Announcement

**Udog** · 05-21-2010, 11:27 PM

Bettor's best friend: Saturday's wagering tips

Lines to keep an eye on

Magic at Celtics – The spread for Game 3 opened at -2 in favor of Boston. That number was quickly hit by sharp bettors and moved to -3. Most sportsbooks are offering a 3.5-point spread now while a couple books are holding 4 and 5dimes has 4.5. Lines tend to move toward those of 5dimes normally so this could continue to climb. The opening total of 189.5 for the game has jumped a point at some shops.

Indiana Fever at Chicago Sky – The home team surfaced as 2-point pups but are now 1-point faves. The opening total of 150 has been bet down to 145.

Utah Blaze at Spokane Shock – The home team has moved to two-touchdown favorites after opening at -12.

Weather to watch
(Forecasts are extracted from Weather.com the night before the game.)

Cubs at Rangers – A southward 19 mph wind will be blowing in from center field.

Rockies at Royals – A 20 mph wind from the south will be blowing out to center field.

Giants at Athletics – A west-northwest 18 mph wind will be blowing out to right-center field.

Braves at Pirates – A 40-50 percent chance of rain is in the forecast with an 11 mph wind blowing in from right-center field.

Orioles at Nationals – A 30-40 percent chance of rain is called for with a 12 mph wind blowing in from right field.

Who’s hot

The Celtics have won five consecutive games, going 5-0 ATS in that timeframe.

Texas had won four straight games going into Friday.

The Flyers have won six of their last seven outings, holding opponents to 1.9 gpg during that stretch.

Who’s not

Orlando has played to the UNDER in four straight games.

The Brewers are 1-9 in their last 10 outings.

AL West representatives Seattle and Oakland were both 3-7 over a 10-game span going into Friday.

Key stat

12-28-1 – ATS record of the Celtics on their home floor this season. However, Boston is 5-1 ATS at the Garden this postseason.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Red Sox centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is expected to return to the lineup Saturday after being on the DL since April 11. Ellsbury was suffering from a hairline fracture in his ribs. The lefty was hitting .333 in 30 at-bats for Boston before being sidelined. Ellsbury will likely resume the leadoff role in the batting order which will put Marco Scutaro elsewhere.

Games of the day

Orlando Magic at Boston Celtics (-3.5, 190.5)

Philadelphia Flyers at Montreal Canadiens (-140, 5)

Notable quotable

"My third foul in the third quarter, when I tried to beat him over the screen, he fell down like I threw him. It was ridiculous. But the refs called it, so it was a good play. It was a flop, 100 percent, and that's how some guys like to play. But if the refs call it, it's effective."

-- Orlando’s Matt Barnes said when asked about Paul Pierce's tendency to exaggerate contact. If Pierce was getting those calls in Florida, he’s surely going to get them at the Garden.

Tips and notes

- This week, every MLB team has played every day. With most teams playing one or two two-game sets before the weekend interleague series there has been a lot of travel. Travel and less time to study scouting reports for opposing pitchers has equated to more unders as this week has drawn on. With the pitching ahead of the hitting so far this year (no-hitter and perfect game), scoring has been down across the board.

- Texas manager Ron Washington dropped slugger Josh Hamilton to the No. 5 spot in the batting order Tuesday. Hambone wasn’t too thrilled about the demotion saying, “It's not like they're going to pitch me any different.” But since the switch, which placed Ian Kinsler in the three-hole, the Rangers are 4-0 and have plated 29 runners. Kinsler has at least one hit and RBI in each of those games while Hamilton has registered six hits and two RBIs. With this recent change and Nelson Cruz back in the lineup, Rangers’ bats are getting hot which could equate to a lot of overs.

- Despite holding the best record in baseball, Tampa Bay isn’t really hitting that well. The Rays rank 17th in the majors in batting average (.257) and hits. The team’s success has come from timely hitting and stellar starting pitching. Jeff Niemann said that going deep into the game was “hammered into our heads since spring training.” For a bettor, this means that you don’t have to lay a higher number to bet first five innings because Tampa’s starters are going to go as far as they can and the bullpen has been solid.

**Udog** · 05-21-2010, 11:28 PM

NBA
Long Sheet

Saturday, May 22

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

ORLANDO (67 - 25) at BOSTON (60 - 35) - 5/22/2010, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ORLANDO is 51-36 ATS (+11.4 Units) in all games this season.
ORLANDO is 23-12 ATS (+9.8 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 18-7 ATS (+10.3 Units) as a road underdog of 3 points or less over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 58-37 ATS (+17.3 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 94-65 ATS (+22.5 Units) on Saturday games since 1996.
ORLANDO is 14-6 ATS (+7.4 Units) against Atlantic division opponents this season.
ORLANDO is 61-39 ATS (+18.1 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 58-37 ATS (+17.3 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 28-39 ATS (-14.9 Units) as a favorite this season.
BOSTON is 17-29 ATS (-14.9 Units) in home games this season.
BOSTON is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) in a home game where where the total is between 190 and 194.5 points this season.
BOSTON is 35-58 ATS (-28.8 Units) in home games off an upset win as an underdog since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 11-9 against the spread versus ORLANDO over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO is 11-9 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
14 of 20 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

**Udog** · 05-21-2010, 11:29 PM

NBA
Short Sheet

Saturday, 5/22/2010

Eastern Conference Finals
Game Three (Boston Leads, 2-0)
ORLANDO AT BOSTON, 8:30 PM ET ESPN
ORLANDO: 10-27 ATS off a home loss by 3 points or less
BOSTON: 22-11 Over at home off an Under

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

**Udog** · 05-21-2010, 11:30 PM

NBA

Saturday, May 22

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8:30 PM
ORLANDO vs. BOSTON
Orlando is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Orlando's last 10 games when playing Boston
Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

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

**Udog** · 05-21-2010, 11:30 PM

NBA

Saturday, May 22

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pick 'n' Roll: Today's best NBA bets
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Orlando Magic at Boston Celtics (-3.5, 190)

Before everyone writes off the Magic, there are a few things we should all remember about Stan Van Gundy’s club, like how Orlando was the hottest team in the league before the long layoff and how only the Celtics, Cavs and Mavs had a better road record than the Magic.

Covers Expert Ted Sevransky tells anyone who listens that home court means less as the postseason continues for a reason. Good teams aren’t bothered by hostile environments; some even play better away from home.

And please don’t tell us how Orlando was a better team last season. We’re not huge Vince Carter fans, but did anyone see Hedo Turkuglu play for the Raptors? Enough said.

The Magic are too good to get swept out of the postseason, especially but an overconfident Boston team. Not that the Magic needed any extra motivation, but Paul Pierce’s promise to finish off the Magic in Boston on national TV following the Game 2 win will be in the minds of all Orlando players.

Expect Orlando to steal Game 3 thanks to some improved shooting from downtown.

Pick: Magic

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

**Udog** · 05-21-2010, 11:31 PM

NBA

Saturday, May 22

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Game of the day: Magic at Celtics
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Orlando Magic at Boston Celtics (-3.5, 190)

Series story

The Celtics continue to surprise, opening this series with back-to-back wins in Orlando, putting an end to the Magic’s perfect playoff run.

Winning a pair of games in Orlando was no small feat. The Magic were 38-7 SU at home entering this series. Boston can now take credit for three of Orlando’s nine home losses in 2009-10.

Oddly enough, the Celtics have actually been better on the road than at home this season. The Magic should be able to draw confidence from their perfect 2-0 record in Boston during the regular season.

While Orlando is 26-18-1 ATS on the road, Boston is just 17-29-1 ATS at TD Garden.

Do you believe in Magic?

Has Orlando’s slow start in this series been a product of its relatively easy first and second round matchups?

The Bobcats and Hawks offered little resistance, as the Magic cruised to back-to-back series sweeps. It’s apparently made stepping up in class all the more difficult here in the Eastern finals.

The Magic are certainly saying all of the right things entering Saturday’s Game 3.

Philadelphia native Jameer Nelson is drawing parallels to the Flyers unbelievable comeback against the Bruins.

"Those guys on the Flyers were counted out and look what they did. The Flyers believed in themselves and we believe, too.”

The only problem with that logic is the Bruins were a team that barely snuck into the playoffs. The Celtics are just two years removed from an NBA championship and playing their best basketball of the season.

Dwight Howard came close to giving the Celtics bulletin board material.

"If they want to continue to talk, that's fine. There's no need to say we're going down fighting because we're not going down."

Care to offer a guarantee?

Time to relax?

“Our fans aren’t going to let us relax,’’ Paul Pierce said in an ESPN interview immediately following the Celtics Game 2 victory.

Pierce added, “Y’all not going to let us relax. We’re going to try to close this out in two games, you hear me? We’re coming home to close it out.”

Strong words.

Remember, this is a team that returned home only to be trounced by 29 points in Game 3 against the Cleveland Cavaliers last round.

Head coach Doc Rivers says his team and namely Pierce, could use a dose of humility if they’re serious about finishing this series off at home.

“I don’t mind the confidence part. That’s good. You have to have confidence, but we want to be humble, and we haven’t achieved anything. I think that’s what he was trying to say.”

Under the radar

Defense has ruled in this series, but it’s a trend that goes much deeper than that.

The under is 13-3 in the last 16 meetings between these two teams, including 9-1 in the last 10 dating back to Game 4 of last year’s playoff series.

Under backers were certainly fortunate to cash their ticket in Game 3, as that game sat just nine points shy of the posted total with a little over three and a half minutes left to play. Two missed free throws by Vince Carter proved to be the difference in that over/under result.

Perhaps it should come as no surprise that the under has been money in this series, as we’re talking about two of the league’s elite defensive teams.

Since allowing 124 points in Game 3 against the Cavs, the Celtics have really stepped up the intensity, allowing just 88 points per game on 40.2 percent shooting over their last five contests.

Even though the Magic are in an 0-2 hole, they’re still playing efficient defense, holding the Celtics to 92 and 95 points on 60-of-148 (40.5 percent) shooting in the first two games of this series.

Line moves

The Celtics opened as 3-point favorites at most offshore books, but have since been bet up a half-point to -3.5.

That’s in keeping with current consensus reports, which have bettors backing the Celtics at a 60/40 split.

Despite the first two games of this series playing under, the oddsmakers opened the Game 3 total one point higher than the closing number of 188.5 we saw in Game 2. Keep in mind, the Game 2 total opened at 186.5.

Consensus reports indicate a slight bias to the under, yet we’ve seen the total rise by a full point, and as high as 191 at some books.

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

**Udog** · 05-21-2010, 11:32 PM

NHL

Saturday, May 22

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Philadelphia Flyers at Montreal Canadiens (-140, 5)

A deafening crowd inside the Bell Centre was able to wake the Montreal Canadiens from their offensive slumber in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final Thursday night.

After getting shutout in both games in Philadelphia, the Habs exploded for five goals on 38 shots for their biggest offensive showing since knocking off the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 5-2 victory in Game 7 of the conference semifinals.

"We are a much better team when our backs are against the wall," Brian Gionta told reporters. "We've dealt with it all year."

Gionta scored early into the second period, making it 4-0 and breaking the backs of the Flyers blueline. The Canadiens went on to add a power-play goal in the dying seconds of the game, pushing the final score over the 5-goal total.

Montreal is 4-1 over/under in its last five games. With the offense picking up and both goaltenders showing weakness in this series, hockey bettors are in for another high-scoring game Saturday.

Pick: Over

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

**Udog** · 05-21-2010, 11:33 PM

NHL

Saturday, May 22

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What bettors need to know: Flyers at Canadiens
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Philadelphia Flyers at Montreal Canadiens (-130, 5)

Philadelphia leads series 2-1.

Die hard Habs

After many hockey bettors wrote the Montreal Canadiens off after losing the first two games of the Eastern Conference final, the Habs fired back with a 5-1 victory at home in Game 3.

“I think our whole team played well,” Montreal defenseman Roman Hamrlik told the Montreal Gazette. “We did some good things in the first period of the first two games but tonight we got a lead and we kept skating.”

The Canadiens jumped out to a strong start, scoring two goals on 17 shots in the first period - their first two goals of the series. From there, the flood gates opened. Montreal would add three more goals and finishing the game with 38 shots on goal.

Struggling stars Michael Cammalleri and Brian Gionta finally got on the score sheet versus the Flyers. Cammalleri opened scoring in the first period, netting his 13th maker of the playoffs, while Gionta notched his eighth goal of the postseason two minutes into the final frame.

“Yeah, don’t get me wrong, it felt good and we needed to score,’’ Cammalleri told reporters. “But I think the result really drives the talk. So I think we did some things OK in the last game too (but) I think we lose 3-0, and it’s our second game without scoring. So for everyone in this room and for everybody watching it’s a big deal, and it’s something to really talk about.

“But for us, we like the way we play, and we thought the goals were going to come. I just think that so much is made of the result that ends up determining the way you guys analyze the game. Sometimes for us it’s more important to worry about how we’re playing than scoring the goal. The goal goes in and it helps, but we know it’s coming.”

Trading places

If any team in the NHL should know that it ain’t over till it’s over, it’s the Philadelphia Flyers.

"Playoffs are never about momentum," Flyers coach Peter Laviolette told the Ottawa Sun. "They're always about desperation. Desperate teams are tough teams."

Philadelphia lost the first three games to the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference semifinals only to win four straight and advance to the conference championship. After taking a 2-0 lead in this series, the Flyers hope Game 3’s loss doesn’t snowball like it did to the Bruins.

“That was an old-fashioned ass-kicking,” captain Mike Richards told reporters. “They handed it to us right from the get-go. I don’t know if we felt we were going to put our sticks on (the ice) and it was going to be easy.”

Philadelphia mustered 26 shots Thursday night, with only eight in the third period. The Flyers have made the most of their chances versus the Canadiens. They’ve scored 10 goals on just 74 total shots through the first three games of this series.

On the other end of the ice, Philadelphia’s blueline was nowhere near the level it was in the first two games. The defense looked lethargic and slow getting to pucks, allowing the Montreal fore-check to control the play and generate chances.

The Flyers admitted to getting pushed around by the Canadiens and let their frustrations get the best of them. They took six penalties in the third period, eventually leading to Marc-Andre Bergeron’s power-play goal with just under 30 seconds remaining in the game.

"I don't think you want to forget it," veteran defenseman Chris Pronger told the media. "I think you need to use it and feed off it - use it as a wakeup call or whatever you want to call it. We need to understand it's going to take a lot more than we showed out there today to be successful."

Halak back, Leighton lost

Canadiens goaltender, appointed postseason savior, was back to his old tricks again in Game 3, after struggling in the opening games of the series.

Halak stopped 25-of-26 shots faced Thursday night, improving to 9-6-1 in the playoffs. His performance in the conference final has been the flip of Flyers goaltender Mike Leighton, who opened the series with back-to-back shutouts, but gave up five goals on 38 shots in Game 3.

Leighton suffered his first defeat of the postseason since stepping in for injured starter Brian Boucher in the second round. Although Thursday’s performance couldn’t fall solely on Leighton, with his blueline playing so poorly.

"I felt OK. I'm not going to dwell on them scoring that many goals," Leighton told the Philadelphia Daily News. "We didn't think we were going to win this series 4-0 so we're just going to regroup. They're back in the series and the next game's big for us."

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

**Udog** · 05-21-2010, 11:34 PM

MLB

Saturday, May 22

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tampa Bay Rays at Houston Astros (+135, 8)

Things began to look a little brighter for the Astros after sweeping the Cardinals on the road last weekend.

Since then, Houston has gone 1-6 and ace pitcher Roy Oswalt has asked to be traded. The offensive struggles also continue for the ‘Stros, averaging 2.6 runs per game over their last seven.

"It seems like we can't find the rhythm," Carlos Lee told the Astros' official website. "We will do good and score some runs and hit with people on base and all of a sudden stop doing that. It seems like we find a way to lose by one run."

Houston has lost six one-run ballgames this season and Lee added that losing in that scenario is “frustrating.”

And of course the worst team in baseball would draw the best team in baseball in the first interleague series of the season. The Rays have won seven of their last eight, against quality teams like the Yankees and Angels, so Tampa shouldn’t have any problem dealing with the pathetic Astros.

Pick: Rays

New York Yankees at New York Mets (+140, 8)

Jose Reyes said he felt like he was “going home” after Jerry Manuel placed him back at the top of the Mets order last Saturday. It’s a small sampling, but Reyes hasn’t hit like he is in the comfort of his home the last six games.

New York’s shortstop is 6-for-27 with a pair of RBI, one walk and one stolen base since returning to the No. 1 spot in the lineup. Not surprisingly, the Mets have gone 2-4 in those games.

“It’s going to be tough for us to put together any kind of offense,” Manuel said this week. “We are really, really struggling right now in that area.”

The Mets have played to the under in four of their last five games, including getting shutout Friday night in the Subway Series opener.

Taking the under in game that involves the Yankees is always a scary bet but with two quality starters on the hill in this matchup and without a designated hitter, look for another low-scoring game in the Big Apple.

Pick: Under

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

**Udog** · 05-21-2010, 11:34 PM

MLB

Saturday, May 22

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday’s Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Streaking

Clayton Richard (3-2, 2.94), San Diego Padres

The surprising thing about the Pads is that they are in first place. Not surprisingly, the team is collecting W’s with its pitching, not hitting.

Richard has yet to surrender more than three earned runs in any of his nine starts this season. The Southpaw has gone 7.0 innings in each of his last two outings (both wins) while giving up one and two runs, respectively.

With Diego’s great pitching, the team is seeing a lot of low totals and this one is set at 7.5

Phil Hughes (5-0, 2.25), New York Yankees

In his last outing, Hughes proved that he was human after all.

The Yanks’ righty gave up five runs against the Red Sox on May 17 but prior to that performance had been lights out. Hughes had given up two runs or fewer in his previous six starts and went at least 7.0 innings in four of those outings.

“On 15 to 20 teams, he’s probably an ace,” former teammate Johnny Damon said. “For the Yankees, he’s the No. 4 starter.”

“I probably didn’t envision these exact numbers, but I really felt good coming out of spring training,” said Hughes.

Slumping

Scott Kazmir (2-4, 6.51), Los Angeles Angels

Tampa Bay must have seen something eerie in Scott Kazmir’s future when they dumped him off on the Angels before last season.

The once heralded, fire-balling lefty went longer than 6.0 innings for the first time all season in his last start but still gave up nine hits and four earned runs. Before that start, Angels’ management had an hour-long, closed-door meeting with Kazmir.

"We just wanted to get an understanding of where he felt he was, what adjustments need to be made and whether he needed some time to make those adjustments," manager Mike Scioscia said. "He doesn't think so, and [pitching coach Mike Butcher] doesn't think so, so he will make his next start.”

Kazmir clearly needs to make some adjustments. He’s surrendered a total of 14 runs in his last three outings.

Returning

Ian Snell (0-2, 4.76 ERA), Seattle Mariners

Snell was exiled to the bullpen three weeks ago but because Ryan Rowland-Smith has struggled for the M’s, the team has moved the righty back into the rotation.

In three relief appearances, Snell compiled a 4.81 ERA so it wasn’t like he was stellar in those situations, giving up at least one earned run in each appearance.

Prior to being banished to a relief role, Snell had made four starts for Seattle. He had a 4.66 ERA in those starts with 18 strikeouts in 28.1 innings of work.

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

**Udog** · 05-21-2010, 11:35 PM

MLB

Saturday, May 22

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This Day in Baseball
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On May 22 in Baseball History...

1963 - Mickey Mantle hit a pitch from Kansas City's Bill Fischer off the right-field facade at Yankee Stadium in an 8-7 victory over the A's.

1968 - Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit three home runs, a double and a single in a 13-6 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Stargell's double just missed going out, bouncing off the railing of the left field bleachers.

1976 - St. Louis' Reggie Smith hit three home runs - two right-handed and one left-handed - and drove in five runs in a 7-6 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Smith's third homer came with two outs in the ninth and broke a 6-6 tie.

1977 - Boston and Milwaukee hit a combined 11 home runs in a 14-10 Red Sox victory at Fenway Park, tying a major league record. The Red Sox connected for six and the Brewers hit five in the first game of a doubleheader.

1983 - Cliff Johnson of the Toronto Blue Jays hit his 18th career pinch home run. The drive, off Baltimore's Tippy Martinez, tied Johnson with Jerry Lynch on the career pinch homer list.

1998 - Brian Cox went 6-for-6, including a grand slam in a 10-run third inning, as Florida State rolled past Delaware 27-6 in the NCAA Atlantic II Regional. Freshman Matt Diaz hit three home runs for the Seminoles.

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

**Udog** · 05-21-2010, 11:36 PM

Daily Sports Roundup: May 22

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Sprint Cup Series races at Charlotte, the Celtics host the Magic, and the Yanks and Mets continue the Subway Series.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The Eastern Conference Finals shift to Boston on Saturday for Game 3 of the series between the Magic and Celtics. Boston took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set on Tuesday night, knocking off the Magic in Orlando by a final score of 95-92. Paul Pierce led the way with 28 points for the Celtics in that upset win, while Rajon Rondo tossed in 25 points to go along with eight assists. Kevin Garnett added 10 points and nine rebounds. Dwight Howard had a game-high 30 points in Game 2's losing cause for the Magic, while Vince Carter and J.J. Redick had 16 points each. The Celtics are 3-point home favorites for Saturday's game.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The Yankees and Mets will continue their interleague series on Saturday night, with Phil Hughes (5-0, 2.25 ERA) slated to take on Mike Pelfrey (5-1, 3.02 ERA) in the day's Big Apple battle. Righthander Hughes is coming off his worst performance of the season; he gave up five earned runs on six hits over just five innings of work in a no-decision against the Red Sox on Monday. Righthander Pelfrey got back into the win column in his last trip to the mound, holding the Braves to two earned runs on seven hits over 7 2-3 innings of work on Monday.

Also on the MLB schedule for Saturday: Atlanta at Pittsburgh, the Angels at St. Louis, Florida at the White Sox, San Francisco at Oakland, Baltimore at Washington, Colorado at Kansas City, Milwaukee at Minnesota, Tampa Bay at Houston, Cincinnati at Cleveland, Detroit at the Dodgers, the Cubs at Texas, Toronto at Arizona, San Diego at Seattle, and Boston at Philadelphia. Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-1, 7.89 ERA) is expected to get the ball for the Red Sox on Saturday, with Kyle Kendrick (2-1, 5.24 ERA) going for the Phillies. Dice-K was ripped by the Yankees in his last outing, allowing seven runs over 4 2-3 innings.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

The Canadiens will be looking to tie up the Eastern Conference final on Saturday afternoon when they host the Flyers in Game 4 of the set. Montreal cut the series deficit to 2-1 with a 5-1 win in Game 3 at home on Thursday night. Michael Cammalleri, Tom Pyatt, Dominic Moore, Brian Gionta, and Marc-Andre Bergeron all scored for the Habs in Thursday's victory, while Jaroslav Halak bounced back from a rough start to the series by stopping 25 of 26 shots. Simon Gagne scored his seventh goal of the playoffs for Philly, and Michael Leighton made 33 saves.

Roaring around the track . . .

The Sprint Cup Series takes a break from its points races on Saturday to stage its annual All-Star event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jimmie Johnson has been pegged as the 5/1 Vegas favorite to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Challenge, with Kyle Busch just behind him on that odds list at 11/2. Tony Stewart sits at 15/2 odds to grab the victory, with Jeff Gordon at 8/1, and each of Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, and Kevin Harvick back at 10/1. Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin are both at 12/1 on that Vegas chart to claim the win on Saturday.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

Finally, the WNBA offers up three games for Saturday, with Los Angeles at San Antonio, Indiana at Chicago, and Seattle at Phoenix. The Storm are 2-0 so far this season, beating Minnesota 79-76 in their last game on Wednesday night. Swin Cash had 24 points for Seattle in that contest, while Lauren Jackson was good for 18 points. The 1-0 Mercury got past Los Angeles 78-77 in their opener.

**Udog** · 05-21-2010, 11:39 PM

NOTE:
For the initial posting of trends and indexes, we have provided information available up to the time of posting.
Additional updates for today’s games will be posted ASAP.

**Udog** · 05-22-2010, 08:40 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Orlando at Boston
The Celtics look to take advantage of an Orlando team that is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games as a road underdog. Boston is the pick (-3) according to Dunkel, which has the Celtics favored by 9 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Boston (-3). Here are all of today's picks.

SATURDAY, MAY 22

Game 507-508: Orlando at Boston (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Orlando 123.073; Boston 132.581
Dunkel Line & Total: Boston by 9 1/2; 187
Vegas Line & Total: Boston by 3; 190
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-3); Under

Announcement

Saturday's Trends and Indexes 5/22 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Saturday's Trends and Indexes 5/22 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment