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**Udog** · 04-24-2011, 09:25 AM

Daily Sports Roundup: April 24

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Heat try to finish off the Sixers, the Giants play host to the Braves, and the Blackhawks continue their playoff series with the Canucks.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The NBA has four playoff games on tap for Sunday, with Boston at New York, Orlando at Atlanta, the Lakers at New Orleans, and Miami at Philadelphia. The Heat took a commanding 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series with the Sixers on Thursday night in Philadelphia, winning 100-94 behind a 32-point effort from Dwyane Wade. LeBron James was good for 24 points and 15 rebounds for the Heat in that victory, while Chris Bosh picked up 19 points on the night. Elton Brand had 21 points and 11 boards in the losing cause for the Sixers, and Jrue Holliday contributed 20 points.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

On the American League schedule for Sunday it's the White Sox at Detroit, the Yankees at Baltimore, Cleveland at Minnesota, Kansas City at Texas, Boston at the Angels, Oakland at Seattle, and Tampa Bay at Toronto. James Shields (1-1, 3.07 ERA) will take the hill for the Rays on Sunday; righthander Shields dominated the White Sox in his most recent start, allowing just one run on four hits over nine innings of work to pick up his first win of the year. Ricky Romero (1-2, 3.12 ERA) will pitch for Toronto; lefthander Romero surrendered five runs in 4 1-3 innings in a loss to the Red Sox in his last outing.

In the National League on Sunday it's then Arizona at the Mets, Colorado at Florida, Washington at Pittsburgh, Houston at Milwaukee, Philadelphia at San Diego, the Dodgers at the Cubs, Cincinnati at St. Louis, and Atlanta at San Francisco. Brandon Beachy (1-1, 3.86 ERA) gets the ball for the Braves on Sunday; righthander Beachy blanked the Dodgers on two hits over six innings of work in his last trip to the mound. The Giants will counter with Jonathan Sanchez (2-1, 3.13 ERA); lefthander Sanchez is coming off a win over the Rockies in which he gave up two earned runs in 6 1-3 innings.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, there are three games on the NHL's playoff schedule for Sunday, with Anaheim at Nashville, Philadelphia at Buffalo, and Vancouver at Chicago. The Blackhawks cut their series deficit with the top-seeded Canucks to 3-2 with a 5-0 shutout win in Vancouver in Game 5 on Thursday night. Marian Hossa and Duncan Keith each scored twice for the Blackhawks in that victory, and Patrick Kane had a single marker. Corey Crawford stopped all 36 Canucks shots in the contest. Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo was yanked in Game 5 after giving up four goals on just 12 shots; backup netminder Cory Schneider surrendered one Hawks goal on 14 shots the rest of the way.

**Udog** · 04-24-2011, 09:28 AM

Sunday's betting tips: Wrigley winds shift, blowing in from center

Weather to Watch
A stiff SW wind at Wrigley Field helped produced a 10-8 Cubs’ wins over the Dodgers on Saturday.
The conditions are set up for the exact opposite today. A 10 mph N wind will be blowing in from straight away center field. The Cubs played eight games in those conditions last season. All eight stayed under the total.

Who’s Hot
MLB: Dodgers OF Andre Ethier extended his hitting streak to 20 games in Saturday’s loss to the Cubs.
NHL: The OVER is 20-6 in the last 20 meetings between the Sabres and Flyers.
NHL: Canucks are 73-34-2 in their last 109 games playing on two days rest.

Who’s Not
NBA: The Knicks are 0-7 against the Celtics this season.
MLB: The White Sox have lost 9 of 10.
NHL: Ducks are 14-29 in their last 43 games as a road underdog of +110 to +150.

Injuries and Suspensions
New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul practiced with his a wrap on his left hand Saturday and expects to play today against the Lakers. Paul injured his thumb in the Hornets’ Game 3 loss to the Lakers on Saturday.

It’s sounding more and more like the Knicks will be without Amar’e Stoudemire (back) and Chauncey Billups (knee) today against the Celtics. Stoudemire told reporters Saturday that his back had worsened and that it would need to improve if he was going to play in Game 4. Billups is in a similar situation with his gimpy knee, needing to improve in order to play.

Magic guard Jason Richardson and Hawks forward Zaza Pachulia are suspended for today’s Game 4 in Atlanta. The loss likely hurts the Hawks more. Without Pachulia, they are short on big bodies to throw at Dwight Howard.

Key Stat
The Heat have attempted 44 more free throws than the 76ers in the first three games of their first-round series.

Notable Quotable
“Amar’e’s not 100 percent; Chauncey was not 100 percent. We’re just trying to find our way on the fly, but I don’t want to make excuse. It’s a big challenge for us. We’re in a steep hole right now. But we want to stay positive and redeem ourselves [tomorrow].” – Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony in the New York Post.

Betting Tips

Miami and Boston try to do what Chicago couldn’t – complete a sweep. The Heat opened as six-point favorites over the Sixers in today’s Game 4 in Philadelphia. The Celtics are 3.5-point favorites over the injury-ravaged Knicks.
Sometimes it takes a tough environment against a winning team to get the Lakers’ attention. L.A. is 12-4 ATS in their last 16 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
The Cardinals are 39-19 in their last 58 home games vs. a right-handed starter. Cincinnati gives the ball to RH Sam LeCure, as the Reds face Jake Westbrook and the Cardinals in St. Louis (1-2, 9.82) on Sunday Night Baseball.
The PGA Tour has an intriguing leaderboard heading into Sunday’s final round of The Heritage. Rising stars Luke Donald and Jason Day are in the hunt, along with veteran Jim Furyk.

**Udog** · 04-24-2011, 09:31 AM

Sunday's six-pack

Las Vegas odds for the 2011 Canadian Football League title
Calgary Stampeders 5-2

Montreal Alouettes 3-1

BC Lions/Saskatchewan Roughriders, both 5-1

Edmonton Eskimos 7-1

Hamilton Tiger Cats 8-1

Toronto Argonauts 9-1

Winnipeg Blue Bombers 10-1

Grey Cup is in Vancouver November 27.

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Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday.......

13) Trailblazers were down 23 at home in third quarter to Dallas, but then Brnadon Roy caught fire, going 8-10 in 4th quarter, as Portland won beat the Mavericks and tied the series 2-2. Home team is 8-0 in Blazer-Dallas games this season. Two of last three games will be played in Dallas.

12) Too bad Chauncey Billups got hurt at end of Game 1; Celtics-Knicks series will probably end today (Sunday). Thats what happens when you trade for older players- they get hurt more than younger guys.

11) Darren Oliver closed for the Rangers Saturday, with Neftali Feliz on the DL now; Texas needs to patch together its bullpen until Feliz returns.

10) Daisuke Matsuzaka's last two starts; 15 IP, 2 hits, four walks, couple wins, 12 strikeouts. All of a sudden, he's gotten nasty.

9) You don't see many NHL playoff games end 8-2, the way Tampa Bay beat the Penguins Saturday; even more unusual is that the Lightning were down three games to one. Chicago did the same thing to Vancouver out in the west; they were down 3-0, then beat the Canucks 7-2. Unusual.

8) Braves have played 22 games, and don't have a player with more than one stolen base yet. Atlanta pinch-hitters started season 0-25, but are 3 for their last 5. Their 10-12 start isn't good, considering the Phillies are 14-6.

7) Memphis Grizzlies are first #8 seed in NBA to grab 2-1 series lead in a playoff series since Golden State did it in 2006 against Dallas. Grizzlies are 7-0 against the spread when playing San Antonio this season.

6) Bulls may be up 3-1 on Indiana, but Pacers have led in fourth quarter in all four games. This has been a better series than it appears.

5) San Jose outshot the Kings 19-6 in first period but somehow trailed 3-0. Sharks now lead series 3-2, with two of their three wins in OT.

4) Padres are 7-2 when they score 3 or more runs, 0-11 when they don't; they walked Jimmy Rollins intentionally in the 11th inning Saturday to pitch to Ryan Howard-- Howard had struck out four times in a row, but he crossed San Diego up with a game-winning double. I ain't ever walking anyone on purpose to pitch to Howard in a big spot, but thats just me.

3) I really think if an NBA player gets a technical foul, it should also be a personal foul; thats more of a penalty than suspending a guy after his 16th technical of the season. Make it an immediate penalty.

2) Have to be careful when using umpire stats when handicapping; it has to enhance your handicapping, not be a primary focus, because an umpire only has so much influence; if a pitcher has cruddy stuff and gets rocked all over the park, or if he doesn't have command of his out pitch that day, who the umpire is doesn't matter. That pitcher will have a tough day. Now if a pitcher is sharp, the ump can carry him thru his few tough spots. The umpire stats have their place, but as a supplemental aide.

1) Only 11 of the 30 major league teams are over .500; two 11-10 teams are tied for first in the NL Central. Pittsburgh is 9-11, but they're only a game and a half out of first place. Weird season so far.

**Udog** · 04-24-2011, 10:03 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Boston at New York
The Celtics look to close out the series and build on their 5-1 ATS record in their last 6 playoff games as a favorite from 1 to 4 1/2 points. Boston is the pick (-2 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Celtics favored by 5. Dunkel Pick: Boston (-2 1/2). Here are all of today's picks.

SUNDAY, APRIL 24

Game 501-502: Miami at Philadelphia (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Miami 124.648; Philadelphia 119.474
Dunkel Line & Total: Miami by 5; 195
Vegas Line & Total: Miami by 6; 188 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+6); Over

Game 503-504: Boston at New York (3:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston 121.855; New York 116.726
Dunkel Line & Total: Boston by 5; 190
Vegas Line & Total: Boston by 2 1/2; 195
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-2 1/2); Under

Game 505-506: Orlando at Atlanta (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Orlando 119.774; Atlanta 119.990
Dunkel Line & Total: Even; 173
Vegas Line & Total: Orlando by 2; 178 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+2); Under

Game 507-508: LA Lakers at New Orleans (9:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Lakers 124.824; New Orleans 117.808
Dunkel Line & Total: LA Lakers by 7; 187
Vegas Line & Total: LA Lakers by 5 1/2; 182 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Lakers (-5 1/2); Over

**Udog** · 04-24-2011, 10:06 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, April 24

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MIAMI (61 - 24) at PHILADELPHIA (41 - 44) - 4/24/2011, 1:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 47-37 ATS (+6.3 Units) in all games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 28-19 ATS (+7.1 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
MIAMI is 10-1 ATS (+8.9 Units) as a road favorite of 3.5 to 6 points this season.
MIAMI is 25-16 ATS (+7.4 Units) in road games this season.
MIAMI is 26-15 ATS (+9.5 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 48-72 ATS (-31.2 Units) in a home game where where the total is between 185 and 189.5 points since 1996.
PHILADELPHIA is 21-38 ATS (-20.8 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MIAMI is 8-6 against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
MIAMI is 12-2 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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BOSTON (59 - 26) at NEW YORK (42 - 43) - 4/24/2011, 3:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 28-39 ATS (-14.9 Units) as a favorite this season.
BOSTON is 6-24 ATS (-20.4 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
BOSTON is 18-35 ATS (-20.5 Units) after scoring 105 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 31-48 ATS (-21.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record - 2nd half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 33-50 ATS (-22.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 48-35 ATS (+9.5 Units) in all games this season.
NEW YORK is 28-11 ATS (+15.9 Units) as an underdog this season.
NEW YORK is 25-14 ATS (+9.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 8-7 against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 13-2 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
9 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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ORLANDO (53 - 32) at ATLANTA (46 - 39) - 4/24/2011, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ORLANDO is 35-49 ATS (-18.9 Units) in all games this season.
ORLANDO is 30-43 ATS (-17.3 Units) as a favorite this season.
ORLANDO is 16-25 ATS (-11.5 Units) in road games this season.
ORLANDO is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) after a division game this season.
ORLANDO is 22-34 ATS (-15.4 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) off a upset loss as a favorite this season.
ORLANDO is 13-23 ATS (-12.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ATLANTA is 23-11 ATS (+10.9 Units) off an upset win as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
ATLANTA is 19-6 ATS (+12.4 Units) in home games after allowing 85 points or less over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 10-9 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO is 12-7 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
15 of 19 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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LA LAKERS (59 - 26) at NEW ORLEANS (47 - 38) - 4/24/2011, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA LAKERS are 85-103 ATS (-28.3 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 73-88 ATS (-23.8 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 15-28 ATS (-15.8 Units) revenging a home loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 56-85 ATS (-37.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 31-50 ATS (-24.0 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW ORLEANS is 7-7 against the spread versus LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 11-3 straight up against NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
9 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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**Udog** · 04-24-2011, 10:11 AM

NBA
Short Sheet

Sunday, April 24

Eastern Conference Playoffs - First Round - Best of 7 - Game 4 - MIA 3-0
MIAMI at PHILADELPHIA, 1:05 PM ET ABC
MIAMI: 10-1 ATS as road favorite of 3.5 to 6 pts
PHILADELPHIA: 15-28 ATS at home off ATS loss

Eastern Conference Playoffs - First Round - Best of 7 - Game 4 - BOS 3-0
BOSTON at NEW YORK, 3:35 PM ET ABC
BOSTON: 1-11 ATS off road win by 10+ pts
NEW YORK: 18-7 ATS off loss by 15+ pts as home favorite

Eastern Conference Playoffs - First Round - Best of 7 - Game 4 - ATL 2-1
ORLANDO at ATLANTA, 7:05 PM ET TNT
ORLANDO: 0-7 ATS vs. Atlanta
ATLANTA: 8-1 Under at home vs. Orlando

Western Conference Playoffs - First Round - Best of 7 - Game 4 - LAL 2-1
LA LAKERS at NEW ORLEANS, 9:35 PM ET TNT
LA LAKERS: 5-1 ATS at New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS: 13-30 ATS off home loss

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

**Udog** · 04-24-2011, 10:12 AM

NBA
Write-Up

Sunday, April 24

Under is 9-4 in Eastern games so far, 8-5 in Western games; favorites are 5-8 vs spread out west, 2-10-1 in the East.

Miami is 6-0 vs Philly this season, winning by 10-9-12-8-21-6, covering four of the six, with four of six staying under total. Heat won ten of last eleven games overall (8-3 vs spread). Sixers lost eight of their last nine games (1-8 vs spread) with eight of the nine staying under. Sixers gave Miami their best shot Friday and it wasn't enough- they were minus-16 in the 7:02 that Brand was off the floor.

Knicks led first two series games in last 0:20, couldn't finish either one, then got crushed at start of Game 3, trailing 22-5. Boston is 7-0 against Knicks this season (3-4 vs spread). Celtics' subs are minus-88 last two games, but their starters averaged +28 in Game 3, as injuries crippled the Knicks, with Billups out and Stoudemire just 2-8 in Game 3. Celtics hit on 14 of 24 shots behind the arc Friday night.

Hawks won five of last six games against the Magic, covering last seven in series, with six of seven staying under total. Magic is 6-15 vs spread in last 21 games as favorite- they're 19-73 (26%) from arc in this series. Orlando's starting guards were 9-27 from floor last game; they're without any support for Howard (minus-7 in 3:20 he sat out). Hawks had 9-7 turnovers in their two series wins, 15 in the only loss.

Lakers won six of last seven games vs Hornets; after turning ball over only three times in Game 1, New Orleans had 16-14 miscues in last two losses. Hornets scored 109 points in first game, 78-86 since, as Lakers tightended clamps defensively. Paul scored 20-22 points in last couple games, after torching LA for 33 in series opener. Lakers are 6-11 against spread in their last 17 games as a favorite.

**Udog** · 04-24-2011, 10:14 AM

NBA

Sunday, April 24

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Trend Report
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1:00 PM
MIAMI vs. PHILADELPHIA
Miami is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing Miami
Philadelphia is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Miami

3:30 PM
BOSTON vs. NEW YORK
Boston is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing New York
New York is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York's last 6 games when playing at home against Boston

7:00 PM
ORLANDO vs. ATLANTA
Orlando is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Orlando is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Orlando
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing at home against Orlando

9:30 PM
LA LAKERS vs. NEW ORLEANS
LA Lakers are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing New Orleans
The total has gone OVER in 7 of the LA Lakers last 9 games when playing New Orleans
New Orleans is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of New Orleans's last 9 games when playing LA Lakers

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**Udog** · 04-24-2011, 10:17 AM

NBA

Sunday, April 24

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What bettors need to know: Sunday NBA playoffs
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Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers (+6, 188)

THE STORY: The Miami Heat have not lost since April 6 and have shown no signs of letting that streak end in during their first-round playoff series. The young Philadelphia 76ers have had a nice run and should have plenty of confidence going into next season, it doesn’t appear that an upset is in their immediate future. Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and company will be looking to complete a series sweep when they visit Philadelphia on Sunday for Game 4 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Andre Iguodala is shooting 28 percent (7 of 25) in the series for the 76ers, topping out at 10 points on Thursday. James is shooting 52.9 percent (18 of 34) from the floor in the last two games for Miami.

KEY STATISTIC: The Heat dominated on the glass, 50-34, in Game 3, including pulling down 20 offensive boards. Philadelphia is going to have a tough time avoiding a sweep of they can’t find someone besides Brand to battle inside and box out James and Wade crashing the glass from the wings.

LAST WORD: The 76ers have attempted 54 free throws through the first three games while the Heat have gone to the line 98 times, converting 78.

Boston Celtics at New York (+3.5, 195)

THE STORY: The Boston Celtics attempt to complete a four-game sweep of the New York Knicks when the two teams meet at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Boston put on a dominant showing during Friday’s Game 3 victory in New York after winning two close games on its home court. The Celtics led by as many as 23 points during the 113-96 victory that seemed to sap the excitement out of the Knicks and their fans. The Knicks never once led during Game 3, which was their first home playoff game since 2004. New York is well aware of the uphill climb it faces as no NBA team has ever rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.

WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Allen is averaging 24.7 points and has connected on 15 of 20 3-point shots in the series. New York guard Landry Fields is averaging two points and has made just 3 of 12 shots.

KEY STATISTIC: Boston shot 58.3 percent from 3-point range in Game 3, hitting 14 of 24 attempts.

LAST WORD: “I’m worried about getting him right and healthy. There’s no strategical game plan for not playing him. There’s a medical game plan for not playing him and he can’t play. Once he can play, he can play.” – Celtics coach Doc Rivers on the status of injured center Shaquille O’Neal.

Orlando Magic at Atlanta Hawks (+2, 179)

THE STORY: Tensions figure to be high when the Atlanta Hawks host the Orlando Magic in Sunday’s pivotal Game 4 of the highly competitive playoff series. Atlanta took a 2-1 lead with Friday’s 88-84 victory in a contest that featured the ejections of Orlando’s Jason Richardson and Atlanta’s Zaza Pachulia. The skirmish began after Pachulia fouled Dwight Howard late in the fourth quarter. As Richardson moved in close to Pachulia’s face, Pachulia responded with a head-butt and Richardson countered with a slap in the face. The incident will likely lead to the suspension of both players for Game 4. The most painful blow for Orlando was when Atlanta’s Jamal Crawford hit a 3-point bank shot to make it a two-possession contest with 5.7 seconds left. Crawford scored a game-high 23 points.

WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Crawford is averaging 23.7 points in the series with a high game of 25. Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu is averaging just 8.3 points and shooting 25 percent (9 of 36) in the series.

KEY STATISTIC: Orlando guards Jameer Nelson (5 of 17), Jason Richardson (4 of 10) and J.J. Redick (3 of 8) shot a combined 34.3 percent in the Magic’s Game 3 loss.

LAST WORD: “I didn’t call ‘bank.’ The bank is closed right now. I just wanted to get to my sweet spot. I felt like it had a chance. We felt like this was the most important game of the series. The pressure is on them now.” – Crawford on his amazing 3-point basket that helped the Hawks defeat Orlando in Game 3.

Los Angeles Lakers at New Orleans Hornets (+5.5, 182.5)

THE STORY: Suddenly this series takes on a sense of desperation for New Orleans. The Hornets are feeling the loss of David West as they fell to Los Angeles 100-86 in Game 3 Friday night. Los Angeles had its best performance of the postseason, getting strong scoring performances from Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum and limiting New Orleans to 2-of-13 shooting from 3-point range. The Lakers can take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series Sunday night in New Orleans.

WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Gasol led a 10-1 run in the fourth quarter with seven points and made just his second 3-pointer of the season. New Orleans guard Marco Belinelli scored just five points, going 2 of 8 from the field in 22 minutes.

KEY STATISTIC: The Hornets had 39 bench points in Game 1 but reserves are just 9 of 34 for 22 points in the last two games.

LAST WORD: “I hate losing. I hate everything about it. It just makes everything bad — food, don't sleep well. Just the fact that we lost, just bothers me.” – Williams.

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**Udog** · 04-24-2011, 10:19 AM

NBA

Sunday, April 24

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Pick 'n Roll: Sunday's best NBA bets
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Orlando Magic (-2, 179) at Atlanta Hawks

Yeah, no one has any idea who is going to guard Dwight Howard now.

The Magic center was averaging nearly 40 points and 20 rebounds per game entering Game 3 in Atlanta.

In that tilt, the Hawks finally managed to slow him down, holding him to 21 points and 15 rebounds as he battled foul trouble. But now, there should be little to challenge him from dominating the paint.

The Hawks will miss suspended center Zaza Pachulia who got into an altercation with also-suspended Magic swingman Jason Richardson. His low-post defense frustrated Howard and was the only Atlanta forward who could really slow anyone down.

And the team also will likely be missing the combined 12 fouls of centers Jason Collins and Etan Thomas. Collins, the starting center, bruised a tailbone and had to leave late in Game 3. Thomas, meantime, is dealing with the death of his grandmother and is unlikely to be back in time.

"I don't think people understand it," Howard said. "But I just continue to go out there and do what I can to help my team win. I have to do a lot for my team. They do a lot for me. It goes both ways. I understand how important it is for me to come out and play as hard as I can."

It should be easier for him to play harder with Atlanta’s first three lines of defense out of the lineup.

Pick: Orlando

Boston Celtics (-3.5, 195) at New York Knicks

The Knicks may have pride, but not likely much else for Game 4 against the Celtics as they try to stave off elimination.

Think New York fans will want to shell out four figures for tickets after the way their team laid down and was destroyed on Friday night? Not likely. And the players know it. Guard Chauncey Billups is presumed shut down for the series and Amar’e Stoudemire, who went 2-for-8 from the floor for seven points with just three rebounds in Game 3, is again listed as questionable.

“It started with the offensive rebounds and the second-chance points,” said Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni. “You can’t give them that big an opening that they can smell the blood.”

With a less-than-juiced Madison Square Garden and his body starting to break down from the monster minutes he has played this year, Stoudemire is almost certain to sit out the game.

"If I feel better tomorrow, then we’ll see how it goes," he said. "If not, then hopefully we still can get a win."

And regardless of Stoudemire’s status, don’t expect Boston to be lacking for motivation.

“When they cheer, I feel like they’re cheering for me. I just look at it that way,” said Pierce. “I don’t ever feel like I’m not at home. You can feed off of it, or you can let it scare you. You have to find ways to psych yourself out and use it for energy, especially when you have tough road crowds.”

Pick: Boston

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**Udog** · 04-24-2011, 10:21 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Anaheim at Nashville
The Predators look to close out the series and take advantage of an Anaheim team that is 14-29 in its last 43 games as a road underdog from +110 to +150. Nashville is the pick (-140) according to Dunkel, which has the Predators favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Nashville (-140). Here are all of today's picks.

SUNDAY, APRIL 24

Game 1-2: Philadelphia at Buffalo (3:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia 12.440; Buffalo 10.899
Dunkel Line & Total: Philadelphia by 1 1/2; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Buffalo (-125); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+105); Under

Game 3-4: Vancouver at Chicago (7:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Vancouver 10.674; Chicago 12.818
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago (-125); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago (-125); Over

Game 5-6: Anaheim at Nashville (6:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Anaheim 11.576; Nashville 12.413
Dunkel Line & Total: Nashville by 1; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Nashville (-140); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Nashville (-140); Over

**Udog** · 04-24-2011, 10:23 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Sunday, April 24

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PHILADELPHIA (49-25-0-13, 111 pts.) at BUFFALO (46-31-0-10, 102 pts.) - 4/24/2011, 3:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 9-8-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
12 of 17 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+7.2 Units)

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VANCOUVER (57-21-0-9, 123 pts.) at CHICAGO (46-32-0-9, 101 pts.) - 4/24/2011, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VANCOUVER is 6-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
CHICAGO is 285-311 ATS (-40.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 57-30 ATS (+7.9 Units) in all games this season.
VANCOUVER is 118-76 ATS (+23.8 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 22-8 ATS (+12.3 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 49-25 ATS (+14.5 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 33-15 ATS (+11.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
VANCOUVER is 12-4 ATS (+7.5 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
CHICAGO is 46-41 ATS (-14.5 Units) in all games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 16-13 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 16-13-0 straight up against VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
15 of 26 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.2 Units)

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ANAHEIM (49-32-0-6, 104 pts.) at NASHVILLE (47-29-0-11, 105 pts.) - 4/24/2011, 6:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
NASHVILLE is 10-7 (+3.1 Units) against the spread versus ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
NASHVILLE is 10-7-0 straight up against ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
9 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.1 Units)

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**Udog** · 04-24-2011, 10:25 AM

NHL
Short Sheet

Sunday, April 24

Eastern Conference Playoffs - Best of 7 - Game 6 - BUF Leads 3-2
PHILADELPHIA at BUFFALO, 3:05 PM ET NBC
PHILADELPHIA: 10-5 SU as a road underdog of +100 to +150
BUFFALO: 4-9 SU at home after scoring 4+ goals

Western Conference Playoffs - Best of 7 - Game 6 - VAN 3-2
VANCOUVER at CHICAGO, 7:35 PM ET
VANCOUVER: 13-2 SU Away revenging home loss by 3+ goals
CHICAGO: 7-13 SU off road win

Western Conference Playoffs - Best of 7 - Game 6 - ANA Leads 3-2
ANAHEIM at NASHVILLE, 6:05 PM ET (TC)
ANAHEIM: 4-0 SU Away after allowing 3+ goals 3 straight games
NASHVILLE: 22-10 SU after scoring 3+ goals BB games

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

**Udog** · 04-24-2011, 10:27 AM

NHL
Write-Up

Sunday, April 24

Seven of nine Buffalo-Philly games this year went over total; Sabres won seven of last nine games overall. Flyers lost eight of their last 11 games; they scored nine goals in their two wins, three in three losses. Flyers are 2-26 on power play in series, Buffalo is 4-22. Home team had at least 4:09 more with the man adavantage in all five series games. Flyers have a 6-1 advantage in second period in this series.

Chicago outscored Canucks 12-2 in last two games, after trailing in series 3-0; now immense pressure on Vancouver to win road game and avoid a Game 7 vs defending champs. Under is 10-2-3 in Canucks' last 15 games; over is 10-3-3 in the Western Conference playoff games (6-9-3 in east). Chicago is 6-19 on power play (23:25) in last three games; Vancouver is 4-14 on power play (18:49) in series.

Last four Anaheim-Nashville games went over total. Team that won all five series games led after first period. Ducks won 12 of last 18 games; Nashville won 13 of its last 16. Ducks have scored at least one power play goal in all five games. Road team has been stronger at end of last two series games; Preds outshot Ducks 19-9 over last 21:57 of Game 5.

Announcement

Sunday's Trends and Indexes - 4/24 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Sunday's Trends and Indexes - 4/24 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

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