-
75 Dime Houston Rockets +10

Craig Davis-
50 Dime Oklahoma City -10

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Tim Donaghy

Atlanta vs Indy (Total 185) OVER
LA Lakers/San Antonio OVER 190.5
Houston/Oklahoma City UNDER 213.5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Jimmy Boyd 4/21 & Updated Records

5* (NBA) San Antonio Spurs -8

4* (NBA) Spurs/Lakers UNDER 190.5
4* (NBA) Indiana Pacers -6.5
4* (MLB) Pittsburgh Pirates ML +167

3* (MLB) A's/Rays UNDER 8
3* (MLB) Arizona Diamondbacks ML +130

NBA TOTAL 143-147 -22 Units
30-23
37-29
76-95

MLB TOTAL 15-26 -47 Units
1-4
6-5
8-17

CBB TOTAL FINAL 163-139 +25 Units
19-22
39-37
105-80

April TOTAL 35-50 -59 Units
7-7
10-10
18-33

he has been ice cold!!

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Scott Landau MLB Sunday:
MIL - 130 ..... COL -125 ..... PHI +105 ..... CSOX -138

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Marco D. Betting 1st Look

MLB Detroit ML

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Larry Ness

10 * pacers

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Chris Jordan

Interleague Mismatch

300♦ LINE MISTAKE

Baltimore Orioles

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Godfather Locks

Atlanta Hawks

MLB:
Red sox

[Can'tPickAWinner]

SB Professor Early NHL Picks 4/21

Here are the picks for NHL with their current Money Lines:

3. New Jersey Devils +156

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Tds Pucks Dunks

Long Ball #909 San Diego Padres +135 (2 Play)
Long Ball #919 Oakalnd A's +100 (2 Play)
Long Ball #927 Detroit Tigers +110 (2 Play)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

StevieY

905 Pittsburgh(Sanchez)/Atlanta(Medlen) OV 7 -115

914 Philadelphia(Kendrick) +105 St Louis(Westbrook)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Swami stat play of week
Braves

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Jb pa connection
Under reds

[Can'tPickAWinner]

The Philly Godfather

My Moves



MLB Dodgers 100: +120

[Can'tPickAWinner]

VegasBookiePlays

NBA:

Indiana Pacers
Milw Bucks

Baseball:

Marlins UNDER
Braves OVER
Diamondbacks OVER
Cardinals OVER
Twins OVER
Orioles OVER

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Tim Donaghy

Indiana -7

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Andre Gomes:

Miami (-13)
Indiana (-7)
Lakers/Spurs Over 190

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Danny b dodgers money line

[Can'tPickAWinner]

5Lines

Total Line for 04/21/2013


(Lost last 4 games)
Today's Winning Team is:
MLB - Minnesota Twins : o8.5
Cost: -110


Run Line for 04/21/2013


(Lost last game)
Today's Winning Team is:
MLB - Miami Marlins : +1.5
Cost: -105

[Can'tPickAWinner]

ROOT

millionaire spurs
no limit rockets

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Indian Cowboy's Picks For NBA Basketball


Best Run of 2013!


April Baseball: 11-5 (66%) (10-6 on Season), +$1919 Run!(3 Straight Winners!)


April NBA: 13-4 Overall (14-4 Run!) (3 Straight Winners)


April Hockey: 10-5 in April! (12-4 Run) (Back to Back Winners)


4-Unit Play. #712. Take San Antonio -8.5 over LA Lakers (Sunday @ 3:30pm est)


The LA ?Big Boys?, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard, are arguably the best frontcourt tandem in the league and should push the Spurs around under the basket. Los Angeles was the second-best rebounding team in the NBA while San Antonio finished second last on the glass in the West. But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves as the Lakers have lost superstar Kobe Bryant to a torn Achilles' tendon. No Kobe. Who makes the tough shots? These are the San Antonio Spurs and this game will be played at the AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas. San Antonio lost only six games at home all season while L.A. was terrible on the road, going (16-25) SU and (15-25-1) ATS. Winners of (58) games and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are the three-headed monster that doesn't ever seem to grow old or fade away. Spurs PG Tony Parker is going to be a handful for the Lakers' un-athletic duo of Steven Blake and Steve Nash, who is less than healthy. San Antonio is (17-9) against Los Angeles when Parker scores at least (20) points. San Antonio shoots better than (79) percent from the foul line, L.A. shoots an NBA-worst (69.2) percent. The Spurs want to get the ball off the defensive glass and into Parker's hands so that he can make a sprint straight for the basket or find one of his many capable perimeter shooters for the best available shot. Coach Gregg Popovich wants quick decisions and the ball moving. When the quick shot isn't there, they can go back inside to Duncan, who is playing like he's turned the clock back a decade. The Spurs were in the top five for offensive efficiency all season until injuries hit late. The Spurs are the same team that won the West regular season a year ago with a (50-16) record, including (28-5) at home. Nobody keeps their star players fresher than Gregg Popovich, as he's able rotate his players more than most because he has the deepest roster in the entire league. HC Gregg Popovich has done one of the best coaching jobs of his career, dealing with an injured and aging roster. Popovich and Tim Duncan have (4) NBA title rings and one for the thumb could be forthcoming in our opinion. There isn't one facet of the San Antonio attack that you can take away and change a game, just too many weapons in the Silver & Black attack.


Indian Cowboy's Picks For NHL Hockey


4-Unit Play. #8. Take Tampa Bay Lightning -160 over Carolina (Sunday @ 6:05pm est).


The Tampa Bay Bolts are two years removed from the East finals and sitting near the bottom of the standings in the Eastern Conference. On Sunday they will look for a seasonal five game sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes on their home ice at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. April has been an extremely tough month on Carolina and as a result is their horrid (1-9-1) mark for the month. Without a number one goaltender in between the pipes the Hurricanes have struggled with a (2-15-2) record in their last (19) games since Cam Ward was injured. The Hurricanes are (0-4) in the last (4) meetings, (0-5) in their last (5) road games with the Lightning (5-2) in their last (7) home games. Bolts Strike Back !


Indian Cowboy's Picks For Major League Baseball


3-Unit Play. #912. Take Colorado Rockies -130 over Arizona (Sunday @ 4:10pm est)
Arizona righthander Brandon McCarthy has struggled in his three starts for the D-backs since signing as a free agent during the offseason, allowing (13) earned runs in just (15 2/3) innings. He'll face a tough assignment on Sunday in the ?Mile High City? as he faces a Colorado Rockies team that has yet to lose at Coors Field and is in the midst of its longest winning streak (eight games) since 2010. Rockies manager Walt Weiss will hand the ball to 26-year-old Juan Nicasio and his Rockies now have won a franchise-record (12) straight home games dating back to last season. With Upton gone, the ?Snakes? line-up now has a huge void to fill and the Diamondbacks are just (1-5) in the last (6) meetings while the Rockies are (10-3) in Nicasio's last (13) starts as a home favorite and (5-1) in their last (6) during game (3) of a series.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Tim Donaghy

Bucks +13.5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Tim Donaghy

Houston Rockets +10

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Seabass

200 Houston

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Godfather locks



rockets
phillies