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**Udog** · 04-25-2011, 08:01 AM

Daily Sports Roundup: April 25

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Spurs look to even up their series with the Grizzlies, while the D-Backs play host to the Phillies, and the Penguins take on the Bolts.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The NBA playoff schedule offers up three games on Monday, with Oklahoma City at Denver, Portland at Dallas, and San Antonio at Memphis. The Thunder have a big 3-0 lead on the Nuggets in their first-round series, while the Blazers and Mavericks are tied 2-2, and the Spurs surprisingly trail 2-1 against the Grizzlies. Memphis knocked off San Antonio 91-88 at home in Game 3 of that best-of-seven set on Saturday night, with Zach Randolph tossing in 25 points for the Grizzlies in that contest. Marc Gasol added 17 points for Memphis that day, and Mike Conley was good for 14 points. Manu Ginobili led San Antonio with 23 points in the loss, and Tim Duncan had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The American League schedule has just the White Sox at the Yankees, Toronto at Texas, and Oakland at the Angels on Monday, while in the National League it's Washington at Pittsburgh, the Dodgers at Florida, Colorado at the Cubs, Cincinnati at Milwaukee, Atlanta at San Diego, and Philadelphia at Arizona. The Phillies will send Cliff Lee (2-1, 3.91 ERA) to the mound in that last matchup, while the Diamondbacks counter with Ian Kennedy (2-1, 5.64 ERA). Lefthander Lee took a no-decision against the Brewers in his last trip to the mound, giving up three runs (two earned) on eight hits over six innings of work. Righthander Kennedy is coming off a victory over the Reds in which he surrendered just one run on four hits in 5 1-3 innings; Kennedy fanned three that day.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, there are two games on the NHL's playoff schedule for Monday, with San Jose at Los Angeles and Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay. Both road teams hold 3-2 leads in those best-of-seven first-round series. The Kings avoided elimination on Saturday night with a 3-1 road win in San Jose in Game 5; Wayne Simmonds, Kyle Clifford, and Dustin Penner scored for Los Angeles in that contest, while Sharks goalie Antti Niemi gave up all three goals on just four shots before getting yanked. The Lightning also stayed alive on Saturday, blasting the Penguins 8-2 in Pittsburgh in Game 5 of that series. Steve Stamkos, Simon Gagne, and Pavel Kubina all scored twice for Tampa Bay in that victory.

**Udog** · 04-25-2011, 08:03 AM

Monday's betting tips: Mavs bettors cashing in

Who’s hot

NBA: Dallas is riding a 7-0-1 run against the spread.

NBA: Memphis has covered in 20 of its last 28 home games.

NHL: The over is 9-1-1 in San Jose’s last 11 road games.

MLB: Florida has won eight of its last 10 overall.

Who’s not

NBA: San Antonio is 0-8 against the number in its last eight meetings with Memphis.

NHL: Tampa Bay is just 3-7 in its last 10 home games against Pittsburgh.

MLB: The Chicago White Sox have lost nine of their last 10.

MLB: Colorado has won just eight times in its last 31 trips to Wrigley Field.

Key stat

23- The Portland Trail Blazers overcame a 23-point deficit by finishing Saturday’s game on a 43-18 run to stun the Dallas Mavericks and tie the series between the squads at two games apiece. The Blazers are set as a 4.5-point underdog for Monday’s Game 5.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers – The Rangers’ bullpen took another major hit with the club’s closer going on the DL with right shoulder inflammation. Feliz picked up 40 saves for Texas last season and was off to a great start with a 1.08 ERA in nine appearances so far this year and five saves in as many opportunities. Texas’ bullpen ERA has jumped more than two runs over the past two weeks.

Game of the day

San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies (1, 189)

Notable quotable

"We've got to get a lot better at executing our game plan and being more consistent. We've made a lot of mental mistakes. A lot of the things we saw on the film are easily fixable if we go out there with a little better focus." – Spurs veteran big man Tim Duncan following Saturday’s 91-88 loss to Memphis. The Spurs are pegged as 1-point favorites on the road Monday night.

Notes and tips

San Antonio Spurs veteran Antonio McDyess is still experiencing problems with a neck nerve injury, but thinks he will be able to play Monday against Memphis. He picked up eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds before being forced out of Saturday’s 91-88 loss with the Spurs set as a 2-point underdog.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Either picked up two hits on Sunday to extend his hitting streak to 21 games as L.A. downed the Chicago Cubs 7-3. Either became only the third MLB player to hit safely in 21 consecutive games in April and his offense has helped over bettors to jump out to a 14-6-3 mark to start the season.

**Udog** · 04-25-2011, 08:06 AM

Monday's six-pack

Las Vegas odds for the 2011 World Series
Phillies 2-1-- Pitching-rich squad off to fast start.

Bronx Bombers 7-2-- Key pieces of team are getting old.

Red Sox 6-1-- Seem to have shaken early doldrums.

Giants 9-1-- Will they hit enough to win division again?

White Sox 10-1-- No idea why; they don't look like a playoff team.

Brewers/Rangers/Rockies, all 12-1-- Of these three, like Texas best.

*********************

Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend........

13) Roof was closed at Safeco Field Sunday, but Ed Hickox, first base ump for the A's-Mariners game, had freakin' gloves on. How cold could it be in a covered stadium?

12) Maybe when the Knicks have their next training camp, whenever that will be, they should work on guarding the 3-point shooter. Ray Allen just killed them in this series. It has to be said that had the Anthony trade not been made, the Knick team that existed then couldn't have done any worse in the playoffs than this group of players did.

11) Like to people watch? Go out for breakfast at 4:30am on a Saturday night here in Las Vegas. It really is interesting the high percentage of young people who wear black when they go out. Has to be well over 50%.

10) You can't wager on the Boston Celtics at Planet Hollywood or Bill's Gambling Hall here in Las Vegas; apparently, the Celtics' owner also owns part of these casinos, so Boston games are off-limits there.

9) Omar Vizquel turned 44 years old Sunday; if he ever wants to be a big league manager, he needs to retire. Not sure that will happen soon.

8) Watching the ninth inning of the Bronx-Baltimore game was despressing as home plate ump Angel Campos called Mark Reynolds out on a pitch that was 4-6 inches inside; then, when Brian Roberts tied the game with a double down the rightfield line, Campos called Robert Andino out when he was clearly safe- if he's called safe, the game is over, and Baltimore wins.

Its hard enough for team like the Orioles to break out of a losing cycle, but when young umpires (most times Bronx gets calls, its a younger umpire) are giving a more well-known team marginal calls, its makes it tougher.

7) I'm going to provide periodic updates on Russell Wilson's progress in his career as a minor league baseball player; Wilson still has a year left as a QB at NC State and I think he's terrific, but the Wolfpack has announced that even if he returns to Raleigh in the fall, he'll start out as the backup QB for the Wolfpack. Its an interesting situation, because Wilson clearly seems to be a better football player than a baseball player.

Kid is a 2B with the Asheville Tourists in the South Atlantic League; he is currently hitting .182 (8 for 44) with a homer. Thats Class A ball, and .182 is going to get NC State its starting QB back for one last season. Still early in the season, but its not an impressive start.

6) By the way, great throw by Adam Jones to cut off the lead run in top of the 10th inning; I'm still thinking Jones is going to be a big star someday.

5) Houston Texans are 28-1 to win the Super Bowl; the freakin' Detroit Lions are 30-1, my Rams are 35-1. What gives? How are those teams any better than the Rams? NFC West is surely the weakest of the divisions, so it makes sens that the Rams are more likely to win their division.

4) Milton Bradley bats third for Seattle; down 3-2 in the bottom of the 8th Bradley tries to reach base on a drag bunt, but he gets thrown out which is not the point. Point is: You want your #3 hitter to go for an extra base hit when you're down a run in that situation. Bad baseball by Bradley.

3) Interesting story on espn.com about Temple's softball team, which was in the St Louis airport when that tornado came thru and did major damage Friday night. The airplane the softball team was supposed to get on got tossed around pretty good by the storm and is no longer operational.

2) There is a music professor from Whittier College who is going around the country this summer and singing the National Anthem at 100+ parks all over minor league baseball. Hope he writes a book about it.

1) Sounds like baseball will have an extra Wild Card team in each league in 2012; no clue on the format yet, but there has been support for having the two Wild Cards in each league play each other before the other teams play, to give divisional winners an advantage. Hope they don't shorten regular season play; to me, thats a lot more fun than the playoffs (in baseball).

**Udog** · 04-25-2011, 08:08 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Oklahoma City at Denver
The Nuggets look to avoid elimination and build on their 8-3-1 ATS record in their last 12 home games. Denver is the pick (-3) according to Dunkel, which has the Nuggets favored by 5 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Denver (-3). Here are all of today's picks.

MONDAY, APRIL 25

Game 509-510: Portland at Dallas (8:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Portland 117.403; Dallas 125.784
Dunkel Line & Total: Dallas by 8 1/2; 189
Vegas Line & Total: Dallas by 4 1/2; 184 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Dallas (-4 1/2); Over

Game 511-512: San Antonio at Memphis (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Antonio 120.433; Memphis 122.788
Dunkel Line & Total: Memphis by 2 1/2; 185
Vegas Line & Total: San Antonio by 1 1/2; 189
Dunkel Pick: Memphis (+1 1/2); Under

Game 513-514: Oklahoma City at Denver (10:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oklahoma City 119.873; Denver 125.590
Dunkel Line & Total: Denver by 5 1/2; 212
Vegas Line & Total: Denver by 3; 206
Dunkel Pick: Denver (-3); Over

**Udog** · 04-25-2011, 08:11 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Monday, April 25

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PORTLAND (50 - 36) at DALLAS (59 - 27) - 4/25/2011, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 48-36 ATS (+8.4 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 28-16 ATS (+10.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
DALLAS is 33-50 ATS (-22.0 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 9-6 against the spread versus PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 8-7 straight up against PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
8 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SAN ANTONIO (62 - 23) at MEMPHIS (48 - 37) - 4/25/2011, 8:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
MEMPHIS is 10-5 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 9-6 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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OKLAHOMA CITY (58 - 27) at DENVER (50 - 35) - 4/25/2011, 10:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 10-5 against the spread versus DENVER over the last 3 seasons
DENVER is 8-7 straight up against OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
8 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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**Udog** · 04-25-2011, 08:13 AM

NBA
Write-Up

Monday, April 25

Under is 12-4 in Eastern games so far, 8-5 in Western games; favorites are 6-10 vs spread out west, 2-10-1 in the East.

Home side won all eight Portland-Dallas games, with Blazers covering five of eight. Roy was 8-10 from floor in 4th quarter of Game 4; Blazers stormed back from 23-point deficit to even series. Portland was +16 in 24:29 that Roy was on floor, -12 in 23:31 without him. Mavericks took only 10 FTs in Game 4, after taking 29-26-23 in first three games; they are 7-1 vs spread in last eight games overall. Blazers have to win at least one of the two games left in Dallas to win the series.

Memphis is 7-0 vs spread when playing Spurs this year; they're 12-3 vs spread in last 15 games overall. Spurs are 5-10 in last 15 games; they're
+22 in series with Ginobili on floor, -22 without him (-9 in 12:31 with Ginobili on bench in Game 3). Spurs have 111-82 edge in foul shots in first tthree games; Grizzlies shot 39.8/42.3% in last two games; they hit 55.2% of shots in first game, but had 10 shots blocked in last game.

This is where Nuggets miss traded Anthony; they're just 17-55 from arc in first three series games, shooting 39.1/37.2% in last two games after making 50.6% in Game 1 loss. Lack of a bigtime star who can get his own shot isn't good in the NBA. Oklahoma City won eight of its last nine games, five of last six vs Denver. Interesting that Denver shot 115 free throws in series so far, Thunder 98.

**Udog** · 04-25-2011, 08:15 AM

NBA

Monday, April 25

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. MEMPHIS
San Antonio is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games when playing Memphis
San Antonio is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Memphis is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Memphis's last 6 games at home

8:30 PM
PORTLAND vs. DALLAS
Portland is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Portland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Dallas's last 15 games when playing at home against Portland
Dallas is 16-2 SU in its last 18 games when playing at home against Portland

10:30 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY vs. DENVER
Oklahoma City is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oklahoma City's last 5 games when playing on the road against Denver
Denver is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City
Denver is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City

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**Udog** · 04-25-2011, 08:18 AM

NBA

Monday, April 25

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What bettors need to know: Monday NBA playoffs
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Portland Trail Blazers at Dallas Mavericks (-4.5, 184.5)

THE STORY: Portland was out of sorts and out of the game late in the third quarter, trailing by 23 points. Cue the comeback, as the Trail Blazers used an incredible 18-point fourth-quarter effort by Brandon Roy to rally for an 84-82 victory, tying the Western Conference quarterfinal series at two games apiece. Dallas, criticized for its recent first-round failures, left Portland dazed and confused and will try to gather itself at home for Monday’s Game 5.

WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Roy was 8 of 10 in the fourth quarter and also had five assists and four rebounds in 24 minutes. Tyson Chandler again continues to struggle for Dallas. He had six points on 2-for-6 shooting and had five fouls.

KEY STATISTIC: Portland shot 28.6 percent (14 for 49) through three quarters but went 15 of 20 (.750) in the fourth quarter.

LAST WORD: “We know we have to earn wins and we have to earn a series win ultimately on the floor. We went through eight possessions without scoring. That fueled their game. It’s a game you shouldn’t lose. But sometimes these things happen and when they do, you have to stay the course and keep playing.” *- Rick Carlisle on Saturday’s loss.

TRENDS: The Trail Blazers are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games vs. a team with a winning home record.

The Mavericks are 6-0 ATS in their last six games as favorites and 5-0 ATS in their last five home games.

San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies (+1, 189)

THE STORY: A monumental upset may be brewing in Tennessee, where the Memphis Grizzlies prepare to host the San Antonio Spurs on Monday in Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round series. The No. 8 Grizzlies lead the best-of-seven set 2-1 and can take a stranglehold on the series with another home victory against the top-seeded Spurs. Memphis topped San Antonio 91-88 in Game 3 Saturday night.

WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Grizzlies swingman Sam Young had 17 points in Game 2, but has just seven points on 3-of-9 shooting in the other two games combined. Spurs swingman Richard Jefferson shot 9 of 14 in the first two games but had just four attempts in Game 3, finishing with four points in 35 minutes.

KEY STATISTIC: 18.6 – Randolph's shooting percentage from 3-point range in the regular season (8 for 43). Only Toronto's DeMar DeRozan (9.6) had a worse mark from long distance among players with at least 40 attempts.

LAST WORD: "It was 5 seconds on the shot clock. I had a little space to see it, so I just shot the shot. It went in, but that’s the shot I work on and I practice every day shooting so it felt good when it left my hand." – Randolph on his pivotal 3-pointer.

TRENDS: The Grizzlies are 8-0 ATS in their last eight games against the Spurs and 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games following an ATS win.

The Spurs are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games following a straight up loss.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Denver Nuggets (-3.5, 206)

THE STORY: The Oklahoma City Thunder dodged a free-throw bullet in Game 3 and now sit poised to sweep the Denver Nuggets in their Western Conference first-round series. The Nuggets host Game 4 Monday night looking to avoid elimination in front of their home fans. The Thunder edged Denver 91-88 Saturday night despite being in major foul trouble in the second half.

WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Foul trouble has dogged Thunder C Kendrick Perkins the last two games, reducing his playing time to just over 22 minutes per game. He has nine points on 3-of-11 shooting in that span. Nene was a 71 percent free-throw shooter in the regular season but is just 58.3 percent (21 for 36) so far in the series.

KEY STATISTIC: 88 – the number of foul shots taken by both teams Saturday night. If Game 4 is anywhere near as plodding, the Nuggets will need to shoot much better from the line to force a Game 5 Wednesday in Oklahoma City.

LAST WORD: "That’s what it’s all about in this league. You can’t win with just one or two guys." – Durant on Ibaka's Game 3 breakout.

TRENDS: The Thunder are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games.

The under is 18-7-2 in the Nuggets' last 27 games overall.

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**Udog** · 04-25-2011, 08:21 AM

NBA

Monday, April 25

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Pick 'n' roll: Monday's best NBA bets
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Portland Trail Blazers at Dallas Mavericks (-4.5, 184.5)

With Portland leaving the comforts of the Pacific Northwest and the Rose Garden, the team loses its most valuable asset: an amped-up Brandon Roy.

Playing with virtually no ligaments in his knees from keeping the bones from rubbing together, Roy has fallen from elite to afterthought for much of the season. But after nearly crying due to lack of playing time after Game 2, he delivered two fantastic performances on his home hardwood.

For the two games he averaged 20 points, 4.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game at the Rose Garden but in Dallas, he averaged one point, 1.5 assists and 1 rebound per game in the first two of the series.

“With everything I’ve been through this season, it all came into that moment there on the court,” Roy said after the Game 2 win, “when guys were grabbing me and cheering me on. It was real special.”

Those knees sure won’t be getting much of a lift from a hostile crowd in Dallas.

Bookmakers still haven’t been able to quantify the Roy impact in the series. Dallas easily covered in both home games before squeaking out a pair of against-the-spread wins by the narrowest of margins in Portland.

Dallas is 4-0 ATS in the series and won’t miss 10 free throws like they did in Game 3, or fail to register a fast break point, like they did in Game 4.

Plus, Roy definitely won’t play like an MVP in Texas.

Pick: Dallas

Oklahoma City Thunder at Denver Nuggets (-3, 206)

There’s one thing the Thunder do better than anything else this season: beat the Nuggets.

Oklahoma City is 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS this season versus their rival from the Mile High City. The reason for the recent dominance has been the presence of former Celtic Kendric Perkins. The Thunder center has very mediocre numbers in the series – 13 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks total in the series – but by manning the paint, he has freed up the athletic Serge Ibaka to play power forward.

The results have been amazing.

Ibaka, who had more blocks than any other player during the regular season, is averaging 12.3 points, 11 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game in the series – all way above his season averages.

"He was the difference maker,'' Thunder center Kendrick Perkins said of his teammate from the Congo. "He knocked down his shot when he needed to, he attacked the glass, he blocked shots, he changed the game. You've got to give him hats off.”

He just might snag hats off fans if he confuses them with a basketball rebounding off the rim. Ibaka has led a relentless Thunder assault on the glass that has allowed the team to outrebound Denver and control the paint in each game this series.

Expect Ibaka to keep emerging at the expense of the Nuggets.

Pick: Thunder

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**Udog** · 04-25-2011, 08:23 AM

NHL
Dunkel

San Jose at Los Angeles
The Kings look to avoid elimination and take advantage of a San Jose team that is 1-4 in its last 5 games when playing on 1 days rest. Los Angeles is the pick (+110) according to Dunkel, which has the Kings favored by 1/2 a goal. Dunkel Pick: Los Angeles (+110). Here are all of today's picks.

MONDAY, APRIL 25

Game 9-10: Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh 10.451; Tampa Bay 12.620
Dunkel Line & Total: Tampa Bay by 2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Tampa Bay (-145); 5
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-145); Over

Game 13-14: San Jose at Los Angeles (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Jose 11.453; Los Angeles 11.799
Dunkel Line & Total: Los Angeles by 1/2; 4
Vegas Line & Total: San Jose (-130); 5
Dunkel Pick: Los Angeles (+110); Under

**Udog** · 04-25-2011, 08:26 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Monday, April 25

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PITTSBURGH (52-27-0-8, 112 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (48-27-0-12, 108 pts.) - 4/25/2011, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 48-39 ATS (+2.5 Units) in all games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 23-19 ATS (+1.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
PITTSBURGH is 52-35 ATS (+5.8 Units) in all games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 24-12 ATS (+10.1 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
PITTSBURGH is 45-20 ATS (+17.2 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 13-7 ATS (+20.9 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
PITTSBURGH is 8-3 ATS (+12.0 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 10-7-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
8 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.5 Units)

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SAN JOSE (51-27-0-9, 111 pts.) at LOS ANGELES (48-31-0-8, 104 pts.) - 4/25/2011, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent this season.
SAN JOSE is 23-12 ATS (+8.6 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 24-9 ATS (+9.4 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 18-12 ATS (+5.8 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SAN JOSE is 12-5 ATS (+6.8 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 14-9-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
11 of 22 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.6 Units, Under=-1.4 Units)

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**Udog** · 04-25-2011, 08:27 AM

NHL
Write-Up

Monday, April 25

Road team won last four Tampa Bay-Pittsburgh games; Lightning waxed Pens 8-2 Saturday, scoring four power play goals in 8:16 on power play. Tampa scored 5-8 goals in two series wins, 0-2-2 in losses. Pittsburgh won six of last eight games overall, but are 1-25 (39:28) on power play so far in series. Pens won both games in series here by 3-2 scores; would be concerned about getting crushed the way Vancouver was in Game 4 of their series- Canucks haven't recovered yet.

San Jose is 12-5 in last 17 games overall; over is 12-4-2 in last 18 games; Sharks outshot LA 19-6 in first period of Game 5, yet still trailed 3-0, so Quick has made big difference between pipes for Kings. Road team won last four series games; home team is 0-21 on power play in series. Two of Sharks' three series wins came in OT- they've been outscored in first period 8-1 in series. Over is 14-3-3 in Western Conference games.

**Udog** · 04-25-2011, 08:29 AM

NHL

Monday, April 25

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. TAMPA BAY
Pittsburgh is 8-15-1 SU in its last 24 games ,when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Pittsburgh's last 14 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Tampa Bay's last 14 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Tampa Bay is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games

10:00 PM
SAN JOSE vs. LOS ANGELES
San Jose is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
San Jose is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Los Angeles is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Jose

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**Udog** · 04-25-2011, 08:31 AM

NHL

Monday, April 25

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What bettors need to know: Monday NHL playoffs
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Pittsburgh Penguins at Tampa Bay Rays (-143, 5)

THE STORY: The Tampa Bay Lightning proved Saturday they were not yet ready to have their season end, coming up with a franchise record-setting offensive performance. Now they must find a way to win at home in the playoffs as they take on the fourth-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins at the St. Pete Times Forum in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. Facing elimination, Tampa Bay set a club record for goals in a postseason game with Saturday afternoon's 8-2 triumph in Pittsburgh. The win reduced the Penguins' lead in the series to 3-2 and marked the fourth straight victory by the road team. Since edging the Calgary Flames in Game 7 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Final, the Lightning are 1-6 on home ice in the playoffs.

WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Asham and defenseman Kris Letang lead Pittsburgh with four points apiece. Tampa Bay, which has six players with at least four points, is paced by Martin St. Louis' eight. A member of the Penguins from 2003-08, Ryan Malone has yet to notch a point against his former team.

SPECIAL TEAMS: The Lightning went 4-for-7 on the power play in Game 5 to raise their success rate to a league-leading 36.4 percent (8-for-22). Conversely, the Penguins were scoreless on seven opportunities, dropping them to 1-for-25 (4.0 percent) in the series.

LAST WORD: "On the road, we just play a simple game. We try to play within our system and play good defensively. These last two games at home, we weren't able to do that. Hopefully we get back on the road, play our system and get that last win we need." - Pittsburgh defenseman Zbynek Michalek on the Penguins' success in the series away from home.

TRENDS: The Penguins are 5-0 in their last five road games and 6-1 in their last seven games as underdogs.

The under is 13-2-2 in Penguins' last 17 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.

The road team is 4-0 in the last four meetings between these two teams.

San Jose Sharks at Los Angeles Kings (+115, 5)

THE STORY: Jonathan Quick needed to right the ship in a hurry if the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Kings were going to stave off elimination in Game 5 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. The 25-year-old Connecticut native did precisely that. After permitting 12 goals in his previous two contests - both losses - Quick stopped 51 of 52 shots in a 3-1 road triumph over the Pacific Division champions. Quick will need more of the same if the Kings will be able to extend the series against the second-seeded Sharks. The Golden State rivals will reconvene on Monday at the Staples Center for Game 6.

WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Los Angeles' Brad Richardson has collected two goals and three assists in his last four games. For his part, Marleau extended his point streak to three games with the tally on Saturday. The 31-year-old Saskatchewan native has two goals and two assists in that stretch.

SPECIAL TEAMS: After scoring three power-play goals in their first two contests, the Kings have not converted with the man-advantage in three straight games. For its part, San Jose went 0-for-4 on the power play in Game 5.

LAST WORD: The 52 shots allowed by the Kings on Saturday set a franchise record. Los Angeles had permitted 50 shots on goal in a 1988 playoff game against the Calgary Flames.

TRENDS: The Sharks are 19-7 in their last 26 road games vs. a team with a winning home record and 30-12 in their last 42 overall.

The Kings are 0-4 in their last four games as home underdogs.

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Monday's Trends and Indexes - 4/25 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Monday's Trends and Indexes - 4/25 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

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