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**Udog** · 04-29-2011, 09:07 AM

Daily Sports Roundup: April 29

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Grizzlies try again to eliminate the Spurs, while the Braves host the Cardinals, and the Sharks begin their playoff series with the Wings.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

There's just one game on the NBA's playoff schedule for Friday, with San Antonio at Memphis in Game 6 of their Western Conference first-round series. The top-seeded Spurs staved off elimination with a 110-103 overtime home win in Game 5 of the series on Wednesday night. Manu Ginobili led the way for the Spurs with 33 points in that contest, while Tony Parker was good for 24 points and nine assists, and Tim Duncan picked up 13 points and 12 rebounds. Zach Randolph had 26 points in the loss for the Grizzlies, while Marc Gasol grabbed 17 boards. The oddsmakers have Memphis as a 3-point favorite to clinch the series on Friday night, with the contest's total set at 190 points.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

On the American League schedule for Friday it's Detroit at Cleveland, Seattle at Boston, the Angels at Tampa Bay, Minnesota at Kansas City, Baltimore at the White Sox, Texas at Oakland, and Toronto at the Yankees. The Blue Jays' Ricky Romero (1-3, 3.00 ERA) will take on New York's Freddy Garcia (1-0, 0.69 ERA) in that last matchup. Lefthander Romero was a hard-luck loser in his most recent trip to the mound, giving up just two runs on five hits over seven innings of work against the Rays while fanning 10 batters. Righthander Garcia has turned in back-to-back stellar starts for the Yankees, throwing 12 shutout innings and giving up four hits in those outings against the O's and Rangers.

In the National League on Friday it's then the Mets at Philadelphia, San Francisco at Washington, Florida at Cincinnati, Milwaukee at Houston, Pittsburgh at Colorado, the Cubs at Arizona, San Diego at the Dodgers, and St. Louis at Atlanta. Chris Carpenter (0-2, 3.90 ERA) will get the ball for the Cards on Friday night, while the Braves counter with Tim Hudson (3-2, 3.57 ERA). Righthander Carpenter had to settle for a no-decision against the Reds in his most recent outing, giving up two runs on two hits over six innings of work. Righthander Hudson turned in a strong outing against the Giants last game, earning the win after allowing two runs on nine hits over his 8 2-3 innings of work.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, there are two games on the NHL's playoff schedule for Friday, with Tampa Bay at Washington in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, and Detroit at San Jose in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series. The Lightning dispatched the Penguins in Game 7 of their first-round series on Wednesday night, but they'll start the second round as +155 road underdogs against the Capitals; Washington is a -175 favorite for Game 1, with the contest's total listed at 5.5 goals. Over in the Western Conference the oddsmakers have the Sharks as slight -120 home favorites for Game 1 over the Red Wings, with Detroit the +100 road underdog, and the matchup's total at 5.5.

**Udog** · 04-29-2011, 09:09 AM

Friday's betting tips: Grizzlies own Spurs ATS

Who’s hot

NBA: Memphis is 9-0-1 against the spread in its last 10 games against the San Antonio Spurs.

NBA: 23 of San Antonio’s last 32 games have played over the total.

NHL: The over is 13-4-2 in San Jose’s last 19 games overall.

MLB: Florida has won seven of its last nine.

Who’s not

NBA: San Antonio is 0-7-1 against the spread in its last eight.

NHL: Tampa Bay has won just six of its last 26 meetings with the Washington Capitals.

NHL: Detroit has won just two of its last 10 matchups with San Jose.

MLB: San Diego is just 2-8 in its last 10.

Key stat

3 – Heading into Friday’s Spurs-Grizzlies game, just three No. 8 seeds have upset a No. 1 seed in NBA history. The Grizzlies have a shot at becoming the fourth team to accomplish that feat at home against the Spurs as a 3-point favorite.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Travis Hafner, Cleveland Indians: Hafner sat out Thursday’s game against Kansas City with right ankle inflammation and his status is now in question for Friday’s matchup with Detroit. Cleveland’s DH is off to a great start this season, hitting .345 through 21 games.

Game of the day

San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies (-3, 189.5)

Notable quotable

"They beat us last year, ended our season. That in itself should have us a little fired up and wary. They beat us three of four times this year. So it’s up to us." – Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock on facing San Jose again this season after the Sharks ousted them from the playoffs last season. Detroit and San Jose are both currently pegged at -115 to win the series.

Notes and tips

The Red Wings will get a big boost if forward Henrik Zetterberg makes his return to the lineup, as expected. Zetterberg led the team with 80 points in the regular season but has been out of action since spraining his MCL in his left knee on April 6. He won the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP in 2008.

Manu Ginobili finally had the game the Spurs needed from him when he played a huge role in saving San Antonio’s season with a 33-point effort in Game 5. Ginobili hit 10 of his 18 shots from the floor while chipping in six rebounds and six assists. It was the first time he cracked the 30-point plateau since Feb. 27.

Ben Zobrist is coming off a huge day at the plate for the Tampa Bay Rays after he went 4-for-6 with a home run, two doubles and a career-high eight RBIs as the Rays hammered the Twins 15-3 on Thursday. Zobrist, who now has 16 RBIs over the last four games, is still hitting just .236 on the year.

**Udog** · 04-29-2011, 09:12 AM

Friday's six-pack

-- Indians have the best record in the AL; they're 10-2 at home.

-- Mavericks' clinching win in Portland makes them 3-18 in their last 21 road playoff games. They play the Lakers next.

-- Oakland Raiders were only team not to draft anyone Thursday nite.

-- Ben Zobrist had seven hits/10 RBI in a doubleheader Thursday; his batting average went from .207 to .258.

-- Ryan Dempster was the Cubs' Opening Day starter; through his first six starts he has a 9.28 ERA. Not good.

-- I guess the Falcons really wanted Julio Jones.

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Friday's List of 13: Random stuff as I head home from the desert

13) 56 juniors are eligible for the NFL Draft this weekend; 69 guys left college early for the NBA Draft. Seeing as the NBA Draft doesn't have 69 players taken, lot of young fellas made a terrible decision.

12) Ben Zobrist had 10 RBI Thursday; Carl Crawford has six RBI in 94 ABs this season. Go figure.

11) I seriously don't care about the Royal Wedding; as I type this, its on at least five different channels. More people who are famous for no reason.

10) 6-9 junior college F named God's Gift Achiuwa signed with St John's this week, the ninth player Steve Lavin has signed for next season.

9) Portland Trailblazers passed on both Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant but still have usually had pretty good teams.

8) NFL business as usual starts Friday; players can report to facilities and begin working out. We'll see how long that lasts.

7) I'm surprised to learn that Roger Goodell isn't a lawyer; thought in this day and age that you had to be a lawyer to be a commissioner.

6) ESPN.com reports that movie ticket sales were 1.32 billion in 2010, down from 1.4 billion in 2007, which was down from 1.58 billion in 2002.

5) Andre Ethier set a record this week for longest hitting streak ever in the month of April, breaking the record previously held by Joe Torre.

4) Falcons traded five draft picks to Cleveland so they could draft Julio Jones, the WR from Alabama. Thats a lot of picks to trade for a WR.

3) If you're a Carolina Panther fan and your team just drafted a QB from Auburn, are you thrilled that your QB coach is Mike Shula? Shula's work with Cam Newton will be under the microscope.

2) Godson update: haven't updated my godson's exploits on the baseball diamond since I've been on vacation. He is a redshirt freshman for a D-II team; he's pitched 16.1 innings this year, allowing five hits and one earned run. Opposing batters are just 5-53 (.094) against him.

1) At 5:47 Thursday, ESPN had Dr Phil on for an interview, talking about how hard it is for players to handle wealth/fame. Its probably a sure sign that they devote too much time to the draft.

**Udog** · 04-29-2011, 09:16 AM

NBA
Dunkel

San Antonio at Memphis
The Grizzlies look to clinch the series and take advantage of a San Antonio team that is 3-13 ATS in its last 16 playoff games as an underdog. Memphis is the pick (-3) according to Dunkel, which has the Grizzlies favored by 8 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Memphis (-3). Here are all of today's picks.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29

Game 541-542: San Antonio at Memphis (9:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Antonio 117.360; Memphis 125.861
Dunkel Line & Total: Memphis by 8 1/2; 183
Vegas Line & Total: Memphis by 3; 189 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Memphis (-3); Under

**Udog** · 04-29-2011, 09:17 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Friday, April 29

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SAN ANTONIO (63 - 24) at MEMPHIS (49 - 38) - 4/29/2011, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MEMPHIS is 56-30 ATS (+23.0 Units) in all games this season.
MEMPHIS is 26-17 ATS (+7.3 Units) as a favorite this season.
MEMPHIS is 28-14 ATS (+12.6 Units) in home games this season.
MEMPHIS is 16-5 ATS (+10.5 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
MEMPHIS is 29-12 ATS (+15.8 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
MEMPHIS is 32-15 ATS (+15.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
MEMPHIS is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
MEMPHIS is 35-15 ATS (+18.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
MEMPHIS is 20-8 ATS (+11.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 26-16 ATS (+8.4 Units) in road games this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) in a road game where where the total is between 190 and 194.5 points this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
MEMPHIS is 11-6 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 10-7 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
10 of 17 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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**Udog** · 04-29-2011, 09:19 AM

NBA
Short Sheet

Friday, April 29

Western Conference Playoffs - First Round - Best of 7 - Game 6 - Mem 3-2
SAN ANTONIO at MEMPHIS, 9:00 PM ET ESPN
SAN ANTONIO: 13-5 Over as an underdog
MEMPHIS: 20-5 ATS off road loss

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

**Udog** · 04-29-2011, 09:20 AM

NBA
Write-Up

Friday, April 29

Under is 14-6 in Eastern games so far, 13-8 in Western games; favorites are 8-12-1 vs spread out west, 5-13-2 in the East.

Grizzlies had San Antonio beat before Neal drilled game-tying 3, forcing OT, where Spurs stayed alive. Memphis is 8-0-1 vs spread against the playing Spurs this season; they are 13-3-1 vs spread in last 17 games overall. Spurs are 5-11-1 in their last 17 games; they're +26 in series with Ginobili on floor, -37 without him. Spurs lost both series games here, by 3-18 points- they have 157-126 edge in foul shots in first five games.

**Udog** · 04-29-2011, 09:23 AM

NBA

Friday, April 29

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Trend Report
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9:00 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. MEMPHIS
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of San Antonio's last 13 games when playing on the road against Memphis
San Antonio is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Memphis
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Memphis's last 11 games at home
Memphis is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games

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**Udog** · 04-29-2011, 09:27 AM

NBA

Friday, April 29

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Spurs at Grizzlies: What bettors need to know
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San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies (-1, 190.5)

Memphis leads series 3-2

THE STORY: A last-second heave from beyond the arc has given San Antonio life. The Spurs hope to extend their postseason stay at least one more game as they face the host Memphis Grizzlies Friday in Game 6 of their Western Conference first-round series. San Antonio escaped the clutches of elimination with a 110-103 win in Game 5 on Wednesday night. The Spurs will need two more victories just like it to advance to the second round.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN.

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES: Memphis looked downright deflated after Gary Neal's 3-pointer at the buzzer forced overtime in Game 5. The Grizzlies couldn't match the Spurs shot-for-shot in overtime, and eventually lost by seven points to the top-seeded team in the West. Zach Randolph had 26 points and 11 rebounds, and put Memphis in position to win by hitting an 18-footer as the shot clock expired to give the Grizzlies a three-point edge late. All is not lost for Memphis, which still has two chances to win the best-of-seven and become just the second No. 8 seed to knock off a No. 1 team in the opening round. The Grizzlies have won their last four home games against the Spurs, including two in this series.

ABOUT THE SPURS: Neal is the toast of San Antonio, at least for the next two days. His long 3-pointer from the top of the arc sent the home crowd into a tizzy, and the Spurs rode that momentum to a dominant performance down the stretch in the extra session. Manu Ginobili had 33 points to lead the Spurs, while Tony Parker added 24 points and nine assists just two nights after a one-assist, seven-turnover performance in Game 4. The key to extending the series to a seventh game will be San Antonio's ability to excel on the road. Monday's Game 4 defeat was one of the worst of the season for the Spurs, who have lost eight of their last nine games away from San Antonio dating back to late-March.

WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Ginobili had one of his most complete games of the campaign Wednesday, adding six rebounds, six assists and four steals. Grizzlies C Marc Gasol had 17 rebounds for the second time in the series, but his 5-of-14 shooting performance ultimately tipped the scales in favor of the Spurs.

KEY STATISTIC: 39:47 - Spurs forward Tim Duncan's playing time in Game 4, a season high for the aging big man. How he bounces back on just one day of rest could determine whether San Antonio can steal a win in Tennessee.

TRENDS:

* Over is 5-2 in the last seven meetings.
* Under is 9-4 in the last 13 meetings in Memphis.
* Underdog is 3-1-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Spurs are 1-9-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
* Spurs are 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings in Memphis.

LAST WORD: "We needed 48 minutes. We didn’t need 47 minutes and 59, 58 seconds and three-tenths. We needed the full 48 to get it done." - Grizzlies forward Shane Battier.

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**Udog** · 04-29-2011, 09:29 AM

NBA

Friday, April 29

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Pick 'n' roll: Friday's best NBA bets
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San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies (-2.5, 189.5)

The Grizzlies are younger than the Spurs and quite possibly better, but the question now is do they know how to finish off a playoff series?

Memphis came darn close to doing just that on Wednesday in what would have been a shocking five-game upset, but the veteran Spurs said no. Manu Ginobili and Gary Neal hit miracle shots within the final three seconds of regulation to keep San Antonio’s season alive.

How does a team that had never previously won a single postseason game recover from having an entire series victory snatched away from it just like that? Well, the Grizzlies certainly did not recover in overtime (losing by seven), so what’s to say they will recover in Game 6?

“We needed 48 minutes,” forward Shane Battier said afterward. “We didn’t need 47 minutes and 59, 58 seconds and three-tenths. We needed the full 48 to get it done.”

Memphis is going to need the same on Friday, especially against an experienced opponent that knows all about playing the full 48.

Plus, it’s not like Memphis was completely dominating the series even before the end of Game 5. The only game that has not gone with home-court advantage was the opener, and even in that one the Spurs just barely lost (and blew a late lead) despite not having the injured Ginobili. Now, of course, Ginobili is back and averaging 21.8 points per game in his last four—including a 33-point onslaught during Wednesday’s heroics.

Take the Spurs, although it could be wise to take the 2.5 points as well for leeway in what should be another down-to-the-wire contest.

Pick: Spurs

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**Udog** · 04-29-2011, 09:47 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Detroit at San Jose
The Red Wings look to build on their 4-1 record in their last 5 road games. Detroit is the pick (+100) according to Dunkel, which has the Red Wings favored by 1/2 a goal. Dunkel Pick: Detroit (+100). Here are all of today's picks.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29

Game 55-56: Tampa Bay at Washington (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay 11.471; Washington 12.959
Dunkel Line & Total: Washington by 1 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Washington (-175); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (-175); Over

Game 51-52: Detroit at San Jose (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit 12.299; San Jose 11.789
Dunkel Line & Total: Detroit by 1/2; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: San Jose (-120); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (+100); Under

**Udog** · 04-29-2011, 09:50 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Friday, April 29

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DETROIT (51-25-0-10, 112 pts.) at SAN JOSE (52-27-0-9, 113 pts.) - 4/29/2011, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 29-22 ATS (+6.6 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 19-12 ATS (+31.5 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 26-15 ATS (+9.4 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
SAN JOSE is 109-103 ATS (-66.8 Units) in home games after a division game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 10-7 (+2.1 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 10-7-0 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
11 of 17 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.6 Units)

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TAMPA BAY (50-27-0-12, 112 pts.) at WASHINGTON (52-24-0-11, 115 pts.) - 4/29/2011, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 1-9 ATS (+10.5 Units) after shutting out their opponent in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 80-159 ATS (+291.5 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.
TAMPA BAY is 50-39 ATS (+5.5 Units) in all games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 25-19 ATS (+45.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
TAMPA BAY is 27-20 ATS (+49.7 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 14-4 (+6.4 Units) against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 14-4-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
8 of 16 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.6 Units, Under=-0.5 Units)

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**Udog** · 04-29-2011, 09:51 AM

NHL
Short Sheet

Friday, April 29

Western Conference Playoffs - Second Round - Game 1
DETROIT at SAN JOSE, 10:05 PM ET VERSUS
DETROIT: 3-12 SU if 9+ total goals were scored last game
SAN JOSE: 24-8 SU off road win scoring 4+ goals

Eastern Conference Playoffs - Second Round - Game 1
TAMPA BAY at WASHINGTON, 7:05 PM ET VERSUS
TAMPA BAY: 1-9 SU off shutout win
WASHINGTON: 41-17 SU off home win

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

**Udog** · 04-29-2011, 09:53 AM

NHL
Write-Up

Friday, April 29

Washington won four of six vs Tampa Bay this season, getting blanked in both losses; three of their four series wins were in OT/SO. Caps have more rest here, having dispatched Rangers in five games, while Lightning won Game 7 in Pittsburgh, rallying from 3-1 series deficit to upset the favored Penguins. Both teams allowed only one power play goal in first round, but Lightning scored eight power play goals in 27 chances.

San Jose won its last three games vs Detroit after losing 5-3 to Wings on Nov 30; Sharks clinched LA series with an OT goal Monday, so they'll be at disadvantage rest-wise, since Detroit swept the Coyotes four in a row- this is Wings' first game in nine days. San Jose beat the Red Wings in this round in five games LY, but Detroit was coming off a seven-game series with Phoenix then. Sharks are 7-2 in last nine games vs Detroit.

Announcement

Friday's Trends and Indexes - 4/29 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Friday's Trends and Indexes - 4/29 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

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