Thursday Trends and Indexes 05/17

[pm530]

Trends and Indexes
Thursday, May 17

Good Luck on day #137 of 2007!

NOTE:
As information becomes available, we will attempt to post the trends and indexes as soon as possible.
Information is posted from what we believe are reliable sources.

[pm530]

Six-pack for Thursday

-- The NBA sabotaged its own showcase series of playoffs Spurs wore down Phoenix Wednesday, winning 88-85, and grabbing 3-2 lead in what was a terrific series, but now is a sideshow. Good work, fellas.

-- Nothing against the Spurs, who seem like bunch of good guys, but if they win title now, Stu Jackson needs to get a championship ring. Suns got hosed by the suspensions.

-- Game 5 was brilliant game, played well on both sides, but at this high a level of the game, Mickey Mouse stuff should never happen. The league should be embarrassed.

-- Met-Cub game ended at 12:49am; teams have a 1:00 game on Thursday afternoon. Lot of first pitch swings, I bet. Oh, by the way, greedy Mets pay price for starting a game after 10pm on a weeknight on a wet field, as Reyes left game with an injured hamstring in bottom of 8th, well after midnight.

-- That game started after 10pm, after 3-hour rain delay; any fan who had a ticket should get ticket to another game. Had to be less than 10,000 fans in park when game started.

-- Nationals used seven pitchers to beat Atlanta, 6-4; they have three starting P's on the DL, so they resorted to spring training-type rotation for their pitchers.

[pm530]

Thursday's list of 13: Nobody asked me, but.............

13) The Packers need to trade Brett Favre; he's become a big distraction, threatening to skip the mandatory minicamp (now he's coming), whining about their offseason moves. Time for both sides to move on, much like 49ers, when Joe Montana went to play for the Chiefs.

12) The NBA Draft Lottery is next Tuesday; always excellent entertainment, seeing the league's also-rans squirm as they hope to land either Oden or Durant, the two big fish in draft.

11) They sold 40,000 tickets in 90 minutes for Giant-Dolphin game over in London in October. Stadium seats 90,000 or so, and they expect a sellout.

10) Starting the World Series on a Wednesday, is concession to college football; they don't want a Game 6 on a Saturday or Game 7 up against an NFL game. National pastime? No way.

9) Freddy Sanchez is 9 for 13 in his career vs Dontrelle Willis.

8) You know you're not wanted anymore when your employer pays you $1.3M to go away, like Iona did with Jeff Ruland, its former hoop coach. Wyoming paid Steve McClain $570,000 to leave; the thing is, both these guys had winning records.

7) Not only is New Mexico paying Steve Alford $975,000 to be its hoop coach, they're paying assistant Craig Neal a cool $250,000. Some D-I head coaches don't make that much.

6) Lets put it this way, without going into gory detail; Game 5 in Cavalier-Net series set basketball back a decade. Awful.

5) Shawn Marion had 22 points, 11 rebounds Wednesday, in the first half alone. Unfortunately, he wound up with 24/17. Steve Nash played 47 minutes, which is simply too many for a 33-year old guy with a bad back.

4) The father of Devil Rays' P Casey Fossum is an FBI agent who was one of agents assigned to inspect flight schools in the wake of the 9/11 attacks............Phillies OF Aaron Rowand and Devil Rays' P James Shields are cousins.

3) Bronson Arroyo threw a 129-pitch complete game that was ended when he walked Kevin Kouzmanoff, a .163 hitter, with bases loaded in last inning, as Reds just can't get untracked. Kouzmanoff was 3-3 in his best night as a Padre.

2) A's used their 8th centerfielder of season Wednesday, and it is only May 16. This isn't a good thing.

1) I'm serious about the Packers trading Favre (straight up for Trent Green?) then grooming Aaron Rodgers to be the starter in 2008. Its time for Favre to go play somewhere else.

[pm530]

Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Thursday, May 17

Hot Pitchers
-- Braves are 5-0 with James of they score more than two runs.
-- Brewers won last three Sheets starts, scoring 12,6,12 runs.
-- Oswalt is 3-0, 2.57 in his last three starts.

-- Carmona is 4-0, 2.12 in his last four starts. Santana is 2-0, 2.25 in three road starts this season.
-- Garland is 2-0, 2.35 in his last two starts. Desalvo is 1-0, 1.98 in two starts, both against the Mariners.
-- Braden is 0-2, 9.72 in his last two starts.
-- Detroit is 7-0 in Maroth starts, scoring 45 runs. Tigers won Durbin's last four starts, scoring 32 runs. Red Sox are 6-1 in last seven Schilling starts.
-- Devil Rays won three of Kazmir's last four starts.
-- Colon is 4-0, 3.66 in five starts this season; Angels scored 34 runs in his five outings. Former Halo Washburn is 3-1, 1.53 in his last four starts.

Cold Pitchers
-- Chico is 0-2, 5.40 in his last three starts; he left last start early because of long rain delay.
-- Guzman is 0-1, 4.35 in two starts for Cubs. Vargas is 2-3, 5.30 in seven AAA starts, allowing 18 ER in his last 17.2 IP.
-- Garcia is 1-1, 5.40 in his last four starts.
-- Arizona is 1-4 in Hernandez road starts (1-2, 5.59). Fogg is 0-3, 7.27 in his last three starts.
-- Nolasco is 1-1, 4.80 in three starts this year; he left last start early because of long rain delay. Pirates are 1-5 in Armas starts.
-- Lincecum has 6.35 RA in his first two big league starts.

-- Tavarez is 1-3, 7.08 in his last four starts.
-- Elarton gave up three runs in five IP in his first '07 start, game Royals later lost to the White Sox.
-- Loe is 0-3, 8.61 in his last four starts.

Totals
-- Over is 9-3 in Washington's last twelve home games.
-- Over is 7-1-1 in Cubs' last nine road games.
-- All three Garcia home starts went over the total.
-- Under is 13-3-1 in Arizona's last seventeen road games.
-- Five of six Armas starts went over the total.
-- Under is 12-6-1 in games at Minute Maid Park.

-- Over is 13-7-2 in last twenty-two Cleveland games.
-- Under is 11-3-1 in White Sox' last fifteen home games.
-- Under is 11-4-4 in Oakland home games this season.
-- Over is 8-2-3 in last thirteen Red Sox home games.
-- Five of last seven Tampa Bay games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 10-3 in last thirteen Angel games.


Hot Teams
-- Braves won six of their last nine games. Nationals won five of their last six games.
-- Phillies won six of their last seven games.
-- Mets won six of their last eight games.
-- Astros won six of their last seven home games.

-- Red Sox won ten of their last thirteen games. Detroit is 7-2 in its last nine road games.
-- White Sox won five of their last seven games.
-- Angels are 8-4 in their last twelve road games.

Cold Teams
-- Brewers lost five of first six games on road trip.
-- Marlins lost eight of last 12 games. Pirates are 3-8 in their last eleven home games.
-- Cubs lost five of their last seven games.
-- Giants lost seven of their last nine road games.
-- Colorado is 5-8 in its last thirteen home games.

-- Twins lost six of their last seven games.
-- Rangers are 5-15 on the road this season.
-- Bronx lost four of its last six games.
-- Royals lost eight of their last 12 games. A's have no bullpen, and used their 8th centerfielder of the season last night, as they have been pounded by injuries.

[pm530]

Pro Basketball – Write up

NBA
Write-up


Thursday, May 17

Chicago rallied from 3-0 down to win last two games, shooting 57% from floor in Game 5; now they can tie series with win on a home court where they are 3-1 in playoffs, with wins by 18,5,15 points. Detroit had been 7-0 in playoffs before Game 4 loss, do they doubt themselves now? Bulls shot 32.9/34.3/33.7% in the three losses; they shot 49.3/57.3% in the wins-- are they really get much better shots, or just making the ones they had? After shooting 18-37 from arc in Games 1-2, Pistons are 17-65 since.

[pm530]

Hockey – Write up

NHL
Write-up


Thursday, May 17

Anaheim is now 0-16 on power play in series, as Red Wings are back with home ice edge after 5-0 win Tuesday; Wings outshot Ducks 13-2 in second period, but converted on just one of nine pwr plays. Road team won last two series games, after guest had lost first five games between these teams this year. Bigger game for Ducks here; going back to Detroit down 3-1 isn't wise. Ducks won 57% of faceoffs in defensive zone last two games.

[pm530]

Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB
Tips and Trends


Thursday, May 17

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Minnesota Twins at Cleveland Indians (12:05 PM ET)
Minnesota starter Johan Santan hasn't been his dominant self in 2007, posting a 4-3 record and 3.35 ERA. SLIGHT EDGE: INDIANS
Santana is 7-3 with a 3.21 ERA in 25 career appearances (15 starts) against Cleveland in his career. EDGE: TWINS
Cleveland's Fausto Carmona has won four consecutive starts, after the Indians lost his first two outings of the season. He's 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA in six career appearances (two starts) against Minnesota. EDGE: INDIANS
The Twins are 10-4 in Santana's last 14 starts versus the Indians.



Arizona Cardinals at Colorado Rockies (3:05 PM ET)
Diamondbacks veteran right-hander Livan Hernandez allowed a season-high eight runs and 11 hits last time out in a 10-4 road loss to Houston. EDGE: ROCKIES
Hernandez pitched well in his first start of the season against Colorado at Coors Field, surrendering just two runs and five hits over seven innings. EDGE: D-BACKS
Colorado's Josh Fogg is 0-2 with a 8.03 ERA in three home appearances this season. EDGE: D-BACKS & OVER
The Diamondbacks are 0-7 in Hernandez's last seven starts as a road underdog.
The Rockies are 6-1 in Fogg's last seven starts as a home favorite.



Milwaukee Brewers at Philadelphia Phillies (3:05 PM ET)
Brewers ace Ben Sheets is a disappointing 1-3 with a 4.98 ERA in six career starts against Philadelphia. EDGE: PHILLIES
Milwaukee has won three straight games with Sheets on the hill, giving the right-hander 30 runs of support over that span. EDGE: OVER
Phillies starter Freddy Garcia is 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA over three home starts this season. EDGE: BREWERS
The OVER is 10-1-3 in Sheets' last 14 starts as a favorite.



Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox (7:05 PM ET)
Tigers starter Chris Durbin has been blasted by the Red Sox in three career appearances, surrendering eight runs and seven hits over 7 2/3 innings. EDGE: RED SOX & OVER
Durbin is 3-1 with a 4.75 ERA in five starts away from Comerica Park. SLIGHT EDGE: TIGERS
Boston's Curt Schilling hasn't enjoyed great success against Detroit in his career, going 1-3 with a 5.14 ERA. EDGE: TIGERS
The Red Sox are 6-2 this season with Schilling on the mound, outscoring opponents 46-28. EDGE: RED SOX & OVER
The OVER is 27-13 in Schilling's last 40 starts versus a team with a winning record.



Florida Marlins at Pittsburgh Pirates (7:05 PM ET)
Florida starter Ricky Nolasco threw a complete game shutout against Pittsburgh last season, allowing eight hits and striking out a season-high seven batters. EDGE: MARLINS
Nolasco has allowed just two runs over nine innings of work on the road this season, including a 5-2 victory over first-place New York. EDGE: MARLINS
Pirates right-hander Tony Armas is a miserable 3-12 with a 5.98 ERA in 17 career starts. BIG EDGE: MARLINS
The OVER is 10-2 in the Marlins' last 12 games as a favorite.



Texas Rangers at Tampa Bay Devil Rays (7:10 PM ET)
Rangers right-hander Kameron Loe is 1-0 with a 5.17 ERA in seven career appearances (two starts) against Tampa Bay. He threw three shutout innings and allowed two hits in his last outing against them on April 11. SLIGHT EDGE: RANGERS
Life on the road has been difficult for Loe, giving up 11 runs and 11 hits over just 9 1/3 innings. EDGE: D-RAYS & OVER
Devil Rays ace Scott Kazmir is 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in three career starts against the Rangers. He's had four solid outings at home this season, but has picked up just a single victory. SLIGHT EDGE: D-RAYS
The UNDER is 8-2-1 in the last 11 meetings in Tampa Bay.



San Francisco Giants at Houston Astros (8:05 PM ET)
San Francisco starter Tim Lincecum improved dramatically in his second MLB start, picking up an 8-3 road victory over Colorado. He allowed two earned runs and seven hits over seven innings of work. EDGE: GIANTS
Astros ace Roy Oswalt is a fantastic 4-1 with a 2.05 ERA in six starts at Minute Maid Park this season. EDGE: ASTROS
Oswalt is a disappointing 2-4 with a 4.53 ERA in eight career starts against the Giants. EDGE: GIANTS
The Astros are 1-4 in Oswalt's last five starts versus the Giants.



Los Angeles Angels at Seattle Mariners (10:05 PM ET)
When coming off the disabled list this season, Angels starter Bartolo Colon threw seven innings of one-run ball against the Mariners - picking up a 7-6 victory. EDGE: ANGELS
Colon is a perfect 2-0 on the road this season despite carrying an inflated 6.55 ERA. EDGE: OVER
Seattle's Jarrod Washburn has fared well against his former club, posting a 3-1 record and 4.31 ERA in five starts against Los Angeles. EDGE: MARINERS
Washburn is an even 2-2 with a 2.97 ERA in five starts this season at Safeco Field. SLIGHT EDGE: UNDER
The Angels are 24-6 in Colon's last 30 road starts.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[pm530]

Pro Basketball – Tips and Trends

NBA
Tips and trends


Thursday, May 17

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#1 Detroit Pistons at #5 Chicago Bulls
Game 6 - Thursday, May 17th, 8 p.m. Eastern (ESPN)
Chicago's shooting is finally coming around and should be a much different story than the last time the team departed Detroit for home. The Bulls shot 72 percent in the first half of Game 5 to nearly set an NBA record and ended up at 57 percent for the game. That's a far cry than the 34 percent shooting through the first three games of the series, including Game 3 when they blew a 19-point lead at home. Chicago leading scorer Ben Gordon led the way in Game 5 with his best performance of the series, scoring 28 points and hitting 5-of-6 shots from 3-point range. BIG EDGE: BULLS & OVER
Detroit remains relaxed despite losing two straight and believes this series will be over in Game 6, although insiders are beginning to wonder if that will happen. "I can't say we did that intentionally, but it's human nature when you get that kind of a cushion to let up a little bit," Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups said. "Our team, as you know, is not that good with cushions. Unfortunately, we've done that time and time again and have had to go on the road to win." Last year, that same belief didn't work out too well. Detroit dropped three straight to Cleveland after holding a 2-0 series lead before closing out the Cavs at home in Game 7. Experts don't know if anything has changed this time around. EDGE: BULLS
The best way to beat the Bulls is to take the ball inside, something the Pistons have failed miserably with the last three games. Detroit center Chris Webber was scoreless in the first two games at Chicago and totaled just nine points in Game 5. There's no doubt the Pistons must make this major adjustment in Game 6 or else they will be facing elimination themselves in Game 7. EDGE: PISTONS
The Bulls still own the best home record in the Eastern Conference and would be going for the season-clinching win here at the United Center had they not blown a 19-point lead in Game 3. However, the Pistons were also the best road team in the East and seem to show more focus away from home. SLIGHT EDGE: PISTONS
The Pistons are now 12-3 SU in their last 15 opportunities to close out an opponent in the playoffs after dropping back-to-back games to the Bulls. Ironically, Chicago entered Game 5 only 1-11 SU all-time when facing playoff elimination in playoff road games. The lone win was the series-clinching Game 5 on May 7th, 1989 at Cleveland when Michael Jordan hit "The Shot" over Craig Ehlo.
Detroit is 19-7 ATS in its last 26 road games.
Underdog is 6-2 ATS in the last 8 meetings.
OVER is 7-3 in Chicago's last 10 games.


Head-to-Head Recaps

SECOND-ROUND RESULTS (HOME team in CAPS)

Detroit leads 3-2 SU & ATS
OVER 3-2

5/15/07 - Game 5: Chicago 108, DETROIT 92 (ATS winner: Chicago +8 | OVER 182.5)
Recap | Boxscore
SUMMARY: The Bulls enjoyed their best shooting performance of the series at 57 percent, including 72 percent in the first half when they took 59-51 lead into the break. Chicago then entered the fourth quarter up 21 for the second straight game, and the Pistons simply had no answer. This offensive outburst for the Bulls pushed the total OVER for the second straight game, and the winner has now averaged nearly 99 points per game in the series.

5/13/07 - Game 4: CHICAGO 102, Detroit 87 (ATS winner: Chicago +3 | OVER 182)
Recap | Boxscore
SUMMARY: Unlike Game 3, the Bulls held on to a big lead and earned their first victory of the series with outstanding defense in the third quarter. The Pistons were outscored 27-13 in the third and faced a 21-point deficit going into the fourth, which proved to be just too big to recover from for the second game in a row. Chicago also had its best shooting performance of the series at 49 percent, breaking the century mark and pushing the total OVER with the help of 27 points from the charity stripe.

5/10/07 - Game 3: Detroit 81, CHICAGO 74 (ATS winner: Detroit +2.5 | UNDER 185)
Recap | Boxscore
SUMMARY: The Bulls simply collapsed in the second half after holding an impressive 44-28 lead at the break. The Pistons scored just 10 points in the second quarter and trailed by as many as 19 but held a dominating 53-30 edge after halftime to earn the victory, moving one game away from their second consecutive playoff sweep.

5/7/07 - Game 2: DETROIT 108, Chicago 87 (ATS winner: Detroit -5 | OVER 182)
Recap | Boxscore
SUMMARY: This was pretty much a carbon copy of Game 1 with a slighly higher pace, as the Pistons got off to a 34-18 lead after the first quarter and coasted the rest of the way. The Bulls pulled within 93-80 in the fourth, but Detroit came right back with a dunk and 3-pointer to stay far enough ahead - a failed cover was never in doubt.

5/5/07 - Game 1: DETROIT 95, Chicago 69 (ATS winner: Detroit -5 | UNDER 182.5)
Recap | Boxscore
SUMMARY: The Pistons made an early statement in the series opener, holding the Bulls to their lowest point total in playoff history. Detroit led by 13 at halftime and then blew the game open early in the fourth quarter when three different players hit 3-pointers in the first two minutes for a 19-point lead. Chicago made just 33 percent of its shots and was severely outplayed from start to finish, turning the ball over 22 times.

REMAINING SCHEDULE

5/17/07 - Game 6: Detroit at CHICAGO (ESPN | 8 PM ET)
5/21/07 - Game 7: Chicago at DETROIT (TNT | TBD)

REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS

Chicago wins 3-1 SU & ATS
OVER 3-1

4/4/07 - Chicago 106, DETROIT 88 (ATS winner: Chicago +6 | OVER 186)
3/29/07 - CHICAGO 83, Detroit 81 (ATS winner: Det +4.5 | UNDER 181)
2/25/07 - DETROIT 95, Chicago 93 (ATS winner: Chicago +6 | OVER 182.5)
1/6/07 - CHICAGO 106, Detroit 89 (ATS winner: Chicago -4.5 | OVER 189.5)

REGULAR-SEASON SERIES RECAP: The Pistons won just one of the regular-season meetings between the teams, and that was a struggle as they had to rally back from down 16 points at home to win by two. The Bulls actually had a chance to win that meeting too, but Ben Gordon's 3-pointer fell short at the buzzer. Chicago then left a very bad taste in Detroit's mouth with a 106-88 beating at The Palace on April 4th. Of course there is the massive sub-plot of this series involving Bulls center Ben Wallace, who left the Pistons for more money and got the best of his former team during the regular season. Only one of these teams will look like a genius after their playoff matchup though, emerging as the favorite to get to the 2007 NBA Finals.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[pm530]

Pro Basketball – Hot Lines

NBA
Hot Lines


Thursday, May 17

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Detroit Pistons at Chicago Bulls (-2, 184 ½)

It’s fair to say Chicago now has the Pistons' full and undivided attention. After jumping to a 3-0 lead in the series, Detroit started thinking about the Eastern Conference finals rather than finishing the task at hand. But consecutive losses – including an embarrassing blowout at home – mean the Pistons are now motivated to eliminate the Bulls.

“Did we relax (after grabbing 3-0 lead)? It’s fair to say that,” Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups told the Detroit News after the game. “I can’t say we did it intentionally. But it’s human nature that you get that cushion and let up a little bit. We’re not that good with cushions, man. We know we can do it, we just have to get locked in.”

It’s highly unlikely the Bulls will be able to shoot as well as they did in Game 5. After three quarters Chicago was still shooting close to 70 percent from the field and finished the contest with a 57.3 field goal percentage.

The crowd in Chicago will be loud, but the Pistons are a veteran club and one of the best road teams this season.

Pick: Pistons +2

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[pm530]

Hockey – Hot Lines

NHL
Hot Lines


Thursday, May 17

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Detroit Red Wings at Anaheim Ducks (-174, 4 ½)

The Ducks resorted to cheap shots after Tuesday’s frustrating 5-0 loss. Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom scored twice and has been a thorn in Anaheim’s side throughout the series. He was also on the receiving end of a vicious elbow and charging penalty.

Rob Niedermayer was assessed the five-minute major, but Chris Pronger may end up paying the largest price. Pronger delivered the elbow and is facing a disciplinary hearing with the league.

Holmstrom should be fine for Game 4. He missed the last eight minutes of the second period after the hit, but returned for the third.

“I think I had two guys on me,” he told the Detroit Free Press. “Fell into the boards, got hit again. Hit from behind. I don’t really know what happened.”

The Ducks continue to be useless with the man advantage. Anaheim has not scored a power-play goal in its last 35 chances.

Pick: Wings +164

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[pm530]

Pro Basketball – Long Sheet

NBA
Long Sheet


Thursday, May 17

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DETROIT (60 - 31) at CHICAGO (55 - 36) - 5/17/2007, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) as an underdog this season.
DETROIT is 30-14 ATS (+14.6 Units) in road games this season.
DETROIT is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) revenging a home loss vs opponent this season.
DETROIT is 12-2 ATS (+9.8 Units) in road games revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
DETROIT is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 9-8 against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 10-7 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
9 of 17 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[pm530]

Hockey – Long Sheet

NHL
Long Sheet


Thursday, May 17

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


DETROIT (60-23-0-14, 134 pts.) at ANAHEIM (57-23-0-15, 129 pts.) - 5/17/2007, 9:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 7-4 (+2.6 Units) against the spread versus ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 7-4-0 straight up against ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
8 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+5.1 Units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[pm530]

Pro Basketball – Short Sheet

NBA
Short Sheet


Thursday, May 17th

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eastern Conference Playoffs
Semifinals, Game Six
Detroit Leads, 3-2
TV: ESPN
Detroit at Chicago, 8:05 EST

Detroit:
17-5 ATS away off an Over
12-2 ATS away playing with revenge

Chicago:
1-8 ATS after playing BB games as an underdog
8-17 ATS with a line of +3 to -3

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[pm530]

Hockey – Short Sheet

NHL
Short Sheet


Thursday, May 17

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Western Conference Playoffs
Finals, Game Four
Detroit Leads, 2-1
TV: VER
Detroit at Anaheim, 9:05 EST

Detroit:
6-13 SU away after winning 3 of their last 4 games
9-2 Over off a road win scoring 4+ goals

Anaheim:
22-5 SU after losing 2 of their last 3 games
12-2 SU revenging a loss scoring 1 or 0 goals

------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------

[Udog]

NBA
Dunkel


Detroit at Chicago
The Bulls have made this a series after falling behind 0-3 and have the Pistons backed into a bit of a corner. While no team in NBA history has ever won a series after losing the first three games, Chicago is making some believers after trouncing the Pistons in Detroit in Game Five (108-92). Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon have outplayed Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton over the last two games and the Bulls offense has erased the memory of the opening three-game stretch in which they shot just 33.6 percent from the field. But while the Bulls have all the momentum coming into tonight's Game Six, the Pistons are not to be counted out, especially on the road. A year ago Detroit trailed the Cavaliers 3-2 in the conference semifinals and managed to win Game Six in Cleveland and eventually the series. And this season the Pistons are 30-15 straight up away from Auburn Hills and 30-14-1 against the spread. Those numbers continue to make Detroit at dangerous underdog (+2) according to Dunkel, which has the game even. Dunkel Pick: Detroit (+2). Here are all of today's games.

THURSDAY, MAY 17

Game 517-518: Detroit at Chicago
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit 127.020; Chicago 127.165
Dunkel Line & Total: Even; 181 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago by 2; 185
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (+2); Under