4-14-14

[Can'tPickAWinner]

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Game of the Day: Spurs vs. Rockets

San Antonio Spurs vs. Houston Rockets (OFF)

The Houston Rockets wrap up what has been a phenomenal home performance when they host the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. Houston, which entered Sunday a game up on Portland in the battle for the fourth seed and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs, is 32-8 at home and can tie the 2008-09 edition for the most wins at the Toyota Center with a victory in the finale. The Rockets rallied for a 111-104 triumph over New Orleans on Saturday to snap a two-game skid and remain ahead of the Trail Blazers.

The Spurs have nothing to play for in the standings, having already clinched the best record in the NBA, but they are one win shy of matching the franchise record of 63 established in 2005-06. Tony Parker returned from a back injury to score 18 points and complement Danny Green's career-best 33 in a 112-104 win over Phoenix on Friday. Forward Tim Duncan and guard Manu Ginobili both took the night off.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBATV, FSN Southwest (San Antonio), CSN Houston

LINE HISTORY: The line and total for this game are currently off the board.

INJURY REPORT: San Antonio: C Tim Duncan - questionable (knee), G Manu Ginobili - questionable (hamsting), F Matt Bonner - questionable (illness). Houston: F Chandler Parsons - questionable (wrist)

COVERS POWER RANKINGS: San Antonio (-14) - Houston (-12) + home court (-3) = Houston -1

WHAT SHARPS SAY: "The Rockets are 30-1 straight up this season when reaching its scoring average, which is 107.1 points per game," says Covers Expert Bryan Power.

CHEERLEADER WAR:



WHY BET THE SPURS (62-18, 45-35 ATS): With the top spot in the Western Conference already clinched, San Antonio could have eyed Friday's game - the second half of a back-to-back and the third game in four nights - as a chance to take it easy. However, the Spurs outscored the Suns by 19 points in an impressive second half and appear primed to finish strong. "Those guys have a lot of pride," head coach Gregg Popovich said of his players, whose 30 road wins is five more than any other NBA team.

WHY BET THE ROCKETS (53-27, 39-39-2 ATS) : Center Dwight Howard and guard Patrick Beverley both returned from eight-game layoffs to help Houston secure the comeback win over New Orleans, but forward Chandler Parsons sat with wrist and hip ailments. James Harden shouldered the load with 33 points and 13 assists and produced four points and two assists in a game-ending 15-0 run that kept the Rockets from falling into a tie with Portland. "We needed this win more than anything," Harden told reporters.

TWEET BEAT:



TRENDS:

* Spurs are 0-5 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Underdog is 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Under is 9-1 in Spurs last 10 games following an ATS win.
* Over is 5-0 in Rockets last five games playing on one days rest.

COVERS CONSENSUS: N/A.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Dave Essler - Monday MLB Notes

Atlanta-Philadelphia: A lot of people probably went down with Gio, and I admit I was ALMOST one of them. Especially when the Braves put out their "B" lineup, and given how many chances they'd given Washington on Saturday. IMO they're going to need Santana to pitch deep, because the Braves bullpen has been used and hit lately. And there's not a lot of familiarity there, so there's every reason to think he might. Fausto needed 100+ pitches to get through five innings against Milwaukee last week, but the Braves haven't seen much of him, either, which would make me lean under. However, it's warm with a stiff breeze blowing out to left. Since the total is only at 8 with that wind, I lean under, mainly because Atlanta is simply a HR team and so are the Phillies. At only -130 or so it seems like they're asking for Atlanta money. With Utley and Howard hot, if Revere is playing, I may personally play the Philadelphia RL.

Washington-Miami: Always tough to take the Fish in a first-game back, but as badly as the Nationals are playing (3 errors on Sunday) even backing Zimmerman might be tough. They're also just not getting any timely hits. Zimmerman was torched by the Fish last week, and I mean torched. Usually we look for the pitcher to make the adjustments, but Miami has seen enough of him to think they can stay in this game. If they can get to the Nationals bullpen, which was worked by Atlanta, they've got a real shot. Without Zimmerman, Ramos, and now perhaps Span, I can't take Washington here. Miami is 5-2 at home with a bullpen ERA of 0.40. They beat the Fish three straight in Washington last week, which might be enough motivation to overcome the first game back thing. I may look hard at the series price, because if Miami can pull this one out, they get Jose and a shot at winning two of three.

Pirates-Reds: Well, Pittsburgh simply isn't hitting right now. I suppose part of that could be Lohse and Volquez being freaks, and their bullpen has already blown two saves. Since we were on the Rays on Sunday, I did have the occasion to watch most of that game. Honestly, Tampa Bay made the Reds offense look better than it really was with all the walks, and by the late innings it just didn't matter, as Maddon simply emptied the bullpen. With Bruce and Votto being about a combined 2-21 against Liriano, I might make a case for the Pirates. But, since Bailey has only been hit by Russell Martin who's probably not playing, the under looks far more appealing. I thought the Reds' bullpen would let them down today, but it may be Monday. Wind blowing out again to LF, so IMO this is ALL about whether Liriano can keep the ball down.

St. Louis-Milwaukee: Sooner or later we'll have to get in front of the train this is the Brewers. But, Garza has been almost unhittable and is one of the best in baseball at keeping the ball in the park and inducing ground ball outs. There's nobody on the Cardinals team that's done a ton against him, either, so getting in front of the train may have to wait. I keep waiting for the Brewers pen to implode, but unless and until it does I can't bet against them. Lynn has been miserable his first two starts, but has had some success in the past against Milwaukee, and last year was just not backable on the road. Brewers not tearing the cover off the ball lately, but doing it with pitching. With that in mind, at 8 I like the under here.

Mets-D-Backs: Well, the Mets were handed their ass in Los Angeles, but perhaps more importantly Wright and Murphy were ejected, which tells me they're at least playing with passion. It appears that Arizona is not, and Arizona brings Collmenter back from the bullpen, which is always scary since Arizona doesn't have much of one to begin with. Mets have had some success, namely the aforementioned two that were ejected, against Collmenter. Almost because they Angels pounded the shit out of the Mets, whatever "decent" relief pitchers they had weren't used. Fairly big total as you might expect, and perhaps too big. "9" in the NL is a lot. Wheeler WILL throw a lot of pitches, so he could save some innings on the other end. The Mets are just playing better, and although the D-Backs have a potent offense, one has to wonder where there heads are at right now. Lean Mets.

Rockies-Padres: Really annoyed I tweeted Padres RL on Sunday and didn't play it. Almost an automatic at -135 in what was going to be a low scoring game. Don't let me make that mistake again. Rockies bullpen has simply been used a ton lately, and after coming back to tie, only to lose in 10, to the Giants, I wonder where they're at mentally. Lyles has been great the first two starts, but against the White Sox and Miami. Eventually the Astros may wish they'd kept him. The Padres have individually had their way with him, so there's not much chance of taking Colorado here. Stults has not fared well, but this will be his first home start. Colorado has had some success against him, but probably not enough for me to get behind with that bullpen. They're (Colorado) 2-5 on the road and 0-3 against LHP.

Rays-Orioles: The one good thing we did on Sunday was not follow the lemmings on Baltimore. We put that in our work, too, saying that taking Baltimore would mean backing Ubaldo, which we just weren't going to do. Plus, because we were on them Saturday and watched most of the game, they appeared listless and just couldn't get any timely hits. Chen's been battered a couple of times, but has has success against the Rays. Ah, the Rays. Perhaps a bit under valued after the Reds bashing which was far more self-inflicted than it looked, and they did hit Cingrani a bit. Since Archer tends to keep the ball in the ballpark and has been very efficient (less need for the pen) I do think the Rays have a shot here.

Oakland-Angels: Don't quite grasp the move to the Angels here, not with the pitching the A's have had. I suppose Santiago has done well against the A's, but he's had a rough start and is not going to pitch deep (typically) bringing in the Angels pen which we don't ever like to trust. I do see that several of the key Angels have hit Chavez a bit, so this could be an over reaction to the Angels bats waking up Sunday. Lowrie rested on Sunday in Seattle, and the A's are already 3-0 against LHP's. At 8.5 I like the under here.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Today's MLB Picks

St. Louis at Milwaukee

The Cardinals look try to cool down the red-hot Brewers and come into tonight's series opener with an 8-2 record in the last 10 contests between the two teams in Milwaukee. St. Louis is the pick (+110) according to Dunkel, which has the Cardinals favored by 1/2 a run. Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (+110). Here are all of today's picks.

MONDAY, APRIL 14 Time Posted: 7:00 a.m. EST

Game 901-902: Atlanta at Philadelphia (7:05 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Santana) 14.311; Philadelphia (Hernandez) 14.879 Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1/2; 9 Vegas Line: Atlanta (-135); 8 Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+115); Over

Game 903-904: Washington at Miami (7:10 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Zimmermann) 14.232; Miami (Hand) 15.305 Dunkel Line: Miami by 1; 7 Vegas Line: Washington (-135); 7 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Miami (+115); Under

Game 905-906: Pittsburgh at Cincinnati (7:10 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Rodriguez) 16.055; Cincinnati (Bailey) 15.122 Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1; 6 1/2 Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-120); 7 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+100); Under

Game 907-908: St. Louis at Milwaukee (8:10 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Lynn) 16.062; Milwaukee (Garza) 15.644 Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1/2; 8 1/2 Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-130); 7 1/2 Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (+110); Over

Game 909-910: NY Mets at Arizona (9:40 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Wheeler) 13.862; Arizona (Collmenter) 14.959 Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 10 Vegas Line: Arizona (-125); 9 Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-125); Over

Game 911-912: Colorado at San Diego (10:10 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Lyles) 15.673; San Diego (Stults) 14.809 Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1; 6 Vegas Line: San Diego (-120); 7 Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+100); Under

Game 913-914: Tampa Bay at Baltimore (7:05 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay 15.495; Baltimore (Chen) 14.308 Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1; 7 Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-120); 7 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-120); Under

Game 915-916: Seattle at Texas (8:05 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Elias) 14.756; Texas (Lewis) 16.214 Dunkel Line: Texas by 1 1/2; 10 1/2 Vegas Line: Texas (-135); 9 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Texas (-135); Over

Game 917-918: Oakland at LA Angels (10:05 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Chavez) 15.986; LA Angels (Santiago) 16.904 Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1; 9 Vegas Line: LA Angels (-110); 8 Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-110); Over

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Cappers Access

Magic +12
Braves -140
A's +115

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Baseball Crusher
Baltimore Orioles +106 over Tampa Bay Rays
(System Record: 9-0, won last game)
Overall Record: 9-6

Basketball Crusher
Memphis Grizzlies +3.5 over Phoenix
(System Record: 76-8, won last 4 games)
Overall Record: 76-85-5

Soccer Crusher
Nordsjaelland + Esbjerg UNDER 2.5
This match is happening in Argentina
(System Record: 552-20, won last 7 games and a push)
Overall Record: 552-473-81

Rest of Crusher's Plays Today:

New York Mets +114 over Arizona Dbacks
Oakland Athletics +101 over Los Angeles Angels
San Diego Padres -120 over Colorado Rockies


Utah Jazz + Los Angeles Lakers OVER 214
Chicago Bulls + Orlando Magic UNDER 185
Memphis Grizzlies + Phoenix Suns OVER 197.5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports

Free Play MON: Braves -140

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Gamblers Data

Free Plays Monday

Tampa Bay Rays -120

A’s/Angels over 8.5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

XpertPicks

MONDAY

TOP HOOPS PLAYS OF THE DAY

• Play Chicago -12 over Orlando (NBA)---RISK 8% OF YOUR BANKROLL
  8:00 PM EST

Orlando has lost 25 of the last 37 road games against the spread and they have also lost 35 of the last 57 games against the spread when playing their 2^nd game in five days. Orlando has lost 34 of the last 59 games against the spread when revenging a home loss vs. an opponent and they have lost 35 of the last 62 games against the spread when playing as an underdog.

• Play Utah -5 over Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)---RISK 8% OF YOUR BANKROLL
  9:00 PM EST

Los Angeles has lost 28 of the last 39 games when playing as a road underdog and they have also lost 23 of the last 32 games when playing in the 2^nd half of the season. Los Angeles has lost 13 of the last 17 games vs. Northwest Division Opponents and they have lost 21 of the last 26 games when revenging a loss of ten points or more.

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


NHL HOCKEY

Playoffs Start Wednesday

[Can'tPickAWinner]

XpertPicks

MONDAY BASEBALL

• Play Atlanta -125 over Philadelphia----RISK 8% OF YOUR BANKROLL
  7:10 PM EST

Roberto Hernandez has lost 14 of the last 18 night games and he has lost 8 of the last 10 games vs. division opponents. Roberto Hernandez has lost 11 of the last 17 games when pitching in the 1^st half of the season and he has lost 11 of the last 14 games when pitching as an underdog of +100 or higher.

• Play San Diego -110 over Colorado----RISK 8% OF YOUR BANKROLL
  10:10 PM EST

Eric Stults has won 9 of the last 12 games when pitching on a Monday and he has won 14 of the last 21 games when the total posted is 7 runs or less. Eric Stults has won 13 of the last 16 games when pitching as a home favorite of -110 or higher and they have won 21 of the last 36 games when pitching in the 1^st half of the season.

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

• Play Pittsburgh +115 over Cincinnati----RISK 3% OF YOUR BANKROLL
• Play St. Louis +115 over Milwaukee----RISK 3% OF YOUR BANKROLL

[Can'tPickAWinner]

FantasySportsGametime

MONDAY
NBA BASKETBALL

1000* Play Chicago -12 over Orlando (NBA TOP PLAY)
8:00 PM EST

Orlando has lost 33 of the last 36 games when playing as an underdog of 10 points or more and they have also lost 35 of the last 39 road games. Orlando has lost 18 of the last 23 games when playing their 2^nd game in five days and they have lost 36 of the last 49 games after having lost four or five of the last six games.


50* Play Utah -5 over Los Angeles Lakers (NBA BONUS PLAY)
50* Play Phoenix -3.5 over Memphis (NBA BONUS PLAY)

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


NHL HOCKEY


NHL Hockey Plays Return Wednesday

[Can'tPickAWinner]

FantasySportsGametime

MLB Baseball

1000* Play St. Louis +115 over Milwaukee (MLB TOP PLAY)

St. Louis has won 26 of the last 42 games when playing on a Monday and they have also won 34 of the last 58 games when playing in the month of April. St. Louis has won 100 of the last 169 games vs. division opponents and they have won 23 of the last 34 games vs. Milwaukee.


1000* Play Oakland -110 over Los Angeles Angels (MLB TOP PLAY)

Oakland has won 51 of the last 78 games when the total posted is between 8 and 8.5 runs and they have won 93 of the last 171 road games. Oakland has won 26 of the last 40 games when playing on a Monday and they have won 109 of the last 167 games when playing as a favorite of -110 or higher.

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



50* Play Atlanta -125 over Philadelphia (MLB BONUS PLAY)
50* Play Baltimore +110 over Tampa Bay (MLB BONUS PLAY)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

BeatYourBookie

MONDAY

NBA Basketball


10* Play Utah -5 over Los Angeles Lakers (NBA TOP PLAY)
10* Play Phoenix -3.5 over Memphis (NBA TOP PLAY)


NHL Hockey


Hockey Resumes Wednesday for Playoffs

[Can'tPickAWinner]

The philly godfather
NBA [514] TOTAL u185½-117 (B+½) (ORLANDO vrs CHICAGO) 117.00 USD / 100.00 USD:

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Mighty Quinn

Mighty hit with the Pacers (-2) on Sunday and likes the Rays on Monday.

The deficit is 190 sirignanos.