Tuesday Trends and Indexes 04/22

[pm530]

Trends and Indexes
Tuesday, April 22

Good Luck on day #113 of 2008!

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.
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[pm530]

Tuesday's List of 13: Money and the National League

Forbes Magazine put out an interesting issue dealing with the finances of baseball; here is some info on the National League teams; American League info is coming tomorrow........

Diamondbacks — Cheapest average ticket in NL at $14 a pop; they have good team, a retractable roof on their park and a pool in rightcenter field. Value of franchise has gone from $276M to $379M in last four years (up 37%).

Braves — Turner Field was built in 1997; ten of the other 15 NL parks were built since then. Attendance was up 400,000 if you compare last year to 2004, so fans haven’t gotten too jaded from constant winning.

Cubs — Average ticket is $34, highest in NL, and they don’t have the smallest park, just the most famous; three other NL parks list a smaller capacity. Odd thing about Cubs is that people think value of franchise might go down if they won the World Series. Go figure.

Reds — Seven losing years in row have worn on fans; they have nice park, but it was only filled to 60% of capacity LY, so they changed managers, bought a new closer. Value of this once-proud franchise has grown from $245M to $337M in last four years, despite all the losing. .

Rockies — Coors Field is 5th-oldest park in NL (built in ’95); they should reap benefits this year of their great run to World Series last year. With a capacity of 50,445, Coors is the third biggest in NL, will be second when Shea Stadium goes away.

Marlins — This franchise has won two world titles in its short life, but unless they get the $525M stadium with a retractable roof, maybe on site of old Orange Bowl, they could be headed to San Antonio or Las Vegas. Value of franchise has risen to $256M from $172M; it would be nice if Loria spent some cash.

Astros — They make lot of money from the downtown ballpark, which is really nice; value of franchise has jumped from $320M to $463M in last four years; obviously, economists don't look at pitching when valueing the ballpark.

Dodgers — Chavez Ravine has second-oldest ballpark in NL; in past few years, new owner McCourt has spent $60M on fixing up the park. They raised ticket prices 27% after getting into the playoffs two years ago. Value of franchise has jumped $300M in the last four years.

Brewers — Bud Selig took care of his hometown team, getting a great park built, then selling to rich guy who is building a solid franchise that can keep its young stars. Attendance was 2.9M last year, up 800,000 from 2004. People in Minnesota screwed up in deciding on park without a roof, like Miller Park has.

Mets — New stadium next year is costing $800M to build; they have a good team, but there is undercurrent of unrest amongst fans and front office, even after drawing 3.9M fans last season. Why would a team with so many Hispanic players not have a Hispanic manager? Thats the $800M question.

Phillies — They built beautiful park, but when you build such a hitter-friendly park, how do you attract quality pitchers? They are essential to winning. Revenue has jumped 67% in last four years; team is fun to watch, but other than Hamels, they don't have any young pitchers to build around.

Pirates — Last winning season was 1992 (the curse of Bonds?) but they have beautiful new park. Too bad they're not using the revenue-sharing money to acquite better players. With the decent starting rotation they have, how is Doug Mientkiewicz their starting first baseman? This is progress? Would be great if Nate McLouth's hitting streak challenged the 56-game mark.

Cardinals — Tremendous baseball town; average ticket price of $28 is tied for second-highest in NL. With capacity of 46,861, it is second-biggest of the new NL parks, behind Colorado. This increased value of team from $314M to $484M (54% jump). By the way, whatever they pay Dave Duncan, it ain't enough.

Padres — Have great new park downtown, but are cash-poor, and in desperate need of hitting. Just like pitchers don't want to go to the small parks, what free agent hitters want to play in the park where fly balls go to die? Team owns 30% of the park, which needs more non-baseball stuff to make more money.

Giants — Speaking of which, Giants are financing their park by themselves, so they hold 150 non-baseball events a year, with a bowl game, ski jumping and ice skating events. They've had 3M+ fans for last eight years, but with Bonds gone and a team that will probably finish last, will that streak continue?

Nationals — 66 luxury suites, 2,700 club seats in a new ballpark will generate $25M for Nats, three times what they were making at ancient RFK Stadium. Team has tripled in value since escape from Quebec, but unless they get some better players, will the region support both Nationals and Orioles? Average ticket is $21, not too bad for brand-new, $700M ballpark.

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Tuesday, April 22

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Hot Pitchers
-- Lohse is 2-0, 1.48 in four starts this season.
-- Figueroa is 1-0, 2.77 in two starts this season.
-- Volquez is 2-0, 1.15 in three starts this season.
-- Smoltz is 3-0, 0.56 in three starts this season.
-- Kuo lasted only seven innings in two starts, but allowed one run in the two starts (1.29 RA).
-- Peavy is 3-0, 1.20 in four starts this season.
-- Myers is 2-0, 1.20 in his last couple starts.
-- Webb is 4-0, 2.17 in four starts this season.

-- Texas is 3-1 in Padilla starts (2-1, 3.81).
-- Litsch, a former Tampa Bay bat boy, is 2-0, 4.60 in his three starts this season.
-- Wang is 3-0, 3.81 in four starts this season.
-- LHernandez is 3-0, 3.67 in four starts this season.
-- FHernandez is 2-0, 2.05 in four starts this season.

Cold Pitchers
-- Parra is 1-1, 5.40 in three starts this season.
-- Lilly is 0-3, 9.16 in four starts this season.
-- Nolasco is 1-1, 11.17 in two starts this season. Maholm is 0-2, 6.46 in three starts this season.
-- Lannan is 0-2, 4.86 in three starts this season.
-- Backe is 1-2, 4.74 in four starts this season.
-- Francis is 1-2, 5.89 in his last three starts.
-- Zito is 0-4, 6.95 in four starts this season.

-- Beckett has a 5.12 RA in three starts this season. Weaver is0-2, 6.17 in his last couple starts.
-- Verlander is 0-3, 8.88 in four starts this season.
-- Shields is 0-1, 6.75 in his last three starts.
-- Sabathia is 0-3, 13.50 in four starts this season. Meche is 1-2, 6.08 in four starts this season.
-- Contreras is 1-1, 4.82 in three starts this season.
-- A's are 0-3 in Blanton home starts, scoring total of four runs.
-- Guthrie is 0-1, 5.11 in four starts this season.

Totals
-- Five of last seven games at Wrigley went over total.
-- Seven of last eight Pirate games went over the total.
-- Under is 5-1-1 in last seven games at Cincinnati.
-- Four of last five Atlanta home games stayed under total.
-- Over is 5-1-1 in last seven San Diego road games.
-- Under is 5-2-1 in last eight St Louis home games.
-- Over is 8-3 in last eleven Colorado games.
-- Over is 7-2-1 in Arizona home games.

-- Five of last six Boston games went over the total.
-- Six of last nine Detroit games went over the total.
-- Three of last four Tampa home games stayed under total.
-- Under is 6-2 in last eight Cleveland road games.
-- Under is 7-3 in White Sox' last ten games.
-- Under is 7-2-1 in Oakland home games.
-- Under is 5-1 in Baltimore road games.

Hot Teams
-- Cubs won eight of last nine home games.
-- Marlins are 11-5 in their last sixteen games.
-- Braves won their last six home games.
-- Astros won four of last six home games.
-- Rockies won four of their last six games. Phillies won last two games, scoring 14 runs.
-- Arizona won eight of first ten home games.

-- Red Sox won their last six home games. Angels won six of their last eight road games.
-- Blue Jays won four of last five road games.
-- White Sox won six of last nine games.
-- Oakland won last three games, scoring 26 runs.
-- Orioles won three of last four games, but are 1-4 in last five road games. Mariners won four of last six games.

Cold Teams
-- Mets lost last two games, after winning previous five.
-- Pirates lost their last six games, outscored 58-16.
-- Reds lost eight of their last ten games. Dodgers lost six of their last seven road games.
-- Nationals lost ten of last eleven road games.
-- Padres lost five of their last six games.
-- Cardinals lost three of last five games, scoring six runs in last three games combined. Brewers lost three in row at home.
-- Giants are 8-12 in their first twenty games.

-- Rangers lost last four games, allowing 30 runs. Tigers lost six of their eight home games.
-- Tampa Bay lost four of last five home games.
-- Bronx lost three of its last four games.
-- Indians lost eight of last eleven games. Royals lost last four games, outscored 31-11.
-- Twins lost last three road games, allowing 22 runs.

Umpires
-- StL-Mil-- Road team is 8-2 in last ten Fairchild games.
-- NYM-Cubs-- Underdog won all three Cooper games.
-- Fla-Pitt-- All four Bell games stayed under the total.
-- LA-Cin-- Over is 4-0-1 in Crawford games this season.
-- Wsh-Atl-- Favorite won 10 of last 11 Iassogna games.
-- SD-Hst-- Favorite won nine of last 11 Barksdale games.
-- Phil-Colo-- Over is 4-0-1 in West games this season.
-- SF-Ariz-- Under is 9-2-3 in last 14 Fletcher games.

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[pm530]

MLB


Tuesday, April 22

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Trend Sheet
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1:05 PM ST. LOUIS vs. MILWAUKEE
St. Louis is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games on the road
Milwaukee is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games at home


2:20 PM NY METS vs. CHI CUBS
NY Mets are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
The total has gone OVER in 10 of NY Mets's last 13 games when playing Chi Cubs
Chi Cubs are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chi Cubs's last 8 games


7:05 PM FLORIDA vs. PITTSBURGH
Florida is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Florida is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing at home against Florida
Pittsburgh is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Florida


7:05 PM LA ANGELS vs. BOSTON
LA Angels are 6-2 SU in their last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Angels's last 5 games
Boston is 7-2 SU in their last 9 games when playing at home against LA Angels
Boston is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing LA Angels


7:05 PM TEXAS vs. DETROIT
Texas is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Texas's last 8 games
Detroit is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games at home


7:10 PM LA DODGERS vs. CINCINNATI
LA Dodgers are 11-2 SU in their last 13 games when playing Cincinnati
LA Dodgers are 1-6 SU in their last 7 games on the road
Cincinnati is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games
Cincinnati is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home


7:10 PM TORONTO vs. TAMPA BAY
Toronto is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Tampa Bay's last 11 games when playing Toronto
Tampa Bay is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home


7:10 PM WASHINGTON vs. ATLANTA
Washington is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games when playing Atlanta
Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games


8:05 PM SAN DIEGO vs. HOUSTON
San Diego is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Diego's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of Houston's last 24 games


8:10 PM CLEVELAND vs. KANSAS CITY
Cleveland is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games on the road
Kansas City is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Kansas City's last 6 games when playing at home against Cleveland


8:11 PM NY YANKEES vs. CHI WHITE SOX
NY Yankees are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of NY Yankees's last 15 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
Chi White Sox are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing NY Yankees
Chi White Sox are 11-5 SU in their last 16 games


8:35 PM PHILADELPHIA vs. COLORADO
Philadelphia is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing Colorado
Colorado is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Colorado's last 11 games


9:40 PM SAN FRANCISCO vs. ARIZONA
San Francisco is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of San Francisco's last 10 games
Arizona is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Francisco
Arizona is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against San Francisco


10:07 PM MINNESOTA vs. OAKLAND
Minnesota is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Oakland
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Minnesota's last 7 games when playing Oakland
Oakland is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Oakland's last 8 games when playing at home against Minnesota


10:10 PM BALTIMORE vs. SEATTLE
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Baltimore's last 5 games
Baltimore is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Seattle
Seattle is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Seattle's last 11 games when playing at home against Baltimore

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Long Sheet

NBA
Long Sheet

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Tuesday, April 22
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DALLAS (51 - 32) at NEW ORLEANS (57 - 26) - 4/22/2008, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 36-44 ATS (-12.4 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 15-26 ATS (-13.6 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 15-26 ATS (-13.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 13-22 ATS (-11.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 51-31 ATS (+16.9 Units) in all games this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 37-22 ATS (+12.8 Units) as a favorite this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 27-15 ATS (+10.5 Units) in home games this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 16-4 ATS (+11.6 Units) in a home game where where the total is between 190 and 194.5 points over the last 2 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) in home games second half of the season this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 27-14 ATS (+11.6 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 23-13 ATS (+8.7 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
DALLAS is 201-156 ATS (+29.4 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
DALLAS is 40-20 ATS (+18.0 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW ORLEANS is 6-6 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 10-3 straight up against NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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TORONTO (41 - 42) at ORLANDO (53 - 30) - 4/22/2008, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 14-24 ATS (-12.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
TORONTO is 13-22 ATS (-11.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
TORONTO is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
ORLANDO is 52-29 ATS (+20.1 Units) in all games this season.
ORLANDO is 35-20 ATS (+13.0 Units) as a favorite this season.
ORLANDO is 25-15 ATS (+8.5 Units) in home games this season.
ORLANDO is 22-13 ATS (+7.7 Units) second half of the season this season.
ORLANDO is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) in home games against Atlantic division opponents this season.
ORLANDO is 23-13 ATS (+8.7 Units) after scoring 105 points or more this season.
ORLANDO is 26-15 ATS (+9.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
ORLANDO is 19-10 ATS (+8.0 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
TORONTO is 35-17 ATS (+16.3 Units) against Southeast division opponents over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 8-3 against the spread versus ORLANDO over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 7-4 straight up against ORLANDO over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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PHOENIX (55 - 28) at SAN ANTONIO (57 - 26) - 4/22/2008, 9:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 53-40 ATS (+9.0 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 96-62 ATS (+27.8 Units) on Tuesday nights since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 95-68 ATS (+20.2 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 202-161 ATS (+24.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 30-17 ATS (+11.3 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 32-16 ATS (+14.4 Units) in road games against Southwest division opponents since 1996.
PHOENIX is 34-18 ATS (+14.2 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 69-50 ATS (+14.0 Units) after allowing 105 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 51-36 ATS (+11.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 10-7 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 11-7 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
11 of 18 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association - Short Sheet

NBA
Short Sheet

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Tuesday, April 22
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Western Conference
Opening Round
Game Two
New Orleans Leads, 1-0
Dallas at New Orleans, 7:05 ET

Dallas:
10-1 ATS on the road after 2 consecutive division games
40-20 ATS vs. division opponents

New Orleans:
9-24 ATS off a home win against a division foe
19-37 ATS off a win against a division rival

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Eastern Conference
Opening Round
Game Two
Orlando Leads, 1-0
Toronto at Orlando, 7:35 ET

Toronto:
14-24 ATS 2nd half of season
32-20 Under off road loss

Orlando:
22-13 ATS second half of the season
9-1 ATS at home against Atlantic division

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Western Conference
Opening Round
Game Two
San Antonio Leads, 1-0
Phoenix at San Antonio, 9:30 ET

Phoenix:
33-16 ATS when the line is +3 to -3
25-10 ATS revenging a same season loss

San Antonio:
4-12 ATS playing 2 consecutive games as a home favorite
8-20 ATS as a home favorite of 6 points or less

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Write up

NBA
Write-up


Tuesday, April 22

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NBA Games

Dallas was up 12 at half in Game 1 at New Orleans, then Chris Paul went nuts, Jazz won by 12, holding Nowitzki to 9-21 from floor, prompting TNT guys to rip Dirk for being soft, so would expect better effort from Mavericks here. Dallas shot just 33% from floor in Game 1, forced only eight turnovers.

Orlando shot 53.2% from floor in Game 1, running out to 20-pt lead after first quarter; they made 13-29 from arc, while holding slumping Toronto to 37.6% from floor. Game was 60-47 at half, so not lot of defense played by Raptors. Toronto is now 8-18 in last 26 games; they'll need much better effort here.

Game 1 of Suns-Spurs was epic contest that Suns let slip away just like they let series vs Spurs last year get away- they need to keep Duncan from going off (had 40 in Game 1), while they also need to keep Stoudemire in game, and Shaq (11 pts, five reb in Game 1) has to do more. Suns were just 5-16 from arc; they've never been good team with that low a percentage.

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[pm530]

NBA


Tuesday, April 22

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Trend Sheet
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7:00 PM DALLAS vs. NEW ORLEANS
Dallas is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
Dallas is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
New Orleans is 17-8 ATS in its last 25 games
New Orleans is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games


7:30 PM TORONTO vs. ORLANDO
Toronto is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Orlando
Toronto is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games when playing on the road against Orlando
Orlando is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Orlando is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games


9:30 PM PHOENIX vs. SAN ANTONIO
Phoenix is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Phoenix is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing San Antonio
San Antonio is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Phoenix
San Antonio is 13-4 SU in its last 17 games when playing at home against Phoenix

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association - Gameday

NBA
Gameday


Tuesday, April 22

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Gameday
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Tuesday NBA Gameday

The Hornets, Magic, and Spurs will all be looking to take 2-0 leads in their first-round series when they host playoff games on Tuesday night. Here is your NBA Gameday …

Dallas Mavericks at New Orleans Hornets, 7:00pm ET

The Hornets ended the regular season as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, and they are looking to prove that lofty standing was not a fluke with a win over the Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs. Well, so far so good for Chris Paul and company, as they surged to a 104-92 home win over the Mavs in Game 1 on Saturday.

New Orleans was actually down 52-40 at the break in that contest, but strong play in the second half led them to the victory. Paul poured in a team-high 35 points in the win for New Orleans, and also chipped in with 10 assists. David West picked up 23 points in the contest, while Tyson Chandler had 10 points and 15 rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki led the way for Dallas with 31 points and 10 boards that day, while Josh Howard had 17 points.

The oddsmakers like New Orleans' chances of going up 2-0 in this series on Tuesday night, as they were opened as 3.5-point favorites. The total was opened at 193.5 points.

Toronto Raptors at Orlando Magic, 7:30pm ET

The Magic had no trouble winning the Southeast Division this season, but would the upstart club also be able to make any sort of run in the playoffs? Getting a first-round matchup with the fading Raptors seems to have helped that cause, as Orlando cruised to a 114-100 home win in the first game of the best-of-seven series Sunday afternoon.

Orlando was up 43-23 at the end of the first quarter in Game 1, and Toronto never got back into the game. Dwight Howard scored 25 points and grabbed 22 rebounds in a dominating performance for the Magic, while Jameer Nelson scored 24 points and Hedo Turkoglu added 21 points. Anthony Parker had a team-high 24 points in a losing cause for the Raptors, while Chris Bosh had 21 points and Jason Kapono tossed in 18 points.

The Raptors will now try to avoid falling into an 0-2 hole with a win on Tuesday, but the oddsmakers opened them as 5.5-point road underdogs. The total opened at 199 points.

Phoenix Suns at San Antonio Spurs, 9:30pm ET

Before the season began, followers of the NBA would've guessed that a Suns/Spurs series would be taking place in the Western Conference Finals. Instead, Phoenix and San Antonio are meeting in the first round, which means one of the title favorites will be out of the playoffs fairly quickly. And with a Game 1 loss the Suns have the first deficit.

Tim Duncan poured in 40 points and grabbed 15 rebounds on Saturday to guide the Spurs to a 117-115 double-overtime victory over the Suns at home. Tony Parker scored 26 points for San Antonio in the win, while Manu Ginobili was good for 24 points. Amare Stoudemire led the Suns' attack with 33 points in the loss, and Steve Nash contributed 25 points and 13 assists. Shaquille O'Neal was held to 11 points in the Game 1 defeat.

San Antonio will be looking to take a 2-0 lead in the series on Tuesday night, and they were opened as 2.5-point home favorites for Game 2. The contest's total opened at 191.5.

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[pm530]

National Hockey League – Write up

NHL
Write-up


Tuesday, April 22

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2008 NHL playoffs
Opening Round

Washington rallied with pair of third period goals last night to even series at 3-3, winning 4-2 at Philly; over is now 13-5 in last 18 series games, 4-2 in this series. Flyers didn't score while they were even strength Monday (2-4 on power play)- they're 3-2 in last five visits to this arena. Visitor is 6-4 in last 10 series tilts.

Calgary is 4-4 in last eight visits to Shark Tank, losing last two at San Jose in this series- over is 4-2-2 in those eight games at San Jose. Calgary outshot Sharks 22-10 in first period of its last two games, after being outshot 6-2 in the first period of Game 4. Underdog is 5-4 in last nine series games.

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[Udog]

NBA


Tuesday, April 22

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THE POWER INDEX
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1-1 YESTERDAY

New Orleans* 5.5 over Dallas
Orlando* 8.5 over Toronto
San Antonio* 4 over Phoenix

[Udog]

MLB
Dunkel


Cleveland at Kansas City
The Royals have dropped four straight, but look to get back into the win column tonight against Cleveland ace C.C. Sabathia, who has been roughed up in his four starts (0-3, 13.51) this season. Kansas City is the underdog pick (+110) according to Dunkel, which has the Royals favored straight up by 1. Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+110). Here are all of today's games.

TUESDAY, APRIL 22

Game 901-902: St. Louis at Milwaukee
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Lohse) 14.484; Milwaukee (Parra) 14.863
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-105); 9
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (-105); Over

Game 903-904: NY Mets at Chicago Cubs
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Figueroa) 15.396; Cubs (Lilly) 15.153
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-110); No Run Line
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (+100); N/A

Game 905-906: Florida at Pittsburgh
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Nolasco) 14.541; Pittsburgh (Maholm) 13.870
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Pittsburgh (-120); 10
Dunkel Pick: Florida (+110); Under

Game 907-908: LA Dodgers at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Kuo) 15.095; Cincinnati (Volquez) 14.536
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-110); 9
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (+100); Under

Game 909-910: Washington at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Lannan) 12.971; Atlanta (Smoltz) 16.480
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 3 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-200); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-200); Under

Game 911-912: San Diego at Houston
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Peavy) 15.115; Houston (Backe) 14.408
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1; 9
Vegas Line: San Diego (-150); 8
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (-150); Over

Game 913-914: Philadelphia at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Myers) 16.106; Colorado (Francis) 15.731
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Colorado (-115); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+105); Over

Game 915-916: San Francisco at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Zito) 14.111; Arizona (Webb) 16.746
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 2 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Arizona (-235); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-235); Over

Game 917-918: LA Angels at Boston
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Weaver) 15.532; Boston (Beckett) 16.799
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Boston (-160); 9
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-160); Over

Game 919-920: Texas at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Padilla) 15.170; Detroit (Verlander) 14.882
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1/2; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Detroit (-165); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Texas (+155); Over

Game 921-922: Toronto at Tampa Bay
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Litsch) 14.752; Tampa Bay (Shields) 14.627
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-135); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+125); Under

Game 923-924: Cleveland at Kansas City
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Sabathia) 14.419; Kansas City (Meche) 15.169
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-120); 9
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+110); Under

Game 925-926: NY Yankees at Chicago White Sox
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Wang) 16.408; White Sox (Contreras) 16.283
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-140); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-140); Under

Game 927-928: Minnesota at Oakland
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Hernandez) 15.125; Oakland (Blanton) 15.014
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Oakland (-135); 8
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+125); Over

Game 929-930: Baltimore at Seattle
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Guthrie) 15.084; Seattle (Hernandez) 15.868
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Seattle (-165); 8
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (-165); Over

[Udog]

NBA
Dunkel


Dallas at New Orleans
The Hornets used a strong comeback to take Game One and look to take advantage tonight of Dallas' poor 8-14 mark ATS against winning teams in the second half of the season. New Orleans is the pick (-3 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Hornets favored by 7. Dunkel Pick: New Orleans (-3 1/2). Here are all of today's games.

TUESDAY, APRIL 22

Game 505-506: Dallas at New Orleans
Dunkel Ratings: Dallas 120.500; New Orleans 127.774
Dunkel Line & Total: New Orleans by 7; 196
Vegas Line & Total: New Orleans by 3 1/2; 193 1/2
Dunkel Pick: New Orleans (-3 1/2); Over

Game 507-508: Toronto at Orlando
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto 115.412; Orlando 128.355
Dunkel Line & Total: Orlando by 13; 197
Vegas Line & Total: Orlando by 5 1/2; 199
Dunkel Pick: Orlando (-5 1/2); Under

Game 509-510: Phoenix at San Antonio
Dunkel Ratings: Phoenix 124.999; San Antonio 124.053
Dunkel Line & Total: Phoenix by 1; 188
Vegas Line & Total: San Antonio by 1 1/2; 191 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (+1 1/2); Under

[Udog]

NHL
Dunkel


Calgary at San Jose
The Flames come off their best effort in the series (2-0 win in Game Six) and look to take advantage of a San Jose team that was just 6-7 this season after scoring a goal or less in the previous game. Calgary is the underdog pick (+160) according to Dunkel, which has the Flames favored straight up by 1/2 a goal. Dunkel Pick: Calgary (+160). Here are all of today's games.

TUESDAY, APRIL 22

Game 57-58: Philadelphia at Washington
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia 11.899; Washington 12.194
Dunkel Line & Total: Washington by 1/2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 65-66: Calgary at San Jose
Dunkel Ratings: Calgary 11.839; San Jose 11.586
Dunkel Line & Total: Calgary by 1/2; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: San Jose (-180); 5
Dunkel Pick: Calgary (+160); Over

[Udog]

MLB


Tuesday, April 22

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Hot lines: Tuesday's best MLB bets
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Florida at Pittsburgh (-120, 10)

Don't tell the Florida Marlins they belong in the NL East basement – right now they're at the top of the division at 12-7, earning more than seven units for Fish bettors already.

Outside of Mark Hendrickson, their pitching staff hasn't had much to do with the hot start. The group has put together just five quality starts (second-worst in the bigs) and is working on a 4.76 team ERA.

Pittsburgh knows all about those issues. The Pirates rank dead last in team ERA, WHIP, and errors.

These two teams combine to have the over cashing in at a 25-12-1 clip.

Pick: over



L.A. Dodgers at Cincinnati (-110, 9)

For right now at least, Joe Torre figures Hong-Chih Kuo is his best option as the club's fifth starter. Kuo, who's had four operations on his throwing elbow and has been pegged as a reliever at times in his career, seems to have won the last starting spot away from Esteban Loaiza.

The problem with Kuo is that he won't work deep into games with a pitch count of 80 and he hasn't thrown more than five innings in a game since late June of last season.

Longer outings are something the Reds are hoping youngster Edinson Volquez can give them as well. He's been nasty allowing just two runs over three starts, but hasn't pitched through the sixth inning yet.

If this one turns into a bullpen battle you have to like Cincy’s chances.

Pick: Reds