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**Udog** · 05-29-2010, 12:23 AM

Daily Sports Roundup: May 29

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Lakers and Suns continue the Western Finals in Phoenix, and the Flyers and Blackhawks begin the Stanley Cup final up in Chicago.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The Lakers will be looking to wrap up the Western Conference Finals on Saturday night when they play in Phoenix against the Suns in Game 6 of the set. Los Angeles took a 3-2 series lead with a 103-101 last-second win as a 7.5-point home favorite in Game 5 on Thursday night. Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers with 30 points, 11 boards, and nine assists in that contest, while Derek Fisher was good for 22 points on the night. Pau Gasol chipped in with 21 points. Steve Nash picked up a team-high 29 points and 11 assists in the defeat for the Suns, and Amare Stoudemire had 19 points.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The American League schedule for Saturday has Cleveland at the Yankees, Baltimore at Toronto, Seattle at the Angels, Texas at Minnesota, Oakland at Detroit, the White Sox at Tampa Bay, and Kansas City at Boston. Zack Greinke (1-5, 3.57 ERA) is expected to get the ball for the Royals in that last matchup, while the Red Sox counter with Clay Buchholz (6-3, 3.07 ERA). Righthander Greinke was pounded by the Rockies in his most recent trip to the mound, surrendering seven earned runs over just 3 1-3 innings of work. Righthander Buchholz is coming off a strong outing against the Rays in which he picked up the win while allowing just one earned run over his six innings.

Meanwhile, the National League on Saturday offers up St. Louis at the Cubs, Houston at Cincinnati, Pittsburgh at Atlanta, the Mets at Milwaukee, the Dodgers at Colorado, Washington at San Diego, Arizona at San Francisco, and Philadelphia at Florida. Roy Halladay (6-3, 2.22 ERA) is slated to take on Josh Johnson (5-1, 2.43 ERA) in that Phillies/Marlins contest. Righthander Halladay was tagged with his second straight loss last time out, allowing six earned runs over 5 2-3 innings against the Red Sox. Righthander Johnson didn't give up a run in either of his last two starts, holding the White Sox and Diamondbacks scoreless on just eight hits over his 13 innings of work.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

The Stanley Cup final gets underway in Chicago on Saturday night, with the Hawks playing host to the Flyers in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series. Chicago bounced the top-seeded Sharks out of the playoffs by wrapping up the Western Conference final with a 4-2 win last Sunday. Dustin Byfuglien had the game-winning goal for the Hawks in that game, while Antti Niemi made 16 saves. Philadelphia beat Montreal 4-2 on Monday night to take the Eastern Conference crown, with Jeff Carter scoring twice and Michael Leighton stopping 25 of 27 shots. Oddsmakers have the Blackhawks pegged as the -200 home favorites for Saturday's game, with the total set at 5.5 goals.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

Finally, there are two games on the WNBA's schedule for Saturday, with Chicago at Minnesota and Indiana at Tulsa. The Fever (2-2 straight-up, 2-2 against-the-spread) beat Chicago 69-61 in their last contest; Tamika Catchings scored 13 points for Indiana in that victory. The Shock (1-3 SU, 1-3 ATS) were beaten 110-96 by Phoenix last time out, with Amber Holt pouring in 20 points off the bench for Tulsa in the defeat.

**Udog** · 05-29-2010, 12:26 AM

Bettor's best friend: Saturday's wagering tips

Line off the board

Cardinals at Cubs – The uncertainty of wind speed and direction at Wrigley has kept this game’s total from being posted. The two teams played to a 7-1 game with the wind blowing in Friday which went over the total of 6.5.

Lines to keep an eye on

Lakers at Suns – Phoenix has swung from a 1-point home dog to a 1.5-point favorite on most boards but some are offering the Suns at -1. Some shops have also bumped the total in this game a point after opening at 215.

Indians at Yankees – The home team surfaced as hefty -320 favorites with ace CC Sabathia on the hill but that number has slipped to as low as -305 at a few shops.

Mets at Brewers – Most books have elevated the total in this game to 9.5 after opening at 9.

Mariners at Angels – The home team surfaced as -200 chalk but that number has dropped to -185 on a few boards.

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

There is a 30 percent chance of rain from 7-11 p.m. local time in Paris, France on Saturday. If the downpour is heavy enough play could be suspended and those matches could carry over into Sunday, Day 8.

Indians at Yankees – A 40-50 percent chance of rain is in the forecast.

Dodgers at Rockies – The forecast calls for wind to blow out to left-center field at 16 mph. A 30 percent chance of precipitation is also expected.

Red Sox at Royals – A 13 mph wind is projected to blow straight out to center field. There is also a 30 percent chance of rain in the forecast.

Phillies at Marlins – A 40-60 percent chance of rain is in the forecast.

Pirates at Braves – A 30-50 percent chance of thunderstorms could bring rain.

Who’s hot

Cleveland (AFL) is 4-0 ATS in its last four games.

The Flyers are 8-2 in their last 10 meetings versus Chicago.

Phoenix has won three in a row ATS and are 7-3 ATS over a 10-game span.

The Mets and Rockies had won five straight going into Friday’s games.

Who’s not

Minnesota (WNBA) has lost four straight and is 2-3 ATS on the season.

As of Friday, the Phillies were on a five-game slide and just 3-7 in their last 10 games.

Tulsa (WNBA) is 0-3 SU and ATS at home this year.

Key stat

10 – Number of errors the Twins have committed in 47 games this season. San Francisco has the next fewest at 19. Great defense is a reason Minnesota has gotten off to a great start and leads the AL Central.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz is day-to-day with a hamstring injury. Cruz said he "blew out" a hamstring muscle in his left leg Wednesday when he heard a pop and felt a lot of pain during his last at-bat. Cruz just came off the disabled list with a strained right hamstring. He was not in the lineup for Friday's game against Minnesota, but was available to pinch-hit. Cruz is hitting .330 with 10 home runs and 34 RBIs this season and the Rangers’ offense started producing OVERS when he came off the DL.

Game of the day

Los Angeles Lakers at Phoenix Suns (-1.5, 215.5)

Notable quotable

"It's just no respect. That's how it's been for a long time so far this playoffs. No respect. Guys have no respect. Coaches have no respect for the Lakers at all. They don't respect at all."

-- Lakers forward Ron Artest claimed. He added that there would be “extra motivation” for Game 6 in Phoenix because Steve Nash assumed the series would be coming back to L.A. for a finale.

Tips and notes

- PGA golfer Jeff Overton points to a new caddy and driver as the reasons for his recent success – two second-place finishes in his last four tournaments. Overton was tied for the lead at Colonial after Round 1 and sits three strokes behind the leader going into Saturday. Overton said his new driver has added 15 yards off the tee. He said after his first round that the Colonial course “sets up very well for my game” because he hits a high draw. Overton is getting +850 odds to win the tourney.

- The Mets have been the streakiest team in baseball through a quarter of the season. New York started the season 4-8, then went 10-1, then 4-11 and now is on a 7-3 run after a three-game sweep of the Phillies. The Mets may be able to extend its hot streak while visiting the slumping Brewers but then will face NL West-leading San Diego six times in the next nine games, with Florida sandwiched in between. Given the Mets streaky trends, the team could be a play-against squad during that stretch.

- Home runs are down this year in Minnesota and totals are reflecting that. The over/under record is 8-14-2 at new Target Field in Minneapolis this season and the Twins have played to the UNDER in four of their last five at home. In comparison, the Metrodome yielded 2.30 homers per game in 2009 while Target Field is only giving up 1.38 longballs per this season. Only the A’s and Mariners stadiums are averaging fewer home runs per game.

**Udog** · 05-29-2010, 12:27 AM

NBA

Saturday, May 29

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Trend Report
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8:30 PM
LA LAKERS vs. PHOENIX
LA Lakers are 9-2 SU in their last 11 games
LA Lakers are 2-5-1 ATS in their last 8 games on the road
Phoenix is 4-10 SU in their last 14 games when playing LA Lakers
Phoenix is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games when playing at home against LA Lakers

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**Udog** · 05-29-2010, 12:28 AM

NBA

Saturday, May 29

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Pick 'n' Roll: Today's best NBA bets
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Los Angeles Lakers at Phoenix Suns (-1.5, 215.5)

Just call them the heartbreak kids. Of course the only hearts the Suns ever break is their own.

The club long associated with raw deals in the postseason had to break out the Pepto again following its last-second loss to the Lakers on Thursday night.

Lost in the hub-bub of Ron Artest’s late game theatrics was the most important stat of the game: The Suns covered the spread (+7.5) after climbing back from 18 down.

Phoenix is now 3-0 ATS since it switched to a zone defense and the Lakers’ point total has shrunk in each game of the series.

"I don't think it's so much the zone," Grant Hill told the Arizona Republic. "I think it's the effort and the fight."

Whatever it is, it’s working. Bettors should expect another big night from the Phoenix bench and the Suns to force a Game 7 in Los Angeles.

Pick: Suns

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**Udog** · 05-29-2010, 12:29 AM

NBA

Saturday, May 29

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Game of the day: Lakers at Suns
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Los Angeles Lakers at Phoenix Suns (-1, 215)

Los Angeles leads the series 3-2.

Series story

The home team has dominated this series so far, winning each of the first five games.

The Lakers appeared on track to deliver a blowout victory Thursday night before the Suns rallied, eventually tying the game with 3.5 seconds remaining. Ron Artest’s buzzer beater turned out to be the difference in a 103-101 Lakers victory.

Game 5 marked the first time in this series that the straight-up winner failed to cover the pointspread.

It was also the first time we saw a game stay under the total after the over cashed in Games 1 through 4.

These two teams have now met nine times since the start of the regular season, with the road team winning just once. The Lakers pulled out a 102-96 decision in Phoenix back on March 12.

Championship material

Backing the Lakers can be frustrating at times, as they often lack that killer instinct that represents the difference between a winning and losing ticket.

Winning games and covering spreads are two entirely different matters.

They led Game 5 by as many as 18 points, but were barely able to stave off a furious Suns rally. But, the fact that they were able to win that game on Ron Artest’s put-back tells a lot about this team’s character.

"Plays like that are the difference between championship teams and really good teams,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry put it best.

It was the perfect illustration of why they were able to win the NBA title one year ago and why they’re on the verge of reaching the NBA Finals for the third consecutive year.

When it comes to winning series, the Lakers haven’t lacked killer instinct. They’re a perfect two-for-two when attempting to finish off an opponent in these playoffs and 8-1 in that position dating back to the start of the 2008 playoffs.

It’s also worth noting that each of their last four series-clinching victories have come on the road, including both this postseason.

Suns set?

"We lost and they held home court. We'll go back home and do the same and we'll come back here for Game 7,” Phoenix point guard Steve Nash assured reporters following Game 5.

That’s as close to a guarantee as you’re going to get.

Nash certainly believes his team can get the job done at home and force a seventh and deciding game, and why not?

This is a team that has gone 6-1 SU and ATS on its home floor in the playoffs. The Suns last loss at home came way back in their playoff opener against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Alvin Gentry doesn’t believe his team’s disappointment will linger.

"We had an opportunity to win and didn't quite get it done, but we're not going to get discouraged,” he said. “We're not happy, I can tell you that. We're very disappointed. We're not jovial. But we'll be OK."

One thing’s for sure, the Suns can’t afford to fall behind early as they did in Game 5. If not for their sharp shooting from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter, the Lakers likely would have rolled to a double-digit win Thursday.

Phoenix has led by seven and nine points at the half in its two home games in this series. Getting off to a quick start will be imperative in a do-or-die situation Saturday.

Change of pace

After more than 220 points were scored in each of the first four games of the series, Game 5 totaled just 204 points.

It had a lot to do with the Lakers’ defensive gameplan. They did an excellent job of trapping the Suns and giving them little room to work with. Most of the Suns success came as a result of blown defensive assignments, rather than offensive efficiency.

Whether the Lakers can keep up that level of defensive intensity as the scene shifts back to Phoenix remains to be seen. They allowed 118 and 115 points in dropping Games 2 and 3 in the desert.

The Suns zone defense has been effective at times. Despite giving up 103 points, they did hold the Lakers under 42 percent shooting Thursday night.

Line moves

The Suns opened as 1 or 1.5-point favorites at most offshore books and remain at -1.5 as of Friday afternoon.

The early money has come in on the favored Suns. That’s no surprise given the short line and the home dominance in this series.

The total opened at 215, the lowest number we’ve seen since Game 1.

The betting public will likely line up to back the over, just as they have in virtually every game in this series.

The fact that the oddsmakers are willing to shave 2.5 points off the Game 5 opener is indicative of the type of action they’re expecting to receive from the big players.

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**Udog** · 05-29-2010, 12:30 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Philadelphia at Chicago
The Blackhawks look to build on their 6-2 record in their last 8 playoff games as a favorite from -150 to -200. Chicago is the pick (-200) according to Dunkel, which has the Blackhawks favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Chicago (-200). Here are all of today's picks.

SATURDAY, MAY 29

Game 1-2: Philadelphia at Chicago (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia 13.302; Chicago 14.389
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 1; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago (-200); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago (-200); Under

**Udog** · 05-29-2010, 12:31 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Saturday, May 29

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PHILADELPHIA (53-39-0-7, 113 pts.) at CHICAGO (64-26-0-8, 136 pts.) - 5/29/2010, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 64-33 ATS (+18.4 Units) in all games this season.
CHICAGO is 31-13 ATS (+10.4 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
CHICAGO is 37-16 ATS (+11.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
CHICAGO is 43-26 ATS (+13.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 1-1 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 1-1-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.2 Units)

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**Udog** · 05-29-2010, 12:32 AM

NHL
Short Sheet

Saturday, 5/29/2010

Stanley Cup Finals
Game One (Series Tied, 0-0)
PHILADELPHIA AT CHICAGO, 8:05 PM ET NBC
PHILADELPHIA: 8-1 Over playing with 3+ days rest
CHICAGO: 17-3 SU off a home win scoring 4+ goals

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

**Udog** · 05-29-2010, 12:33 AM

NHL

Saturday, May 29

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. CHICAGO
Philadelphia is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 6 games
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Chicago is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home

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**Udog** · 05-29-2010, 12:34 AM

NHL

Saturday, May 29

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Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
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Philadelphia Flyers at Chicago Blackhawks (-200, 5.5)

Even the most seasoned veteran is holding his stick a little tight when it comes to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final.

Hockey bettors can expect a sloppy first period when the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks open their showdown for Lord Stanley’s Cup at the United Center Saturday.

The city of Chicago is buzzing with excitement, putting a Blackhawks helmet on the lion statues outside the Chicago Art Institute as well giving the Michael Jordan statue outside the United Center the Blackhawks makeover, including helmet, jersey and skates. The pressure is definitely on a young Chicago team to give the Windy City its first Stanley Cup since 1961.

“It would be nice to end one of the longest droughts in sports history,” Patrick Kane told the Globe and Mail. “It’s been a long time coming for the fans.

“The city is on fire right now.”

The Blackhawks haven’t performed well at home during the postseason, going just 5-3 inside the United Center and needing overtime in two of those home victories. Chicago averages 2.6 goals per game at home in the playoffs (outscored 23-21 as hosts) but scores four goals a night inside opposing barns.

With the pressure to perform peaking and those home-ice woes, the Blackhawks will be dealt a rude awakening from a veteran-laden Flyers club with nothing to lose.

Pick: Flyers

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**Udog** · 05-29-2010, 12:35 AM

MLB

Saturday, May 29

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Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets
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Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels (-200, 8.5)

Last year, the Angels were one of the most patient teams in the league with an average of 3.88 pitches per plate appearance.

This season, L.A. has increased that mark to 3.91 but it hasn’t equated to the team leading the league in batting average like it did in 2010.

"That's my argument — sometimes you have to be more aggressive," batting coach Mickey Hatcher said. "Instead of trying to work the count all the time, you might have to open up a little more and fire on those fastballs."

The Halos rank 10th in the American League in average this season (.251) and hitters are batting below the Mendoza Line with two strikes on them.

"There are a lot of guys on our club who are underachieving," Scioscia said. "We need guys to get into their game, not to be supermen, but to bring what they can do on a daily basis."

One of those guys is offseason acquisition Hideki Matsui. Godzilla has been moved from cleanup to the seventh spot this season to try and get him going but the left-handed slugger is hitting just .238 on the year.

Only one game between these two teams this season has exceeded an 8.5 total and last year 10 of the 16 graded totals in this series went under. Expect more of the same Saturday.

Pick: Under

Philadelphia Phillies at Florida Marlins (+105, 7)

Since the Binogate incident when Phillies bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer was caught with the binoculars and accused of stealing signs the team is averaging 3.79 runs per game.

We’re not making any assumptions here, but the Phils were averaging 5.44 runs per before that.

Mired in a five-game slide heading into Friday’s opener in Florida, the Phillies have lost their offensive punch. The NL East leaders have been outscored 29-3 during their losing streak and did not score a run during a three-game sweep against New York.

Manager Charlie Manuel tinkered with the lineup before Friday night’s game, sitting Jayson Werth and moving Raul Ibanez down to the No. 5 spot in the order. Werth reportedly shaved his beard in hopes of busting out of his slump.

The team also has had multiple meetings this week, with the manager and players only, to try and figure out what is wrong.

Just like a hitter taking pitches until the guy on the mound can throw a strike, bettors shouldn’t be backing the Phils until they can post more than three runs in a game.

Pick: Marlins

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**Udog** · 05-29-2010, 12:35 AM

MLB

Saturday, May 29

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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
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Streaking

Carlos Silva, Chicago Cubs

What a long strange trip it’s been for Carlos Silva. Long considered one of the most overpaid starters in the majors, Silva has turned around his career in his first year in the Windy City.

Silva continues to rack up the wins even though the Cubs are playing like crap. Chicago is 8-1 on days the big righty takes the mound. Silva has six quality starts in nine appearances for the Cubs and his teammates are helping him out with great run support.

Oddsmakers still aren’t buying into Silva. They made him a large dog in his last outing and the Bolivian native did his part helping the visiting Cubs top the Rangers.

Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins

The Marlins ace didn’t allow a run in either of his last two trips to the bump and he sports an eye-popping 0.45 ERA over his last three starts.

"He's probably the best unheralded pitcher in our league," Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch said after Johnson pitched seven scoreless innings and tacked on nine K’s to boot. "He doesn't get a lot of attention down here in Florida, but he's pretty good. He's got a lot of weapons and knows how to pitch."

That’s probably why the notoriously-cheap Marlins decided to sign the young stud to a four-year extension. Florida backers should be able to grab Johnson and the Fish at a cheap price going against Roy Halladay and the Phillies.

Slumping

CC Sabathia, New York Yankees

CC has been up and down this year but since he’s always a heavy – no pun intended – favorite, bettors are a little bit more critical. The southpaw pitcher, who earns over $600,000, a start hasn’t won a decision since May 3.

He was touched up for five earned runs in five innings of work Sunday night against the Mets, making it three out of four games where Sabathia failed to deliver a quality start for the Bronx Bombers.

His biggest problem is keeping the ball in the park. Sabathia has given up seven homers in his last four starts.

C.J. Wilson, Texas Rangers

Wilson was enjoying great success in his transition from closer to starter, but he got rocked in his last two outings. Wilson has been charged with 12 earned runs in his last 10 innings.

The big fly has been Wilson’s problem too. He gave up one in his last start and the Angels took him out of the park twice in his previous appearance. While Wilson owns swing-and-miss stuff his WHIP (walks + hits per inning) is beginning to creep up.

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**Udog** · 05-29-2010, 12:36 AM

MLB

Saturday, May 29

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This Day in Baseball
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On May 29 in Baseball History...

1976 - The only home run of Joe Niekro's 22-year career comes at the expense of brother Phil as the Astros tie the Braves in the seventh, then win 4-3.

1989 - Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt, 39, retires. He is seventh on the all-time home run list with 548, but was hitting just .203 this season before making his tearful farewell speech.

1990 - Rickey Henderson steals his 893rd career base in Oakland's 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays, surpassing Ty Cobb as the A.L.'s all-time leader. Lou Brock's mark of 938 is next.

1992 - Tim Raines of the White Sox swipes his 700th career base.

1993 - Jose Canseco, who three days earlier had a ball bounce off his head for a home run, pitches an inning in a blowout in Boston. The result? Besides the Rangers' 15-1 loss, Canseco winds up having to undergo season-ending elbow surgery from his ill-advised outing.

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**Udog** · 05-29-2010, 12:37 AM

WNBA

Saturday, May 29

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. MINNESOTA
Chicago is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Minnesota
Chicago is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 games at home
Minnesota is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games at home

8:00 PM
INDIANA vs. TULSA
Indiana is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Tulsa
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing Tulsa
Tulsa is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Tulsa is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games at home

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Announcement

Saturday's Trends and Indexes 5/29 (NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA, Misc.)

Saturday's Trends and Indexes 5/29 (NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA, Misc.)

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